LinkedIn can be an effective platform for promoting events, but the key is using the right strategies to maximize exposure. Here are some quick answers to key questions about using LinkedIn for event promotion:
How can you promote an event on LinkedIn?
There are several ways to promote events on LinkedIn:
- Create an Event page – LinkedIn allows you to create dedicated pages for your event that people can follow and share.
- Post in relevant LinkedIn groups – Share event details and promotions in LinkedIn groups related to your target audience.
- Engage your network – Notify your connections about the event and encourage them to share with their networks.
- Use sponsored content – Run sponsored posts and InMail campaigns to reach a wider target audience on LinkedIn.
- Promote on Company page – Post event announcements and updates on your company LinkedIn page.
What types of events can you promote on LinkedIn?
You can promote all types of professional, industry, and corporate events on LinkedIn, including:
- Conferences and trade shows
- Seminars and workshops
- Webinars and online events
- Fundraisers and charity events
- Company parties and celebrations
- Awards dinners and galas
- Training and certification courses
Who is the target audience on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn’s audience tends to be:
- Working professionals
- Higher income
- Higher education
- Age 25-65
- Business decision makers
- Industry experts and thought leaders
So B2B events, corporate events, professional development events tend to align well with LinkedIn’s member base.
What are the benefits of promoting events on LinkedIn?
Benefits of using LinkedIn for event promotion include:
- Targeting a professional audience
- Viral sharing via member networks
- Increased event visibility & reach
- Driving ticket sales and registration
- Raising awareness for causes/nonprofits
- Thought leadership for companies/brands
- Lead generation and networking
What tips make LinkedIn event promotion more effective?
Tips for improving LinkedIn event promotion results:
- Start promoting early – at least 1-2 months ahead of event
- Use visual assets – eye-catching banners, graphics, videos
- Provide value to your audience via content
- Leverage influencers by partnering on promotions
- Retarget event website visitors with LinkedIn ads
- Offer discounts and special offers for LinkedIn readers
- Follow up with people who engaged with event content
What metrics help measure LinkedIn event promotion performance?
Key metrics to track for LinkedIn events include:
- Event page views and followers
- Engagement with event posts and content (likes, shares, comments)
- Event website clicks and traffic from LinkedIn
- Leads generated from LinkedIn campaigns
- Registrations and ticket sales influenced by LinkedIn
- Surveys to gauge how attendees heard about the event
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn provides a valuable platform for promoting business, professional, industry, and nonprofit events. The key is tapping into LinkedIn’s engaged audience of professionals, leveraging viral sharing across networks, and driving measurable actions like website traffic, registrations, and ticket sales. With the right targeting, content strategy, and analytics, LinkedIn can amplify event success and deliver great ROI on promotional campaigns.
Sample LinkedIn Event Promotion Strategy and Results
Here is an example of a LinkedIn event promotion strategy and results:
Event Details
- Global Leadership Summit
- Date: October 18-19, 2023
- Location: New York, NY
- 500-person conference for business executives
LinkedIn Promotion Strategy
- Created LinkedIn Event Page 2 months prior to summit
- Posted event details and speaker announcements on Event Page
- Ran LinkedIn Sponsored Content campaigns targeting senior leaders in NYC
- Posted in 20 relevant industry groups with 300K+ combined members
- Sent Event Page link via LinkedIn InMail to 5K relevant prospects
- Promoted early bird and VIP discounts for LinkedIn readers
LinkedIn Event Promotion Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Event Page Views | 18,592 |
| Event Page Followers | 784 |
| LinkedIn Referral Traffic to Event Website | 4,327 visits |
| Registrations Influenced by LinkedIn | 119 |
| Projected Revenue from LinkedIn Registrations | $197,325 |
As the results show, the LinkedIn event promotion strategy significantly boosted summit visibility, website traffic, and registrations. The event page engagement, referrals, and revenue generated delivered a high ROI on the time and budget invested in LinkedIn marketing.
Best Practices For Optimizing LinkedIn Events
Here are some top tips for optimizing LinkedIn Event Pages and promotions:
Event Page Best Practices
- Include a striking cover image that brands the event
- Share detailed event information like schedule, speakers, location
- Enable visitors to register or purchase tickets directly on the page
- Post regular updates highlighting speakers, session announcements, etc.
- Tag featured speakers, partners, sponsors to extend reach
Promotion Best Practices
- Promote at least 2-3 weeks ahead of event date
- Leverage text, images, video for multi-media engagement
- Target promotions to relevant audience segments and groups
- Retarget website visitors with follow-up messages
- Offer exclusive discounts and perks for LinkedIn community
- Collect feedback via surveys to improve future events
Measurement Best Practices
- Analyze event page views, followers, engagement
- Track website clicks, registrations, sales from LinkedIn
- Measure lead quality and conversion rates
- Review feedback surveys and social listening data
- Capture long-term impact on brand, community growth
Focusing on these best practices can help optimize LinkedIn promotion results and provide data-driven insights to improve future events.
LinkedIn Advertising Options for Event Promotion
LinkedIn offers several paid advertising options that can amplify event promotions:
Sponsored Content
– Native ads in the LinkedIn feed aimed at driving awareness
– Can highlight event details, speaker bios, special offers
– Target by location, job role, industry, interests
Sponsored InMail
– Send targeted direct messages to select individuals
– Personalize invites, special offers, and logistics info
– Higher open rates than email
Text Ads
– Display targeted text ads on LinkedIn pages
– Drive traffic to event website, registration pages
– Retarget people who’ve viewed event content
Dynamic Ads
– Automatically show ads based on member interests
– Promote events to engaged audiences
– Machine learning optimizes targeting
Lead Gen Forms
– Display forms for visitors to fill out contact info
– Generate and follow up on qualified leads
– Capture registrations and interest in one place
Using a strategic mix of these LinkedIn ads can amplify event promotion reach and results. Advanced targeting, retargeting, and lead capture capabilities make LinkedIn ads extremely valuable for promoting events to the right audiences.
