This article explains how event organizers can get the most from their keynote speakers after the event, which is so often an untapped marketing opportunity, and lost chance to ensure your audience receives the best post-event experience.
By James Robinson
Most of the time, the speaker just steps off stage, shakes a few hands, exchanges some final thoughts and departs, never to be seen or heard from again. This is the familiar routine with most conferences. But we believe each event organizer could achieve much more after the event.
The speaker just shared their best ideas with your audience for an hour, answered questions, perhaps signed a book, and even took part in a panel. But most of the audience members will go back to their lives and not implement all the knowledge from the event. However, as an event organizer, you could be getting much more from your speaker, and giving much more to your audience, but first, you need a structured plan. Keep reading and you’ll see exactly what we’re talking about.
Start With Slides
Speakers are usually happy to share a slimmer version of their slide show, and quite a few of them will offer a download link before the end of their speech. As an organizer, it’s a good idea to send this version to your attendee list about a week after the conference. It gives everyone a nice reminder about the keynote speaker, and it’s also good PR for your next event, because it shows you care about the value your event provides to people.
The Big Takeaways From The Speech
Write down these points, perhaps five of them, and have your event marketing team put together a series of emails based on the big takeaways from the speech. People are busy, and nobody can implement an entire speech into their businesses on Monday morning after the conference. It’s much better to focus on a single step each week, or every two weeks. Sending content in this fashion will be the most effective way for your attendees to digest the information, and will also be a valuable post-event marketing strategy. Right here there’s nearly three months of content.
Speakers Content
Keynote speakers and busy conference speakers are constantly writing and producing new content. You should make it a point to follow your speaker in the media, and use their material for your own marketing. Send their fresh content and latest ideas to your audience. It’s valuable information for a few reasons. First of all, everyone will want to see the content if they liked the speaker. Secondly, it keeps you in touch with your audience … whether they’re your top clients, association members, students, or the loyal paying customers of your conference.
Meetings
For businesses that brought in a speaker to address employees, you must structure a series of meetings around the content. You could even structure meetings like the big takeaway emails, asking how the ideas are being implemented, and ensuring your team is using the knowledge your keynote speaker shared to improve their businesses.
Six Month Phone Call
This is an idea we created last year, arranging for client / speaker follow-up calls six months after the event, to see how their ideas have made a change, how the knowledge is being used, and to hear the success stories. Speakers should be happy to reconnect with you, especially if the event was a success. And there could always be the possibility of more work, or even some consulting. A word of a caution, especially with bigger name speakers and very in-demand talent : put this clause in the contract to avoid the possibility of the call being rejected.
These steps are a few recommendations for getting the most from your speakers post event. It does take a little organization, and some compiling of information, but it’s not that much to do, and it can have a big impact on audience loyalty and registration for the next event.
I hope these tips on getting the most from your keynote speakers post event has made the task a little less daunting.