How to set up LinkedIn Events: The complete guide

LinkedIn is the go-to platform if you want to market to professionals. After running campaigns on LinkedIn, advertisers have seen a 33% increase in purchase intent and a 50% increase in conversion rates.

As the stats indicate, this platform is ideal for all forms of B2B marketing, regardless of the product or your target audience.

The platform introduced the LinkedIn Events feature to help organizations and individuals create or attend events. While providing an engaging event experience, it also facilitates maximum reach and helps collect leads from your target audience. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how to nurture a brand or generate demand with your events, and leverage LinkedIn Events as a marketer. We’ll also review some integrations to automate your lead management on LinkedIn, such as:

What is the LinkedIn Events feature?

This feature offers an easy way to create and join professional events, like meetups, online workshops, seminars, etc. LinkedIn members can use it to find and join communities, grow their businesses, network with others, and learn new skills.

In short, this feature allows you to promote your event to a target audience through an event ad campaign.

Why use LinkedIn Events?

LinkedIn Events enable organizations to build and nurture relationships with target audiences. Before diving in, using an event planning template can greatly improve the structure and flow of the event. 

It’s basically an epicenter where you can build interest and awareness leading up to your event. Or, you might use it to nurture conversation during your event and foster a lasting community afterward.

• Host events in a trusted space 

LinkedIn is a platform your audiences know and rely on. So using it could help drive awareness and collect valuable attendee information through native registration forms.  

• Attract the right audience 

This is all about organic discovery and sharing qualities. Added to paid advertising options, you will have no difficulties with targeting just the right audience. 

• Keep the conversation with your audience

This tool helps you communicate with your audience and keep them engaged before, during, and after the event.

• It’s free to create

The feature is free to create and use for just about anyone who is eligible. 

• LinkedIn offers a professionals-only environment

These Events are effective and result-driven. This is because we are using it to send out event notifications on the world’s largest social network for professionals. 

• Lead engagement and nurturing

This feature lets you engage and promote an event before, during, and after your event. 

• It’s easier to verify Event ROIs on LinkedIn

LinkedIn delivers Event analytics and a view of event performance, which marketers can use to measure the monetizable outcome of their events.

Learn how LinkedIn metrics can help to track your campaigns. 

Benefits of using LinkedIn Events for lead generation

LinkedIn Events is a powerful tool for lead generation. Here are some of its key advantages:

• LinkedIn’s vast network of over 770 million members worldwide also allows you to run targeted audience engagement.
• It’s a robust medium to organize or attend events that attract your ideal customers who might live in over 200 countries.
• It offers insight into your target audience’s needs, challenges, and pain points—all the info you can use for a better outreach strategy.
• It allows you to mention shared event attendance in outreach messages, which could improve your conversion odds.
• It has advanced search features that help tailor event invitations to members based on job title, location, company size, and more.
• LinkedIn limits lets you track event performance and attendee engagement. You can also analyze this data in Excel for deeper insights.
• It’s a pathway to build lasting relationships with potential customers by following up post-event that could well develop into a robust sales pipeline.

How do LinkedIn Event Ad campaigns work?

To create successful LinkedIn Event Ads, it’s important to first understand the type of event you’ll be running on the platform. There are three approaches to creating a successful LinkedIn event, depending on your goals and audience:

Events with registration

Registration is required to capture all event attendees’ names and email addresses and meet the regulations of GDPR while doing so. 

This is ideal for events such as webinars, conference sessions, recruiting events, and other targeted audience events. This kind of event can be found through search or is shown through sponsored content.

As the name indicates, members are required to submit names and emails to gain access to the event or its recording later on.

Discover more about GDPR and its requirements. 

Events with no registration

This approach is great for creating brand awareness, and can be used for brand events, community events, conference keynotes, thought leadership seminars, etc. LinkedIn allows your event to be discoverable on LinkedIn via search,

My Network tab, Events tab, and the feed. Who can attend? Just about anyone who clicks “Attend,” without having to submit their info! However, the event content is shown only to those who’ve expressed that they are “attending” beforehand.

