How To Nail Your eLearning Event Marketing Strategy And Digital Promotion
Let's go on a mini trip down memory lane here. When was the last time that you attended an event? For some, it might have been a conference or trade show. Others might have signed up for a seminar or online webinar. What about those who had the opportunity to do something more fun, like going to a concert? These might be different types of events, but the brands or organizations who hosted them had one common purpose: to entertain and engage attendees. So, as you can understand, having a solid event marketing strategy set is key to reaching more potential customers.
All kinds of businesses can leverage event marketing. From technology giants and education institutions to nonprofit organizations, medicine, and retail stores, every brand has lots to win. What I love about organizing events is that they don't only benefit event hosts and sponsors. Events have another goal and purpose of existence, which is to enrich attendees' lives. By planning an event, you can inspire, teach, and entertain audiences. At the same time, you can bring people together more meaningfully, unlike in most other marketing efforts. Take webinars at eLearning Industry, for example. Our webinar library traffic is 24K+ per month. If that doesn't show how much people in the eLearning niche care about online events, I don't know what does!
For all the above reasons, I decided to share my two cents on leveraging event marketing to grow your eLearning business. Keep reading as we'll get into all the nitty gritty details on strategies you should follow to promote your event to the eLearning audience.
4 Ways To Maximize Your Event Marketing Strategy
First of all, what is event marketing? In short, event marketing is planning, organizing, and executing an event to promote a brand, product, or service. eLearning companies like yours can host such events in-person or online. You can either host an event, attend as an exhibitor, or participate as a sponsor if someone else is organizing it.
What's great about events is the many options you have. You can organize a small roundtable of eight to ten guests or go wild...For example, you might like to partner with another brand and sponsor a 5K run. Or maybe you're considering setting up an exhibit at a major trade show. Best of all? There's the possibility to host any of these online. I've seen other vendors hosting multiday events and attracting thousands of attendees. Heck, you could even host sessions both online and in-person to double your chances!
As long as you bring value to your customers, potential customers, and eLearning brand, it will be a success. Of course, if you decide to host your event online, the platform you choose might make a difference because the right people have to learn about your event. So, using a platform where your ideal customers like to hang out is even better.
So, do you want to make your event marketing persuasive, but not salesy? Well, you'll enjoy reading about these event marketing ideas and strategies.
1. Make Your Agenda Remarkable
Look, I'm a marketer, and I enjoy promoting stuff and creating campaigns. But, if the product or idea is not good, well, Houston, we have a problem. Your agenda is what will sell your event. So, your marketing efforts really shouldn't be an afterthought. On the contrary, marketing should drive your goals and set you up for success. And this is a favorite event marketing strategy for me.
Is your event bringing value to your eLearning audience? The program you offer to your audience will attract the right crowd. So, make sure they remember it and can share a story about it!
Once you set your event program and all that goes with it, it's time to create your event landing page. Now that's key to your event's success. In our digital era, prospects and attendees will bookmark and check your event page numerous times until the actual day. If you are aiming for a certain number of attendees, this dedicated event landing page can help increase your sign-ups since it will be the spot where all your promo activities drive traffic.
Your event landing page has to be visually appealing and comprehensive. Make a positive impression on your audience by adding professional photos and engaging descriptions. Also, remember to include information for each speaker.
I bet you'll love reading this:
Tips On Running Successful Webinars.
2. Share Your Event
Putting out a press release is a fantastic way to get the attention of the right people. And of course, a great event marketing strategy. Remember, when ideal attendees learn about your event, they can share it with their peers and help you reach your event goals. Another good idea would be to opt for a formal press release. For example, you can invite local media to participate in your event.
What's more, you should consider sparking the attention of eLearning influencers. Or alternatively, you can reach out to new supporters and brand ambassadors to get the word out. All the above will be very beneficial, especially if your event aims to spread awareness and invite influential people in your niche.
For more ideas on event marketing promotion, make sure to read this:
eLearning Event Promotion: 6 Ways To Promote Your Event Online
3. Socialize And Conquer
Can't argue against the fact that social media is one of the top places to connect with influencers and people with a strong digital footprint. By leveraging this marketing tactic, you open the way for your event to get the proper attention.
For this event marketing strategy to work in your favor, make sure to look for influencers who work within your industry. The greater the following they have, the better. And if they are known on various social networks, that's a plus.
The power of word-of-mouth marketing is a force to reckon with! Take our own CEO and eLearning Industry, for example:
- Christopher Pappas Linked Profile (36K+ followers)
- eLearning Industry LinkedIn Business Page (92.2K+ followers)
- eLearning Industry Facebook Page (388K+ followers)
What we're witnessing today is a generation that depends on an influencer or peer recommendations when making buying decisions. For example, say you are hosting an event and want to recruit more volunteers. In this scenario, you can have influencers talk about how amazing this event is going to be and why someone should volunteer. Or if you simply have an influencer say they would personally attend your event, then hordes of peers might follow.
You can have influencers guest blog on your website or have them write an article on their own website to take advantage of their built-in audience. Best of all, when an influencer shares something about your brand, you can take advantage of extra social media coverage, especially if they have a big following.
4. Leverage Smart Ways To Promote Your Event
Sometimes you need to get more practical with your event marketing strategy, especially if you are still looking for the results you wish for.
- Do A Live Stream On Facebook
Yes, I'm talking about going social again! Facebook is a great platform to promote your eLearning event. Why not start a Live Stream to get the word out? It is a new trend in event marketing because it helps you interact directly with your target audience. Just press that rec button and invite them in. Make sure to practice before going live. You see, doing a live stream will allow your audience to get a peek into what lies ahead. Plus, it's your chance to make a compelling pitch about why attending the event is something they don't want to miss.