Driving Registrations with LinkedIn Ads
Here are some proven techniques for driving more event registrations with LinkedIn ads:
Audience Targeting
– Target by title, industry, groups to reach your ideal attendees
– Layer on interests, skills for more granular targeting
– Lookalike Audiences find people similar to past event goers
Compelling Creative
– Spotlight keynote speakers, big name brands, or causes
– Use video ads to convey event excitement and engagement
– Promote limited time offers like early bird pricing
Retargeting
– Create audiences who visited event website or pages
– Retarget them with ads promoting registration
– Send InMail invites to download event agenda
Lead Gen Forms
– Collect name, email, and interest level in one click
– Request additional info like company, title
– Send automated follow up emails to convert leads
Multichannel Approach
– Promote across feed, InMail, pages for multi-touch attribution
– Tailor messaging for each format
– Track registrations across channels
With strategic execution across these areas, LinkedIn advertising can become a powerful driver of measurable event registrations. The platform makes it easy to track registrations and optimize campaigns for better conversion rates.
Measuring LinkedIn Event Promotion ROI
To accurately measure LinkedIn’s impact on event success, here are some key performance indicators to track:
Exposure Metrics
– Event Page views, followers, post engagement
– Impressions and reach for Sponsored Content
– InMail open and clickthrough rates
Traffic Metrics
– Clicks, visits, and registrants from LinkedIn referral links
– Traffic source trends before, during, and after promotion
Registration and Sales Metrics
– Revenue and registrations from LinkedIn Channels
– Percentage of total registrations influenced
– Event capacity, sell out time compared to previous events
Engagement Metrics
– On-site event app activity for LinkedIn registrants
– Event satisfaction, brand sentiment, and feedback scores
– Recurring engagement on social media and future events
Analyzing this data can help quantify LinkedIn’s tangible impact on awareness, traffic, registrations, revenue, engagement, and long-term brand loyalty. The richer the analytics, the more LinkedIn’s event marketing ROI can be measured.
Pros and Cons of Using LinkedIn to Promote Events
Pros
- Target professional/industry audiences directly
- Viral engagement through member networks
- Company/Influencer thought leadership
- Generate leads even after event ends
- Cost-effective compared to other paid channels
- Robust analytics for optimizing campaigns
Cons
- Not ideal for consumer-focused events
- Time/resource investment needed for quality content
- Restrictions on targeting by certain attributes
- Low organic reach without paid amplification
- Harder to make viral content compared to other social platforms
The pros often outweigh the cons for business, professional, industry, and nonprofit/fundraising events targeting working-age audiences. But less relevant events may see lower ROI. Testing and optimizing promotion strategies can help maximize LinkedIn’s advantages while minimizing the downsides.
FAQs About Promoting Events on LinkedIn
What types of events should you promote on LinkedIn?
B2B and professional events benefit most from LinkedIn promotion – conferences, trade shows, networking events, seminars, training/certification workshops, webinars, company parties. Cause marketing for nonprofits can also work well.
What’s the best way to create visibility for an event?
Creating an Event Page and posting regular updates provides a hub for driving awareness. Outbound promotion via InMail, text ads, and sharing in relevant LinkedIn Groups also boosts visibility.
How far in advance should you start promoting on LinkedIn?
2-3 months prior to the event is ideal. This allows time to build awareness, drive early registrations, and gather data to optimize campaigns.
Should you spend on LinkedIn ads for event promotion?
Sponsored Content and InMail ads can significantly amplify reach and engagement. They provide targeting options and metrics to optimize performance. Budgets should align with potential ROI.
What content best connects with audiences on LinkedIn?
Insights from speakers, exclusive event perks, limited time offers, inspiring visuals, and video clips resonate well. Content should motivate professionals to register or share.
How can you get attendees to promote your event on LinkedIn?
Encourage shares by speakers and sponsors. Offer perks like discounts for referrals. Share visual content from the event for attendees to repost. Capture testimonials to spread word of mouth.
Examples of Top LinkedIn Event Promotions
Here are some examples of events with highly effective LinkedIn promotion campaigns:
Dreamforce Conference
– Salesforce’s massive annual tech/business event
– Drove 100K+ Event Page views before conference
– Widely shared video featuring Barack Obama
Adobe Summit
– Adobe marketing conference with over 10K attendees
– Robust content hub on LinkedIn with speaker spotlights
– Scored nearly 5K Event Page followers
SXSW Festival
– Massive conference spanning tech, film, music verticals
– Curated LinkedIn page with recommended speakers
– Strong organic engagement with relevant audiences
INBOUND Conference
– 15K+ event for marketers hosted by HubSpot
– Scored over 1,500 registrations via LinkedIn ads
– Focused messaging on networking, growth opportunities
These examples demonstrate the power of tailored content, influencer engagement, paid amplification, and compelling calls-to-action. Applying similar best practices can produce standout results for LinkedIn event promotion campaigns, both large and small.
Conclusion
In closing, LinkedIn’s engaged professional audience, targeting capabilities, and built-in event features provide tremendous potential for promoting corporate, industry, nonprofit and B2B events. With a strategic, metrics-driven approach across organic content and paid advertising, LinkedIn can drive measurable awareness, website traffic, leads and registrations. The platform enables brands, marketers and organizations to amplify event success. As LinkedIn campaign data and best practices improve over time, the platform will become an even more powerful channel for promoting events and driving ROI.