Best Ways to Promote a Virtual Conference

Coronavirus has shifted the way people work, play, and interact in virtually every aspect of their lives. One of the greatest changes that has taken place in the immediate cancellation of just about every type of in-person event imaginable including concerts, trade shows, and conferences. Many businesses have adapted to this social distancing and now provide virtual conference opportunities to engage and entertain fans. It’s probably not surprising that some of the best ways to promote a virtual conference certainly do take place online, virtually.

Virtual conference organizers have several opportunities to promote the virtual conference itself, but before you start promoting online, offline, on the radio, or anywhere, make sure that you consider these ways to promote a virtual conference or event.

1. Promote Twice to ALL Signups

An initial soft-promotion should take place several weeks prior to the event so that your prospective attendees will begin to see and hear about the event. Since the average attendee will sign up for the event up to two weeks prior to it taking place, you need to prepare for hard-promotion in the 14-days leading up to the event. You’ll likely see increased sign-ups to your virtual conference as a result.

2. Promote Where Your Audience Is

Consider promoting the virtual conference wherever your primary target audience is spending the most time. If you’re targeting the millennial generation, you’ll likely want to affix your budget to Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok promotions. Spending money on Facebook ads if your audience spends most of their time on Twitter is not a good idea.

3. Produce Share-Worthy Video Advertisements

As you seek out the best ways to promote a virtual conference, consider the use of video advertising. Many forms of video represent a great marketing tool for virtual conferences and events.

The following types of event marketing videos are ideal for promoting a virtual conference:

• Teaser videos
• Invitation videos
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Speaker Interview Videos
• Key Vendor Spotlights

4. Create an Event Page

Promoting your virtual conference event page represents a place where prospective signups will go to check out your event. Include professional content on your event website or webpage so that your prospective attendees will see the value in your offering upfront. Consider including engaging video clips, past event videos, and your relevant speaker spotlights or behind-the-scenes videos on this page.

5. Leverage Social Media Platforms

One of the absolute most popular ways to promote a virtual conference involves the use of several platforms — Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. Leveraging social media platforms to promote your virtual conference allows you to connect with a wider audience and boost your event attendance with ease. Consider a mix of text, image, and video-based promotional content on major social media platforms that your ideal or prospective audience is involved in.

6. Ask for Promotion

Finally, one of the best ways to promote a virtual conference is not expensive nor does it take a lot of time or effort. No, in fact, promoting your virtual conference begins with a very simple task — the ASK. All you have to do is ASK for promotion. Talk with the event speakers and vendors that you’ve hired already and ask them if they would consider promoting.

Finding ways to promote a virtual conference may seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, you’ll be on your way to a successful, sold-out event in no time. If you need help producing the virtual conference or promoting it to a wide attendee audience, give Beverly Boy Productions a call.