- Start A Pop-Up Banner Campaign
Creating dedicated pop-ups is another event marketing strategy that can bring more people to your event. You can do a pop-up banner campaign on your own website, or you can find a website where most of your target audience hangs out and do a promo campaign with them. Create a pop-up campaign and ask website visitors to sign up to get more information. This will not only help you increase registrations, but it will help your lead generation as well. Pop-ups may be annoying, but one must recognize their effectiveness. And remember that the content you use will be a critical factor in determining if people will get pulled in and sign up for your event.
For more info on pop-up banners, check this: Banner Ads Advertising For Beginners.
- Market Your eLearning Event To Your Audience Using Email
When looking for the most effective means to reach out to your customers, email marketing campaigns are at the top of any strategy. Nothing beats sending an email and inviting people to an event. Here at eLearning Industry, we host webinar events regularly, and we've seen how effective event email marketing can be. If you want to pack the house, you can't go wrong with this one. And we all know how a well-executed event can benefit a business. But for success to come, it all starts with getting people in at the door.
Why not check out some email marketing solutions and see how you can promote your event to the right audience?
- Spark FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
I'm a big fan of sparking FOMO. You see, when you create the "Fear of Missing Out" among your audience, your registrations increase. Also, you might get more shares and event awareness if registrants start sharing it with their peers. So, make sure to use content, like video or images, to show them what they're going to miss if they don't attend your event. When people feel they will miss out on something valuable, they do their best to be part of the equation. For example, an email subject line like "You don't want to miss this event" might do the trick. A simple yet effective email marketing subject line, social media campaign, or blog post might be all you need to spark curiosity about your eLearning event.
Extra Tips To Measure Your Event Success
When it's not been many days since the time of the event, it's easy to think that everything went as expected. You may be boasting a bit about your attendance and engagement. But is this the only way to evaluate whether your eLearning event was successful? Probably not. Hosting an event is a brilliant marketing investment. And like any other marketing effort, it's wise to set some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). By doing so, you can measure and evaluate performance regarding your event.
Here are some KPIs for event marketing you should focus on.
1. Registrations And Check-Ins
Truth be told, having many registrations is vital. But unfortunately, only some people who registered for your event will attend. So, make sure to compare your registrations to your actual attendees. You can even reach out to a few who registered but did not check in at the end. That way, you can learn more about the reasons, or prompt them to watch your event on demand. Take a closer look at your registration data. When were the fewest tickets purchased? If you offered different ticket packages or options, make sure to dive into the data to understand what might have gone wrong. The insights will help your next event. Nothing is lost.
2. Revenue And Cost-To-Revenue Ratio
Did your event bring in any money? For example, if your event requires a paid ticket, the gross revenue is a critical indicator of success. Compare that amount to what you spent on the event production. Was it worth it? By making such a comparison, you can better understand the value of your event. Don't take lightly the resources you've spent to make it happen.
3. Attendee Satisfaction
Did your attendees have a good time at your event? It would be great if you knew why they participated in your event and what they enjoyed the most. Seeing satisfaction metrics based on opinions and the perspective of your event attendees is another way you can use to improve for future events. Consider creating a survey to ask your attendees about their event experience. It will help you collect key takeaways and calculate your event's Net Promoter Score (NPS). Measuring attendee engagement and satisfaction is key to your future business success.
4. Social Media Mentions/Engagement
Do you know how often people discuss your event on social media? What was the general opinion around your event? For example, maybe your attendees shared content that engaged nonattenders. Or perhaps people who signed up for the event helped increase event registrations by letting their peers know that they would attend your event. In today's digital world, taking advantage of social media to measure an event's reach and success is vital. So, please consider using a hashtag to track posts around your event easily. And remember to look at your event mentions on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
5. Lead Acquisition And Customer Conversion
One of the significant benefits of event marketing is acquiring leads and converting those leads into customers. So, it makes sense to measure these as KPIs of your eLearning event. How many qualified leads did you gain from your event? As soon as you know who entered your event funnel, you can track how many of those leads convert into paying customers in the coming months. By doing so, you can uncover the direct ROI of your event. This is great if you want to see which marketing tactics worked for lead collection and conversion.
Summing Up
If you decided to host an event, then you know your event is going to be exceptional. First things first, success happens only if you start by planning amazing things for your attendees. When your agenda is set, then it’s time to create a buzz about your upcoming event.
Event marketing strategies give you the power to make an impact. Don't take the time until your event lightly. Do everything in your power to build up anticipation until the event date. Make sure to continue the momentum for your eLearning business. You can do so even after the event. Maybe you wanna share what they missed with your audience and share key takeaways, or ask them to watch the event on demand. You can even take advantage of all the coverage and invite people to your next event, which is going to be an even greater success.
The connection you've established with your event attendees offers an excellent opportunity to show people that you take their needs and priorities seriously. Show everyone that you care and that their needs are at the top of your mind. Now that this event is out of the way, gather all the precious data and start planning your next event. Remember to use all the event promotion strategies I've just shared for maximum effectiveness.
Are you dreaming of your event becoming the talk of the town, that everyone wants to be a part of? Now is the time to start planning future projects. And if you still need some inspiration, check out these eLearning event examples. You'll learn what types of events interest the eLearning audience from the best in eLearning.
And if you need any extra tips on how to market your eLearning business, we're here to help.
