Using LinkedIn to Promote Your Next Conference

As the #1 business networking platform, LinkedIn is a powerful resource to promote your conference or event. It’s an ideal platform to promote your next conference, since you can build upon your existing audience while using the business contacts that you have already cultivated.  Event organizers may be hesitant to create an event marketing campaign using LinkedIn, but if you follow these simple strategies, your conference will be viewed as an exciting opportunity by LinkedIn users!

Company page: The first place on LinkedIn that you should be promoting your event or conference is on the your company page. Hold off on an event invitation or advertisement initially. You should build these posts into your overall strategic social media marketing campaign and build a buzz with frequent posts including updates about keynote speakers, event app download information, or posts that drive traffic to your ticket registration webpage.

Personal page: Like your organization page, you should be posting frequently about your upcoming event on your personal LinkedIn profile. This will help to build excitement among your connections. Be sure to post unique content on your personal page so that you don’t duplicate company updates.

Send messages directly to connections: Although this can be a tedious task, sending direct messages with a custom, personalized message works wonders! The key is to use this direct message to get your connection interested and involved with the event by including a call to action. Beware of the copy and paste method; you want your message to be tailored to your contact. It’s also a great place to let them know about any event apps or event networking tools that you are providing for the event. A personal touch is always appreciated!

Groups: Sending a promotional message to groups can potentially be the best way to get your event seen by your target market. Don’t just join groups with the intention of marketing your event to them. This tactic will most likely result in being removed from the group.

You need to be an active, participating member to effectively promote your event. To do this, make sure you post something relevant to the group frequently. Don’t forget to support other group members by commenting and engaging in ongoing discussions. This is how others get to know you. Then, posting a promotion for your upcoming event will be well received, and an excellent way to penetrate your target market.

Paid advertising: LinkedIn marketing solutions can be very successful by allowing you to really amplify your message. You can have your event ads displayed to LinkedIn members who meet your specific target audience and select this audience based upon the criteria you select.

This technique gives you the ability to expand your reach and promote your event to potential attendees. The early bird catches the worm! Getting them engaged early can truly impact the outcome of your event.

Stakeholders: An easy way to spread your message is by asking speakers, presenters, sponsors or vendors that are professionally associated with the event to help with the event promotion. Ask them to send a call to action message directly to their LinkedIn connections, and post similarly on groups, and even their personal profiles.

To be sure that you are creating a unified promotional presence, be sure to have a few sample posts prepared along with images and links to the event and event networking tools. The easier you make it for attendees and supporters to share your event, the more likely the event will be shared!

For more tools to help you promote your next event, download our free ebook of 100 event planning tools.