By: John Lavey | Hammock President/COO
Countless healthcare events are held every year, from high-level thought leadership seminars to more intimate symposiums. But when it comes to organizing these conferences, marketers often have the same complaint: The amazing content created for the event—typically one of the organization’s largest investments—usually doesn’t outlive the conference itself.
Missing the chance to leverage a conference’s energy is a lost opportunity for most companies. But there’s no reason why the content generated for the conference can’t be extended and shared to continue a conversation throughout the year. Those conversations could even support your organization’s efforts to be seen as a thought leader. In some instances, the conference can also serve as a means to support your brand and for lead generation purposes, too. Even if the majority of content is proprietary for attendees, parts can still be shared with the intended audience as reminders or motivators.
In a conversation earlier this week, a client wondered about the staying power of even the best conferences after attendees go back to their organizations. It’s a fair question. So, what can be done to extend their life?
Here are a few options to leverage conference content investments:
- Post-Event Conference Guide: Consider sending a post-event guide to conference attendees and potential attendees. The guide can be a multimedia wrap-up of the event, with takeaways and calls to action to ensure the learning from the event doesn’t evaporate as soon as attendees fly home.
- Infographic Summary: One of the more interesting ways to communicate conference events and ideas is with infographics or illustrations. I first saw this concept at a healthcare conference where an illustrator was hired to take instant notes by graphically representing key ideas on rolls of butcher paper stuck to walls. Think about the impact a post-event infographic could have.
- Branded Site: Forward-thinking companies are developing branded sites to carry on a year-round conversation. The conference is part of an overall strategy around an important goal or mission.
Takeaway: How will you ensure your conference is not the end point for the content you’ve created? How can you help that content live year-round and keep up an ongoing conversation with your customers?
Image: Getty Images
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