How do you promote your B2B event through video? I am talking about doing things beyond the usual boring panning of lanyards at the registration area, lots of people going through the doors, shaking hands, speakers on stage and packed rooms.

My intention here is to offer some different perspectives and specific ideas that you can implement immediately.

By the way, think about posting these videos on your website, twitter, social media, email messages with it and more importantly on LinkedIn!

Before you watch the videos please:

1. They are intended as inspiration.
2. Watch them with an open mind.
3. Take into account that American audiences dare to take more risks in terms of pushing the boundaries.
4. Yeeahhh yeahhh yeahhh, I know your audience is a bit different. Just watch them and hopefully from the whole list there is some inspiration.

Conceptualising an event video when it comes to marketing events might seem unnerving because of the many options and considerations. Some of which include: what type of video would you want to produce? What is the purpose of the video? Do you need professional help? How much will it cost?

Here are various video examples to help you get started:

1. Save The Date Video

• We particularly like the light-heartedness of it and how it gets all of the team involved
• It's a clear save the date announcement - so it is in your face
• This can work as a stand alone video on social media or on your website as you launch
   

2. CEO/Content Producer Introduces B2B Event - Why Your Event is The One They Should Attend

• Who better than the CEO of the business or the event producer to explain in good detail why your event is the one. If you're the very person that has spent many weeks or months putting this event together, then you should be the communicating it.
• Love these event videos, they are honest, not-staged, full of confidence and they truly build a human connection with your audience
• Produced with no technical knowledge
• Think: LinkedIn profile, email follow up after enquiry, main website, landing page before they download an event brochure or register
  
  

3. CEO/Content Producer Introduces B2B Event - How Amazing It Will Be and Focuses on Venue

• The goal here is to emphasise the big venue, new concepts and the merging of four events
• Great when you are looking at colocated events
• Have you seen the empty venue being showcased before?
• Think: Main video on your main page, link for your auto signatures
  
  

4. CEO/Event Producer/Key Internal Stakeholder Highlights a Specific Stream Within a Larger Event 

• Highlights the key areas of the programme
• Mentions key dates and why this is part of a larger event
• This individual is a key influencer for IGD but also for the industry
• See how they elegantly introduce speakers and companies
• Early bird plug
• Think: Key stakeholder LinkedIn Profile post, Segmented email plan for key sectors, autosignature of key influencer
  
  

5. Key Speaker Answers Key Questions

• A key speaker answers questions around key issues / challenges - great for external validation
• Requires more planning and getting the videographer to your speaker's location
• Think: Content plan/strategy, social media amplification, content gallery
  
  

6. A Key Speaker/Top Company Invites The Audience

• A picture speaks a thousand words? Not really, best told through video
• Requires more planning and getting the videographer to your speaker's location
• Think: Content plan/strategy, social media amplification, content gallery
  
  

7. Top Speaker / Top Influencer Invites The Audience

• Nicely demonstrates that you don't need to send a videographer to meet the speaker
• Great for influencer marketing and amplification - many will be very happy to do this
• Think: Marketing Partners Marketing, Social media through your own channels and the influencer's channel, Place this video on your main page or on the agenda page
  
  

8. Big Speaker / Top Name Introduction

• Bold, cheesy but certainly memorable
• Check the CTA at the end of the video
• Think: Virality, building CTAs on video, social amplification through all the channels
  
  

9. A Short Promotion to Your Live Stream - "Reporting" Style

• How many people from your audience will know that you will be streaming live from your event? Remember that nowadays Live streams  are a great way to open your events to a wider audience
• Great for stakeholders with a following
• Up to 30% of people watching your live stream attend the Physical Event the following year. Reminding your fans of your live stream can help boost your views.
• Think: Every day short news-like updates on social media. No reason why you cannot build a social media campaign involving 10 second live updates on what will happen
  
  

10. Videos with Key Thoughts and Quotes from Your B2B Event

• Using quotes and testimonials, especially for social media amplification
• A smart way to interact with your online fans - both those attending your events and reading your live tweets - is by sharing  powerful sound bites, speaker quotes and grabbing statements 
• Most brands would simply post them in plain text without taking into consideration how much engagement they could've gotten if they put in a little more effort!
• Remember that Social video generates 12 times more shares than text and images combined
• Think: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook. Also great on your landing pages
  