Private events

For building a community with a targeted audience, private events are the best choice. They are recommended for executive roundtables and customer events. Unlike the last two approaches, these events are invite-only. It means that they are not organically discoverable via search, feed, Events tab, or My Network tab.

Admins can invite 1st-degree connections or share a private event URL. Then, members can request to attend, which the admin must approve.

If any of these LinkedIn Event features are used together with LinkedIn Live, the event attendees will receive a notification just before the broadcast starts.

LinkedIn Event Ad specs 

Visual specifications:

• Image Aspect Ratio: 4:1. (The image will be sourced from the Event page.)

Textual content suggestions:

• Event Title (Optional): Up to 255 characters.
• Introduction Text: Maximum of 600 characters.

Link specifications:

• Event Link: Mandatory. Only URLs from LinkedIn Event pages are accepted.
• URL Scheme: Must begin with http:// or https://.
• URL Length: The destination URL can be up to 2000 characters

Combining LinkedIn Live with LinkedIn Events

LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn Events are complementary features, helping marketers stream live video content to their event attendees. 

In order to be able to use LinkedIn Live, you’ll need to be a whitelisted user. Only then can you create an event, mark it as “online-only,” and open your third-party broadcast tool (StreamYard, Restream, Wirecast, etc.) for streaming on the day of the event.

To access LinkedIn Live Video, the platform needs to grant broadcast access to you as an individual member or on behalf of a Page. This is done based on a set of criteria.

How to create a LinkedIn Event: A step-by-step guide

Step 1: Become a Page Admin. 

To host an event that represents your Page, the first requirement is to have Page Admin access. 

Step 2: Create an event.

Once you have access to the Admin view of your LinkedIn Page, click on the “Admin tools” menu. Then, select “Create an event.”

Step 3: Set the organizer

In the second field of the event creation form, specify your Page as the “Organizer”. 

Step 4: Specify the event type.

Here, you can also specify the type of events. Use the toggle button to indicate virtual events, or choose between a public or private event. Remember that this setting can’t be modified after an event is created. 

Step 5: Launch your event.

After understanding how to create your event on LinkedIn, the next step is learning how to market events on LinkedIn.

How to promote an event on LinkedIn?

​​It’s important to share the event URL on your Page feed and personal network in order to reach your followers. As with any type of advertising, images and videos can help you draw attention when combined with precision in audience targeting.

Additionally, the standard demand generation tactics, such as email and paid ads, are must-have elements in your LinkedIn Event management strategy. Targeting your event audience is also all about precision.

This allows sieving through them by job title, industry, seniority, language, location, and other parameters. Find out who is the best target audience for your business.  In addition to harnessing the power of LinkedIn Events for demand generation, exploring essential tools for demand generation can offer a broader perspective on creating and nurturing valuable leads. Discover a curated list of tools that can transform your marketing efforts and help you tap into your target audience more effectively.

Here are some highlights on how to promote an event on LinkedIn.

• Share helpful info on your event. This helps your audience understand what exactly you offer and what to expect.
• Post images or videos of your past events. Visuals are powerful advertising elements, and posting past event images can create engagement. 
• Highlight networking opportunities during the event. As a marketer, reaching out to other marketers is always easy, since you understand their pain points. 
• Underline your speakers and sponsors. People want to know who has sponsored an event and who is performing it! To create further interest, share profiles and the bio of the faces behind your event.
• Describe the location, food, and entertainment. Share all the details, including the location, refreshments, giveaways, and more. 
• Send direct and group messages. Even if you are not running a private event, you can always advertise it by sending out URLs of the registration or attendance forms.

Learn everything there’s to know about LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms.

• Hire professional event managers: Event management is an art, and to get it done right, it calls for adequate field experience.
• Host a virtual event fully remote: Virtual events are about 75% less expensive than in-person experiences. Besides, they could be equally effective if done right. Use this tool to get the same exposure and results from your virtual event. 

