Impactful event marketing ideas to make your next event a success

Imagine this: your event is just around the corner, and word is already spreading like wildfire. Attendees are eagerly counting down the days, sharing their excitement with colleagues, and posting teasers online. 

This isn’t just any gathering – it’s an experience people can’t wait to be part of. To create that kind of buzz, you need more than flawless logistics; you need event marketing ideas that captivate your audience from day one, building excitement that lasts until the final session ends.

A well-crafted event marketing strategy is the key to igniting curiosity, extending your event’s reach, and sparking meaningful connections that transform an ordinary event into an unforgettable experience.

In this EventsAir guide, we’ll introduce five powerful event marketing ideas to supercharge your event’s visibility, drive registrations, and create a lasting impression on every attendee. 

5 Best event marketing ideas and strategies

1. Build progressive audience segments

Not all potential attendees are the same.

Progressive audience segmentation is a method of grouping your audience into increasingly specific segments based on their behavior, interests, and level of engagement over time. This approach analyzes how individuals interact with your event marketing efforts to tailor messaging that resonates with each group. The result is higher conversion rates and better ROI on your marketing spend.

To build effective segments:

1. Map your basic demographics. Define core segments by industry, role, and company size to establish your baseline groups.
2. Add behavioral layers. Factor in past attendance, email engagement, and website visits to understand interest levels. Hint: A CRM that tracks these elements and integrates effortlessly with your event management platform will provide this robust data. 
3. Include interest indicators. Track content preferences, speaker interests, and session type affinities to refine targeting.

The process can be complex, but modern event platforms help streamline implementation.

For example, EventsAir’s marketing tags system makes it easy to track and manage attendee segments. You can create custom fields track marketing interactions—like email responses, website visits, etc.—and automatically move contacts between segments based on their level of interest in your event.

2. Design strategic social ad funnels

Traditional “register now” ads waste budget. Strategic social ad funnels deliver tailored messages based on where prospects are in their decision journey, dramatically improving conversion rates and reducing cost per registration.

To build an effective social ad funnel:

1. Create awareness campaigns. Target lookalike audiences from past events with high-level content about your event’s unique value.
2. Deploy consideration messaging. Retarget engaged users with specific benefits, speaker highlights, and early bird offers.
3. Drive registration decisions. Show urgency-based messaging to warm leads, featuring deadlines and limited availability.
4. Maintain post-registration engagement. Keep registered attendees excited with sneak peeks and community-building content.

Managing audience lists is crucial for this approach. 

EventsAir simplifies one key aspect: keeping your social media audiences current. The platform can automatically export your contact lists to Facebook and X (Twitter) Ads on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which means your campaigns are always targeting the right segments.

3. Turn pricing into a marketing engine

Most events waste their pricing structure. A strategic approach to pricing creates genuine urgency, targets key segments, and drives registrations throughout your marketing timeline.

Here are four ways to turn pricing into a marketing asset:

• Time-based incentives. Create clear promotional windows with published price increases at set dates.
• Value-tier differentiation. Design distinct ticket levels (like Standard vs. Premium) with clear benefit differences.
• Audience-specific offers. Target key segments with special rates, from early birds to group discounts.
• Scarcity triggers. Add limited-quantity VIP tiers and exclusive packages to drive early commits.

For AirTime 2024 we utilized a time-based incentive and increased pricing at set dates.

We used time pressure with distinct price increases at set dates (e.g., $199 to $299 ). We also differentiated value for group booking comparisons, further incentivising teams to book their tickets together for discounts.

Each element creates its own marketing opportunity.

4. Leverage speaker marketing

Most events underutilize their speakers’ networks. Each speaker represents a potential marketing channel with a built-in, relevant audience and natural credibility. Many speakers will have extensive networks that are highly relevant to your event.

To tap into these networks, you need to engage speakers with co-marketing. Supply them with ready-to-use assets that promote both your event and their personal brand:

• Speaker announcement graphics (sized for specific platforms)
• Pre-written announcement posts
• Custom landing pages
• Personalized discount codes
• Email templates
• Short video snippets 
• Co-branded slide decks 
• Shareable “speaker spotlight” blog posts

If you feel the need to incentivize further, you can also launch an affiliate program for speakers that allows them to earn money or rewards based on signups.

5. Develop industry-specific value propositions

Most events use one-size-fits-all marketing messages. This overlooks opportunities to connect with audience segments based on multiple dimensions—from industry and role to experience level and previous attendance patterns.

Each segment has unique challenges, goals, and ways to measure event ROI. For example, a senior data scientist from healthcare will have different priorities than a mid-level analyst from finance, even though both work with data.

To take advantage of this depth of segmentation:

1. Map your audience across multiple dimensions (industry, role, seniority, past behavior)
2. Identify 3-5 high-value segment combinations
3. Develop targeted campaigns that align relevant speakers, content, and networking opportunities with each segment’s specific needs
4. Create ROI messaging that shows how similar professionals have implemented event learnings

Event tracks make this easier to execute. Organizing your tracks into distinct sessions allows attendees to easily plan and attend the content most relevant to them. For AirTime 2024, our Day 2 in Brisbane featured dedicated, deep dive Master Classes split into Intermediate and Advanced.

This let our attendees easily understand the most relevant sessions to their level of expertise. Each track could then become a natural foundation for vertical-specific marketing for attendees.

Conclusion

By implementing these five powerful strategies – from progressive audience segmentation to industry-specific value propositions – you can significantly enhance engagement, drive registrations, and ensure your event stands out in a crowded marketplace. 

With EventsAir as your event management platform, you can seamlessly integrate these marketing tactics into your planning and execution process. Our all-in-one solution offers the tools and support necessary to elevate your event marketing strategy, making it easier than ever to create impactful experiences.

Start planning your next event with EventsAir today!