How Can SEO Help Event Promotion?
Image courtesy of Sarah Pflug
Brands with the goal to get better visibility and higher engagement may use the best SEO tactics to get the results they need. However, many have the tendency to neglect SEO for the purpose of non-digital endeavors such as events. This is where this aspect of contemporary event marketing can help you tremendously not just in raising awareness for your upcoming event, but in getting more people interested, inspiring conversations around your event and collecting ideas as to certain aspects of the event itself.
Essentially, this is not the time to treat the digital and the physical worlds as two separate entities, on the contrary. They have merged into a unified network of experiences, and modern companies can now utilize digital strategies, including search engine optimization, to make sure that their events are successful. Without further ado, here are a few methods you can implement to let SEO work in favor of your event promotions!
FOCUS YOUR CONTENT ON THE EVENT
SEO doesn’t mean that you should focus all of your efforts on engines alone. In fact, the more you devote your attention to your readers and potential guests of your events, the greater your chances are of kick-starting a good word-of-mouth chain that you can always benefit from. Moreover, search engines such as Google will recognize a brand that invests time and effort into producing content that’s not stuffed with keywords but built to provide value to its readers.
Make sure that you build your event-friendly content in the months prior to the event, since that will be the only way to gain the traction you need and deserve through vivid content. Spark engagement and more people will be talking and looking forward to the event in no time! Have you organized solid events before? Use reviews from those to remind people of your previous experiences and get them to sign up as early as possible.
THINK LOCAL THOUGHTS
Although more businesses have started using live streaming as a way to include people from all over the globe in their local events, your primary target are still those that come from the region where the event is held. Let’s take Asia as a perfect example of a thriving and highly populated area where brands compete for the attention of truly impressive numbers of people, while they also find themselves competing with many brands with similar offers.
In such a brand-competitive environment, using local SEO in Hong Kong and the surrounding regions has become the key ingredient in raising awareness of business events, product launches and the like, and the only way to stay truly visible. It has become of vital importance to apply the best localized SEO practices that are specific to the region in order to reap the rewards.
UTILIZE YOUR INFLUENCER BONDS
As more people turn to celebrities and social stars for advice and suggestions, it’s only natural for businesses to strive to build better relationships with them as well. With a proven track record of high social media consumption, being promoted by powerful influencers in the US means almost instant success for your events as well. If they plan to head out to the event as well, all the better for your brand!
However, much like your overall bond with them, it’s key to work on this particular campaign on a more long-term basis. You should use more than just one or two promotional posts, but create an entire approach for strategic timing and keyword-optimized posts, and let them get their creative juices flowing to inform their followers on your progress, during the event, as well as their impressions afterward.
SPREAD THE WORD WITH VARIOUS CHANNELS
Every event deserves its own event, and while this may feel like a cumbersome task for smaller companies looking to promote themselves, it’s the only way to fully utilize your online presence. What better way to optimize your digital presentation than to build a dedicated one for your event? This is a surefire way to get more attention, and search engines appreciate such specificity as well, not to mention your followers on social media who will be notified of the event, and their responses will trigger more interest.
Keep promoting on your website as well, but if you have any relationships with other websites, businesses, or bloggers, you can post guest posts, offer interviews to magazines and use other “spread the word” tactics that will help your event spread its wings for more exposure in search engines.
USE YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGNS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
Finally, do you have subscribers, whether for your blog or your services? Utilize your email lists to spread the word. However, in addition to merely sending out invites or even offering discounts for early RSVPs, you should include social links to the events, encourage shares, kick-start a contest, and embed all your social buttons into your email template for offering more information.
Some of the simplest, yet powerful SEO methods will have an impressive reach when it comes to promoting your event. Make sure to keep these essential tips in mind and you will ensure that your events get the proper exposure they need!
Guest Author Bio: Emma is a digital marketer and blogger from Sydney. After getting a marketing degree she started working with Australian startups on business and marketing development. Emma writes for many relevant, industry related online publications and does a job of an Executive Editor at Bizzmark blog and a guest lecturer at Melbourne University. Interested in marketing, startups and latest business trends.
•••••
Interested in sharing your insight about the latest tech, trends and event industry news?