How do you target conference attendees?

1 Define your goals and personas

Before you start promoting your conference, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to attend. What are the main objectives of your conference? Who are your ideal attendees, and what are their needs, challenges, and interests? How can your conference help them solve their problems or achieve their goals? Creating SMART goals and detailed personas will help you tailor your message, content, and channels to your target audience.

3 Choose your channels and tactics

Once you have a clear picture of your goals, personas, market, and competitors, you can choose the most effective channels and tactics to reach your target audience. Depending on your budget, resources, and timeline, you can use a mix of online and offline methods, such as email marketing, social media, content marketing, SEO, PPC, influencer marketing, PR, word-of-mouth, referrals, partnerships, sponsorships, and more. The key is to select the channels and tactics that align with your audience's preferences, behaviors, and stages of the buyer's journey.

4 Create and distribute engaging content

Content is the core of your conference promotion strategy. You need to create and distribute engaging content that showcases the benefits, features, and value of your conference, and that educates, informs, inspires, and entertains your audience. You can use different formats and types of content, such as blog posts, podcasts, videos, webinars, ebooks, infographics, case studies, testimonials, reviews, social media posts, newsletters, landing pages, and more. The key is to use content that matches your audience's needs, interests, and pain points, and that drives them to take action.

5 Optimize your registration and conversion process

Once you have attracted your audience's attention and interest, you need to make it easy and convenient for them to register and convert. You need to optimize your registration and conversion process by using clear and compelling calls-to-action, simple and secure forms, multiple payment options, discounts and incentives, confirmation and reminder emails, and more. You also need to track and measure your conversion rate, and test and improve your process based on feedback and data.

6 Nurture and retain your attendees

The last step is to nurture and retain your attendees before, during, and after your conference. You need to build and maintain a relationship with your attendees by providing them with relevant and valuable information, support, and communication. You can use email, social media, mobile apps, chatbots, surveys, polls, gamification, and more to keep your attendees engaged, satisfied, and loyal. You also need to collect and analyze feedback and data from your attendees, and use it to improve your conference and promotion strategy.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?