Crafting an Impactful Conference Content Strategy in Just 3 Steps

Amplify Your Reach and Engage Up to 8x More Conference Attendees

Introduction

Imagine this: It's weeks away from your grand multi-day conference, your team is buzzing with anticipation, or suddenly there's a hiccup with the venue. Sounds all too familiar?

Staying active and engaging online isn't just a luxury; it's essential for conference organisers like yourself, especially when gearing up for the big days.

Gone are the days when we would solely rely on periodic promotions or last-minute event announcements.

Our modern digital world craves a consistent serving of insightful articles, captivating videos, interactive webinars, and genuine social media dialogues.

When executed right, this not only elevates your event's profile but also ensures a steady influx of ticket sales, creating lasting bonds with your future attendees.

Let's be real: Continually producing top-notch content can be demanding. Yet, letting your online content dwindle might lead to a dip in registrations.

Conversely, bombarding your audience with unaligned content can steer away those very professionals who were eager for what your conference promises.

This article stems from my personal experiences. I've seen the magic of a well-strategised content plan, and I'm here to share how to strike that perfect balance, ensuring your online engagement always complements your conference objectives.

Step 1: Perfectly Sync with Your Attendees' Expectations

Walk a mile in your attendees' shoes.

As a conference organiser, before you dive deep into crafting content, immerse yourself into understanding your audience. Think as your typical attendee would; this will empower your content creation with clarity and intent. Consider:

• Who truly makes up your conference crowd? And, importantly, why?
• What are the pressing issues or aspirations these attendees are counting on your conference to address?
• Which online platforms are their favourites, and where can you most effectively engage them?
• What kind of content truly speaks to them?
• Can you visualise their conference journey and ensure your content mirrors that experience?

Delegate Dossier: Think of this as a detailed sketch of your ideal attendee. This profile should encapsulate demographics, online habits, as well as educated insights on their tastes, histories, and motivations.

Analyse data from your previous conferences, looking for patterns amongst your most engaged delegates. You may uncover several attendee profiles. Flesh out each with a distinct persona, adding a memorable name, professional history, industry nuances, and demographic insights.

For instance, if you're planning a conference on the "Future of Retail 2024", your main attendees might be forward-thinking event managers and digital-savvy marketing directors. Your crafted personas could be "Sophie Strategist, the contemporary event manager" and "Martin Maven, the digital-first marketing director". Dive into their roles, locations, challenges, budgeting thoughts, interests, etc.

Such personas will be your compass, guiding your content to match attendee expectations and sculpt memorable conference experiences.

Think about these three crucial questions:

1. By attending your conference, what challenges are your attendees aiming to conquer?
2. Which insights or experiences do they cherish the most at your event?
3. What sessions or themes would they jot down first on their agenda?

Deciphering the pathway that transforms interested attendees into actual participants illuminates their distinct preferences and requirements.

Harness digital analytics tools, such as the GDPR-friendly Fathom or the less GDPR-focused Google Analytics, to delve deep into user engagement on your website. Pinpoint the keywords attracting them, their stay duration, the sections they're most drawn to, and the queries they drop. Channel these insights to fine-tune your delegate dossiers.

Taking the "Future of Retail 2024" conference for illustration:

Sophie Strategist, the contemporary event manager, consistently hunts for sessions centered around next-gen event management techniques. When navigating a conference site, she's discerning about the speaker lineup, session topics, and opportunities to connect with peers. Her online footprint suggests Sophie places significant weight on a robust speaker lineup and interactive, hands-on learning sessions.

Martin Maven, the digital-first marketing director, zeroes in on opportunities to network and form alliances with event tech vendors. During his site explorations, he meticulously examines the sponsor roster, list of exhibitors, and the conference's layout and format. This behaviour underscores that Martin highly values capitalising on networking and partnership opportunities at a conference.

Step 2: Designing the Delegate's Decision Path with Custom Content

What compels a delegate to decide your conference is their best choice?

