What is content marketing? At its core, content marketing demonstrates the value of your product rather than outright selling it. For example, if your product is a pan, instead of selling the pan, you create a video using the pan in a recipe that requires it. And if it’s done well, people will share it without necessarily realizing it’s a commercial for your product.
How does that translate into events? Here are some quick ideas that can easily be implemented into your content marketing plan to help you sell your event:
Podcasts
You probably saw the word “podcast” and are now thinking of the many lengthy podcasts out there. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Micro-podcasting can sometimes be even more effective.
The Cincinnati Zoo frequently creates a micro-podcast called “90-Second Naturalist.” The point is to teach you something about animals or projects that zoo is engaged in just ninety seconds. It requires very little time commitment from its audience, and the topics are always interesting.
How can you do bring this to your event? Just look at the seminars you have planned during the course of your meeting. Do they have simple concepts that you can teach your attendees in sixty to ninety seconds? Would your attendees want to learn more after hearing about these concepts? That is definitely the place to start.
Quizzes
There is something we simply cannot deny: Everyone on social media is addicted to quizzes. Sites like Buzzfeed have built their audience based on this addiction, and there is no reason why you can’t take advantage of this as well.
The Cincinnati Zoo created their quiz “Which lion cub are you?” to aid in their marketing efforts. Not only is it a quiz, but it is a quiz that includes their adorable baby animals, which is another internet addiction. Although somewhat silly, this type of content people love to share and will remind them and their friends that the lion cubs are at the Cincinnati Zoo being adorable.
How can you bring this to your event? One way is to look at the theme of the event or even of just an aspect of the event. Is your event focused on social media? You could put together a quiz based on which social network your attendees might be. Have fun with it. Identify different characteristics you might associate with each network and then come up with pop culture references that fit each characteristic. And then watch as your quiz spreads like wildfire.
Use Other Content
Something that you can’t forget is that there is already a lot of content on the internet just waiting for you.
Contact your speakers and sponsors to see what they have already created and published to the internet. Then use the cream of the crop (with appropriate credit, of course). The best case scenario is that you can repurpose the content into a different format. For example, a research-heavy blog post might make a good infographic. That way, the content then becomes unique to your organization and more likely to be shared.
What is your best content marketing tip?
Image via the Cincinnati Zoo