Now, the best way to manage all the lead data you collect before, during and after the event is through automation. These leads must be organized according to your lead score system and so require different nurturing approaches. Using a third-party automation provider such as LeadsBridge helps streamline the entire process.

How to monetize LinkedIn Events?

In the age of remote working and automated services, creating real-time human interaction matters more and more to marketers these days. LinkedIn Events focuses on this topic: connecting communities and deepening relationships between them. 

So exactly how can you leverage the LinkedIn Event feature?

Sponsored Content ad format lets you create event ads that are displayed in a member’s LinkedIn feed on both desktop and mobile displays. These ads are optimized to showcase important and engaging event details.

Check out this event ad, for example:

Then, you can use the data generated from LinkedIn members who have interacted with the ad, much similar to other LinkedIn ads. 

After collecting this data, move them to your CRM where you can nurture them. This data also enables you to create matched audiences on LinkedIn and improve your campaign’s targeting and increase your conversions consequently.

If your event doesn’t lead to a better return on investment, you need to optimize your goals. Also, you’ll want to set a new strategy or get help from lead management tools or event professionals to set matters right. 

How to write a LinkedIn post about an event?

Looking to write an effective LinkedIn Event post? Just follow these steps:

• Include the most important details

Write the event name, date, time, and location (if applicable). Also, summarize what attendees will gain by participating.

• Make sure the visuals are engaging enough

Use an attractive cover photo that includes event details and, if possible, speaker images. It should be interesting enough to keep your invitees from scrolling.

• Use a professional copy for the description

How to write a LinkedIn post about an event? You might need the help of a copywriter. Summarize what the event is about, without using too many (or too few) words. It should mention who should attend and what makes it unique. Adding relevant keywords helps improve visibility in LinkedIn search results​​.

• Include a Call-to-Action (CTA)

You want your readers to register, learn more, or participate in a way that engages them directly with the event. A clear CTA also increases interaction and potential conversion rates​​.

• Incorporate relevant hashtags

Use 3-5 relevant hashtags to improve your post’s visibility. Include event-specific, industry-related, and broader content-related hashtags to reach a broader audience​​.

Here’s an example.

LinkedIn Event Ads’ best practices

Creating effective LinkedIn Event Ads is a strategic process. The aim is to maximize your visibility and engagement among your target audience.

Here are some questions that can be interpreted as LinkedIn Event Ads’ best practices to help you get the most out of your campaigns.

Choosing the type of LinkedIn Event

This depends on your goals. LinkedIn offers various event types, such as conferences, networking events, product/service updates, and workshops. You can use each type to serve different objectives. Anything from demonstrating industry leadership to promoting product updates interactively​​.

Setting up your LinkedIn Event

You should start by creating a dedicated event page on LinkedIn. Make sure to include all the details, such as the event name, timing, description, and registration link. Here, you should also decide whether the event will be public or private. 

Inviting your LinkedIn Event audience

You can use LinkedIn’s targeting features to select your audience based on filters like company, education, location, and industry. Once you have filtered through your audience, go ahead and segment them. Then, share the event across your network and through InMail, and consider inviting your LinkedIn connections directly for a more personal touch​​.

Keep in mind that LinkedIn has invitation limits and temporary account restrictions (usually removed within one week) if you exceed them. These limits are set to safeguard member experience and the relevance of requests. 

Restrictions can occur if:

• You send numerous invitations quickly;
• Or, many are ignored or marked as spam. 

LinkedIn imposes a network limit of 30,000 1st-degree connections in order to promote building meaningful connections.

Managing your LinkedIn Event campaign

First, you should promote your event by creating a campaign in the Campaign Manager. It’s important to choose appropriate objectives, such as brand awareness or lead generation; you’ll also specify details like audience, format, and budget here.

Stick to LinkedIn’s specifications for event ads. Once you’ve reviewed and made the necessary adjustments​​, send your LinkedIn Event Ad online.