View content as your compass, guiding delegates throughout their decision-making trajectory. It's vital to recognise that each phase necessitates tailored content, resonating with the delegate's current mindset. Let's delve into these pivotal moments:

1. Discovery: This is their introduction – when they either stumble upon your conference or grasp the opportunities awaiting at your event.
2. Education/Exploration: Their intrigue is piqued. They venture deeper, exploring session agendas, speaker profiles, and potential takeaways.
3. Evaluation: At this juncture, they weigh your event against others. They assess factors like the depth of speaker line-ups, topical relevance, networking prospects, and value for money.
4. Commitment: They're convinced! With no reservations left, they register.

To ensure this transition is fluid:

1. Reflect on the channels through which past delegates stumbled upon and opted for your event.
2. Focus on ensuring the right potential attendees hear your call.

Curated Content for Each Decision Point

Align your content with each stage, striking the right chord. While some content forms, like blogs, are universally fitting, others shine brightest at specific phases. Here’s a blueprint for correlating content with the delegate's journey:

• DISCOVERY: Engaging social media blurbs, foundational blog pieces, and attention-grabbing teaser videos.
• EDUCATION/EXPLORATION: Delve into session intricacies, roll out speaker introductions, present FAQs, and spotlight your event's USPs.
• EVALUATION: Share narratives from prior delegates, archive footage of past conferences, interactive speaker interviews, and tangible outcomes for attendees.
• COMMITMENT: Showcase the unparalleled advantages of participating, provide a comprehensive event schedule, spotlight networking segments, and amplify credibility with testimonials from past delegates or standout speakers.

Step 3: Crafting Your Conference Content Timeline

A Calendar To Command Content Once you've tuned into your attendees and mapped their engagement path, the next phase is to orchestrate when and where your content plays its role. Think of your content calendar as the maestro, orchestrating every piece of content in harmony. Let's embark:

1. Embrace Digital Aids: Digital assistants such as Google Calendar or robust spreadsheets are invaluable. With your conference etched in the horizon, your content calendar should ideally illuminate the path right up to the conference finale and even its echoes. A solid six-month plan should be your minimal benchmark.
2. Begin with Ambitions: Ponder on the pivotal milestones for your upcoming conference. Perhaps you aim to incentivise early bird sign-ups; contemplate the content frequency and flavour that would bolster this.
3. Pin Dates & Themes: Allocate specific dates for dedicated posts. Perhaps, spotlighting speakers fortnightly on your official portal or sprinkling daily titbits on LinkedIn. Commence with a gentle pace, then crescendo as D-Day looms.
4. Fine-tune Content Specs: Reflect on how each piece aids the delegate’s trajectory. Additionally, hone in on the key terminologies that should feature prominently in your content.
5. Sync with Significant Events: Should there be an industry gala or seminar, weave content around it that culminates in highlighting the allure of your conference. Showcase the unique facets that make your conference the logical next step.
6. Leverage the Zeitgeist: Capitalise on hot topics or industry revelations by sharing your perspective. Ensure such content subtly draws parallels to your conference’s keynotes or discussions.
7. Categorise by Content Genre: Segregate spaces for articles, videoclips, infographics, and more. Such organisation guarantees a rich tapestry of content.

While strategic forethought is paramount, the tempo of your content remains a dynamic element. Adapt your symphony based on attendee feedback and emerging trends.

Your Content Playbook This meticulously curated content calendar is your strategic playbook. While the blueprint serves as your foundation, remain nimble, adjusting to industry oscillations or breakthroughs.

Concluding Notes: Choreographing Your Content Ballet Bravo! You're now equipped with a refined content strategy. A recapitulation:

1. Decode Your Audience: Harness insights to sculpt portraits of your quintessential delegates.
2. Synchronise Content with Decision Cadence: Ensure your content resonates with the delegate's current stage of commitment.
3. Anticipate & Adapt: Lean on your content calendar for direction, yet remain vigilant for fresh inspirations.

To kickstart your choreography, here's a sample content calendar to aid your planning: Access Content Calendar

Elevate Your Conference Visibility While you've been orchestrating momentous events, there may be vistas of opportunity yet uncharted. Our mission? To bolster your growth without the added weight of advertisements.

Stellar content can light up a path, but to truly conquer the summit of search rankings, one needs more. Enter backlinking, the unseen force that lends your site the badges of trust and authority.

Every industry has its own rhythm and nuances for online ascendancy. Our pledge is not just another one-size-fits-all solution, but a meticulously tailored strategy. We'll ensure your digital endeavours not only shine but also resonate deeply.