The chances are that if you are organising a conference, you are going to have access to a wealth of content, content that would have taken you months to research, prepare and create. Rather than just letting this content go to waste, thinking that it has served its purpose, why not utilize it in other ways?

1. Consider how to maximize the content you plan to make.

Before you even begin creating content for your conference, think about the ways in which it can be used elsewhere. For example when creating a presentation, think about how it might be shared after the event or perhaps write a blog post that could accompany it.

2. Conference content comes in many forms.

Conference content can comprise anything from articles, presentations and interviews, to photos, videos and animations. Just because your conference is over, it doesn’t mean this content is useless. When creating your content don’t just think of it having a shelf life. This content can be used in many other places.

3. Create content whenever and wherever you can.

Think ahead and have someone at your conference recording every interview, filming at any given chance and taking all kinds of photos. It’s better to have too much content than not enough, so create it and then think about how you will use it.

4. Don’t wait until the conference is over.

Your website is the most important place this content can be featured on and you shouldn’t even wait until your conference is over to begin using it. Be mindful of those unable to attend your conference and begin updating your website with this content as it is used at the event. Just because someone wasn’t able to attend your event doesn’t mean they aren’t likely to be a potential customer. There are all kinds of reasons why they might not have been unable to attend – distance, prior commitments etc., putting your content online will give them access to what they might have otherwise missed out on.

5. Write regular blog posts.

By blogging before, after and during the conference, you will be able to offer readers a preview of what’s to come, give them interesting insights on what's happening at the conference and provide helpful event summaries. Consider creating dedicated sections on your website so that your content can be easily discovered by visitors interested in information covering your event.

6. Search engines love fresh content.

Adding content to your website will also be incredibly beneficial for its search engine optimisation. Google and the other search engines all love fresh content. We’re assuming the conference won’t be a one-off and there will be other conferences scheduled to take place and products to market. So, new text, videos and images are all excellent examples of content that will be indexed by the search engines and will give your website a boost for the future. This boost will extend your reach and increase your website’s visibility among your potential customers. 

Not only is this content beneficial to the search engines, it is also beneficial to your visitors. If visitors to your website see something they like on their first visit to your website, they will be more inclined to visit again to see what else you have to offer. If they are easily engaged by this content they will then be more likely to visit again. They will also be more likely to share your content among their friends and colleagues.

7. Before you use social media, know where you will share content.

Which social channels will you use for which types of content? While Instagram will definitely be used for images and short videos, what will Facebook, Twitter and Google+ be used for? Defining this before the event will make things simpler once the event takes place.

8. Share your content socially.

You should also use any content you have within your social media channels. Social media works best in real-time, so whether you are sharing images on Instagram, videos on Facebook or insights on Tweeter, ensure you are doing this as it happens. Sharing content via social media can be beneficial to those at your event and those who couldn’t attend. Be sure to also share sneak-peek photos, sneak-peek videos and preview information about anything happening at your conference via social media. By giving people a taste of what’s to come, you will leave them wanting more, making them more likely to attend that your conference.