  

11. Participant Feedback/Testimonials

• This video clearly outlines how a bit of planning beforehand by devising a set of questions allows you to create multiple cuts of the video for further release.
• See more on creating 12 month of video out of one single event
• A good use of your videographers time while they are on site
• Think: Video content marketing plan, placing these in bottom of the funnel conversion pages like sponsorship prospectus
  
  

12. Answering Questions from The Audience Through Video

• Users will generally ask similar questions before they join an event and this is a great way to answer them
• Evaluation forms provides a good source of content for videos 
• Think: Social media release, but also as part of a lead nurturing campaign to all those individuals who have expressed an interest in your event
  
  

13. What is The Event About? - Highly Impactful, High Visibility, Readability

• Mute-friendly - users can watch a video without having to trigger its sounds
• Most social platforms play videos with NO sound
• This is a perfect example of a video that fits in any social media platform
• It exponentially uses big texts to convey their messages
• The video also has progressive storytelling that's well-supported by its concept and execution.
• As a reminder, viewers have the tendency to scroll past your videos—unless of course, you catch their attention—a.k.a mindless scrolling. This video does exactly that by making everything quick and on the beat.
• Think: Main page, and social media launch across all platforms
  
  

14. Personalised Video - Yes You Can Now Personalise Videos

• In our opinion this is pretty slick and innovative (yes American style and not for all industries)
• It's really only suitable for events with a decent budget and a chunky database to make it worth the investment! 
• If you are investing in something like this, you might as well invest properly in the whole concept - don't cut corners
• It uses technology to personalise the video with your name. How fantastic is that! Something I'm sure we'll be seeing more and more of. 
• Think: Proper budget, proper planning, content strategy. This is not for social media, it is for highly personalised campaigns
  
  

15. Post Sign Up Video: How to Engage and Encourage Post Event Sign Up

• Post registration video - how are you engaging your attendees, up-selling, getting them excited about having just signing up.
• Gives you a really good way to engage, make them laugh and more importantly make the video potentially go viral.
• Think: Post sign up success pages, great for exhibitions, pass along, branding
  
  

16. Video to Promote Subscriptions

• Whilst this is not to promote a specific event, membership organisations and media companies now have subscription models, and using videos like this help promote their other services (including events) and help the buying journey
• This could be the key feature leading to an ebook download, event brochure download, top of the funnel content, or a visual infographic
• Think: Lead Nurturing campaigns, sales material for high ticket services, feature on a main site
  
  

17. Event Animation - Specific Promotion for LinkedIn

• When you need to communicate a colocated event or an event that has become bigger than all its individual parts
• Notice it is short and to the point. You will need a lot more words to explain it in written form or on the phone!
• Think: Large scale event promotion, LinkedIn, Social Media Channels, also could be placed on your main site.

18. Motion Graphics - Featuring a Specific Session / Small Presentation

• Great for webinars or when you get a key speaker/company
• Fairly inexpensive to produce
• Think: Social media amplification 
  
  

19. Motion Graphics + Stock Video - Answering Questions / Testimonials / Key Stats Release

• This a little step ahead from the pure motion graphics and incorporates stock video itself
• Enhances the message
• Does not require additional budget spent on it, just a little bit more time
• Using user generated content like testimonials, or questions as the key theme
• Think: Landing Pages, Q&A pages on your site as well as social media amplification
  
  

20. Video from Event - Content Based

a. Motion Graphics focusing on speaker highlights

• Plain and simple
• Think: Social Media amplification

b. Motion Graphics Video - Promoting Content Arising from the Event

• This video is promoting a lead generation piece for the top of the funnel
• Great to add value to the viewer
• Think: Value add content, Social media amplification, Lead Nurturing via email
  

c. Bringing the Brand to Life

• When an event brand is well conceived, all the components work together very well. Here is a sample of the static imagery for your reference 
  
• This video brings the brand to life and places emphasis on the venue itself, which in this case was an iconic venue in Nice
• Think: Social Media Pre-event, Video feature on main website.
  
