How to Market a Speaker for Your Next Event

As all events and conferences vary in scope, theme, purpose and objectives, the one common denominator between all of them is the central core importance of selecting the right speaker(s). For decision makers, of course a lot of variables go into that final decision. Early on in that process a conversation should also start with the relevant internal and external marketing stakeholders who might be involved at various stages of strategy, planning and implementation. Although situations might very well differ for each event, clear and identified roles and responsibilities between the conference’s marketing team, speaker, speaker’s representatives (i.e. bureau, manager, publisher, PR firm, etc.) as well as any third party promotional partners must be established for effective execution and overall success of your event. I have outlined the following considerations:

Effective Planning

Immediately after securing your speaker(s)—whether it be a keynote, moderator or panelist—map out a communications plan with a definitive timeline and budget. All plans should align with the overall goal, objectives and strategies of the conference. We all know that there are numerous moving parts in planning an event well beyond a speaker; however, as event attendees have indicated in post-event surveys – speakers are frequently ranked as the most memorable part of the event, alongside the networking with clients and colleagues. Early communications outreach to speakers and their representatives, bringing them on board with initial conference marketing plans, will demonstrate a true collaboration and pave the way in developing effective plans while managing all partner expectations.

Mobilize Partners

Partnership marketing starts with a clear understanding of each entity’s goals and then determining how to best leverage each partner’s complementary strengths. This particular technique, which is quite common in the B2C world, offers numerous opportunities to both effectively promote your speaker(s), while driving conference attendance, which is always the ultimate benchmark for success. Relevant partners such as: Speakers, Speaker’s Bureaus, Sponsors, Third Party Partners (i.e. book publishers, etc.) and even pre-registered/registered attendees all play vital roles in speaker marketing at conferences. In conjunction with a full-needs assessment, partners can provide: greater awareness, expanded target audience reach, enhanced engagement with loyal followers, positive brand association and new revenue opportunities. Commonality and shared vision create the ultimate win-win business experience.    

Maximize Promotion Platforms

In addition to meticulous planning and collaborative partners, all marketing tactics promoting your speakers should be approached in an integrated manner with a strategy of leveraging paid, earned and owned assets of the aforementioned partners. In addition to providing a list of “assets,” each partner should be able to quantify the approximate value of their contribution. Of course, with paid assets it is much more apparent, but when executed effectively, the tangible and intangible value of earned and owned assets can be even more substantial. Some examples of each can include: 

• Paid – When considering paid marketing activities, the most important thing is reaching and engaging with your target audience in the right environment for maximum impact. Although LinkedIn is commonly used with partners’ owned assets (more on that later), LinkedIn does offer some quite effective paid marketing tools, like Sponsored Content featuring your speakers’ key speech topics and/or Dynamic Ads that can be visually impactful and click through to the speaker’s web profile on their bureau’s website. This will add much needed reach beyond your current followers in a business environment where the audience mindset is most compatible with your message. Another idea could be placing a digital banner ad on a targeted trade website, which could also include some packaged pre-negotiated “editorial” coverage as well.
• Earned – Promotional exposure from earned media (which is technically at no cost) is the pillar of your marketing efforts and should involve all the previously-mentioned partners. For pure reach, first include your featured speakers in a press release (with links to online speaker bios for more info.) in press outlets like PR Newswire and Business Wire. Second, working alongside your speaker and their bureau, coordinate both partners’ social media activity across platforms (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram). Carefully determining the appropriate platform(s) is important for each partner, as their individual priorities and strengths may vary. Both parties can have very loyal, active followers many times more consistent than the social media following of an annual conference and coordinating activities can really ramp up engagement, including during crucial event ticket selling “windows,” when using an event hashtag 6-9 months out from the date (with speaker Twitter handles) can build on-going interest. Another great earned platform can be utilized through event sponsors—in addition to them publicizing the conference logo, date, etc. on their appropriate website pages, social media platforms and in all media directed to the desired target audience, it is beneficial to all parties to include a line in the contract that requires them to include a list of the featured conference speakers as well. Finally, empower and encourage attendees on-site during a speaker’s presentation to be active brand ambassadors, by sharing and posting speaker content online through their individual social media accounts to create an experience that amplifies well beyond the conference to future attendees, customers and potential sponsors.  
• Owned – Opportunities are limitless since this is your own “real estate”. Beyond the basic promotion of speakers that includes headshot/bio/speech topic for the conference page on your website, consider working with your speaker’s bureau to expand on the treasure trove of options. Depending on speaker budget levels and of course, advanced planning, a custom video greeting from a speaker on your home page that links to the conference page would grab immediate attention and effectively enhance the association with your planned program content. When planning promotional activities on your conference website, as well as various speaker pages, make sure each page is structured with the appropriate keyword page tags and coded properly for maximum SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Promoting speakers could also include: a speaker guest blog post on the conference page, incorporating featured speakers together with the conference logo, date, etc. in your organization’s email signature, and featuring speakers in any and all print and digital newsletters and brochures. Finally, maximize LinkedIn by highlighting your conference speakers on your LinkedIn company/organization page. In tandem, build a LinkedIn Group where, during your promo period, you disseminate information/highlights and news updates about your speakers. In addition, be sure to coordinate all internal stakeholders involved in the conference to actively participate and send direct messages to their LinkedIn connections.   

Content Matters 

Once the above is generally determined (rarely do all the stars align in perfect chronological order), develop a list of speaker content needs for all relevant and potential platforms. Effective collaboration with all partners includes having a clear idea regarding asset (i.e. image, copy points, video clips, social media links, etc.) usage and any specific production guidelines. Effective planning includes creating your own content calendar well in advance that you could share with the speaker and their bureau, which in addition to helping the transfer of assets, can also be part of the strategic planning discussions to determine maximum effectiveness when promoting your conference’s speakers. In evaluating content needs, keep in mind that context also matters. The context includes timing, placement, surrounding messaging, shareability and all and any user engagement. As vital as speakers are to the success of your conference, cohesive content integration in marketing activities must include strong compatibility with the overall conference theme. Finally, we are so fortunate to be in a business where the most compelling result of an event includes the overall impression that a speaker has left with the audience – which includes speaker speeches and presentations, providing great content to be used (only with permission from the speaker and bureau) to market next year’s conference! 

Metrics for Success

At the start of any conversation, it’s important to finalize the quantitative and qualitative benchmarks for success across all departments—depending on the size of your organization, that can go up to the C-Suite level. This includes, of course, both the selection and marketing of your speakers. Once internally finalized, having that conversation with both the speaker and the speaker’s bureau can provide both necessary insight prior to the event, as well as a post-event mechanism for attendee event surveys and can even be used through social media. 

Conclusion

As many important factors go into the planning and execution of a great event, your speakers are the vital engines that keep attendees happy and coming back. Your role as the event planner is very much like a chief maestro of a very large symphony orchestra, where in order to ensure that all your musicians are in sync (in addition to long hours of practice), a performance program has been clearly planned including a theme, locked in concert dates, established ticket prices and a marketing campaign ready to activate – all together resulting in the ultimate live concert experience.  

A piece previously written for the Social Tables blog.