Using high-quality visuals and consistent branding

Your LinkedIn Event Ads and event content should follow LinkedIn Event Ad specs for both visuals and text. A strong organic presence also supports your paid efforts while helping you achieve better lead and conversion rates​​.

Budgeting and bid strategies

It’s important to understand how LinkedIn ads costs work. Because an ad that’s optimized for costs is also optimized for performance. LinkedIn also offers daily, lifetime, or combination budget options and supports manual, cost-cap. 

Learn more about ad costs in 2024 here.

Tracking performance and optimizing 

You can see how your campaign performs via LinkedIn’s ad manager analytics. This method focuses on metrics such as clicks, impressions, and conversions. Once you’ve accessed these insights, regularly adjust and optimize your campaigns to improve the overall performance​​.

Testing and learning

Testing different aspects of your LinkedIn Event Ads can help you find the perfect strategy. It could be anything from ad creatives to targeting options. With these results, you can learn from the performance data to refine your strategies​​.

Implementing the right tools

Integrating your event management software or CRM systems can streamline your workflows. Using automation could also mean better targeting and personalization. These integrations help you automate invitations, track registrations seamlessly, and measure event success more accurately. 

Inspiring LinkedIn Event Ad examples 

With the number of creative ads bombarding users these days, your ads need to stand out to get results. That’s why finding the best ideas to present your LinkedIn event is becoming more and more challenging. 

Here are some inspiring LinkedIn Event Ad examples you can use for your next marketing campaign. 

Spiceworks LinkedIn Event Ad example

Addressing the audience’s pain point is the oldest trick in the marketers’ book. If you want to create a high-performing LinkedIn ad, just mention what you are offering and do it well. 

Spiceworks does this by presenting a well-known persona as their keynote speaker, Steve Wozniak, along with the marketing solution they are offering. They also used a well-designed banner. The aesthetics of their event ad campaigns are appealing enough to stop a viewer from scrolling.

Ontario SPCA & Humane Society LinkedIn Event Ad example

Out of all the ad formats on the platform, single images are extremely easy to use. To stand out on feeds, Ontario SPCA & Humane Society swapped regular images for a cartoon-like presentation of their goal: A marathon for supporting the Ontario SPCA’s Dog Rehab Centre. 

DiBona & Associates LinkedIn Event Ad example

An artsy take on visuals that represent your event’s content is another great way for creating your promoted content. The visual content is one of the main variables that influence your attendance. 

You can even hire a professional to create catchy, expressive, and click-worthy graphics, such as DiBona & Associates’s seminar presentation.

These visuals make their presentation interesting while emphasizing the critical content.

Automating your LinkedIn Event Ads with LeadsBridge

LinkedIn Event Ads help you extend your reach. It lets you effectively promote your LinkedIn Events from your Page to a specific audience. 

Whether it is a digital or in-person event, you’ll need to collect and download attendees’ data (Name, Email, Jobs, etc.) with lead generation intents. And managing all this lead data manually is not efficient. However, you can connect LinkedIn Events to the rest of your marketing stack through LinkedIn Registration Forms integrations.

LeadsBridge integrations help automate the process of moving lead data from LinkedIn to your favorite marketing app. This lets you tap into the full potential of your lead generation efforts.

Find out more about LinkedIn Registration Forms here.

Takeaways

The Events are created to offer a system for advertisers to host targeted events that create engagement and conversation in longer terms. What’s more, you can run ads for your LinkedIn Events and then use automation to manage the data you collect from your lead generation campaigns. 

LinkedIn Registration Forms integration by LeadsBridge enables you to automatically manage your lead data, segment your leads, and optimize your lead nurturing campaigns. 

Set up your LinkedIn Registration Forms integration via LeadsBridge to automate your workflows. Anything from automatically managing your lead data and segmenting your leads, to optimizing your lead nurturing campaigns. 

Discover all the possible LinkedIn integrations by LeadsBridge.