  

21. Motion Graphics - Promoting The Whole Event, a Glimpse of The Key Themes, Speakers and Feedback

• Great for social media
• Instead of saying... "check our site for more information" send a link to this video or embed it on a social media messaging tool
• Think: Social media channels, particularly LinkedIn
  
  

22. Speaker Adds Value Through Content / Doesn't Focus on Event

• Speaker adds value through content, answering key industry questions, provides tips etc.
• This video highlights value add content from a speaker without pushing the event, potentially for two reasons: The event has already taken place OR they want to play special emphasis on driving the community element
• See how they drive traffic to the site not the event
• The good thing about this is that the video content becomes evergreen
• Think: Adding value, Community based approach. Timeless
  
  

23. Highlight a Session Itself with a Summary of The Key Contents

• Speaker session highlights as opposed to event highlights featuring insights from key talks
• These videos can either highlight one speaker per video or have all of them in one
• The purpose is to provide a taster and share some expert knowledge
• It will need to have some post editing to add captions and slides
• Think: Add value, shareability, lead nurturing
  
  

24. Value Add Content First - Event(s) After

• These guys focus on sharing valuable content pearls from their speakers and capitalise on it to promote the community rather than the event itself
• This is great for SEO, and engaging prospects way before the event or for future events
• See full list of content here.
• Think: Content strategy, Adding value first, Content will sell the event, not the other way around
  
  

25. Content Value add - Short video interviews from Thought Leaders

a. Pre-event interviews

•  Advisory boards are extremely important for content development in B2B events
• These are highly respected thought leaders, shaping the agenda of a show and sharing at high level the key core areas to be covered
• Think: Pre Event promotion on website, email marketing, social media, lead nurturing

b. Video - Seed question to a group of thought leaders

• Thought leaders sharing a view on a key subject, make for great value add content
• This is also part of an overall content marketing campaign that includes a report ready to be downloaded.
• Think: Value add content first, sell your event after. Community based content and evergreen content.

c. Content Based Event Promotion Video - Seed questions from one key player 

• This can be a speaker, thought leader or an attendee
• Interview style, quick and simple
• While not compulsory, if you have good quality video makes it even stronger
• Think: Agenda pages on your site, social media amplification, lead nurturing video
  
  

26. Event Highlights Video 

• Event highlight videos showcase the event itself: what took place, where, how many attended, etc. It's basically a summation of the event.
  
  

27. Event Highlights - For those that do not know your event

• Great artistic play on the pop-up words and phrases plus looked exciting and memorable because of the colorful transitions
• Was able to showcase the essence of the conference with just through words and voiceovers
• See how they play with their buyer personas and audience, talking their own language, helping the viewer identify himself with the video
• Think: Event Sponsorship web pages, Lead Nurturing, Sales acceleration material sent post conversations.
  
  

28. Event Highlights Using Stories - Marketing Religion

• A nice take on having a vintage video style and design with a touch of being a documentary
• Very impactful because of the story-telling done by the main spokesperson in the video to emphasise the point of the conference and WHY people need to go
• Really hits a spot on gaining the attention of a younger generation.
• Think: Social Media amplification, evergreen content that can be used, before, during and after the event
  
  

29. Being Bold with Video

• With 40,000+ youtube hits to date this definitely generated a stir ... and in an industry that is traditionally seen as "conventional" and a bit "stiff" this was a very bold and almost risky tactic
• Granted, it's not to everyone's taste but it lends itself to a great viral and memorable campaign.
• They used sponsors, vendors and staff in the video which is a great way to get buy-in and excitement for the concept and ultimately the event
• Something like this requires a bold attitude and bold budget
• Credit to these guys for doing something different! 
  
  

In conclusion

The only limitation with using video is the extent to which you want to use your imagination! I wanted to simply demonstrate that in some cases it's not a matter of budget, but about your concept and approach.

I trust these videos would have whet your creative cells and sparked some ideas on how you can apply any of these concepts to drive engagement, awareness and registrations to your event.

Want more? We helped some of the companies featured in these videos to conceptualise, create and design their video strategy to promote their event, so book an assessment with us and we'll happily review your current plans and give you ideas to reinvigorate your video strategy.

You can also download our video guide on how to turn 1 video into 12 months of content or book an assessment of your current plans, we can help you invigorate your video!