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Breaking Away from the Norm
At Skale, we wanted to step outside the usual channels like SEO and PPC to create something truly valuable for our ideal customer profile: demand generation marketers. Our goal was simple—build excitement, provide value, and position ourselves at the heart of the demand gen community.
That’s how Demand Conf was born.
A two-day virtual event focused on all things demand generation, Demand Conf wasn’t just another industry webinar series. We built it from the ground up to be engaging, interactive, and, most importantly, viral.
Crafting a Standout Event
Setting the Foundation
The first step in creating a successful event was to commit to a date. We chose May 1st & 2nd, ensuring we had a concrete timeline to build towards.
With that in place, we focused on structuring the event to be dynamic and engaging, featuring a blend of keynotes and panel discussions. This mix allowed us to combine deep industry insights with interactive and thought-provoking discussions.
However, we didn’t just want to host another run-of-the-mill virtual conference. We knew we had to do something different—something that would make Demand Conf stand out.
To achieve this, we introduced unique elements that broke away from the conventional conference format.
To enhance the attendee experience, we partnered with Oliva to introduce a live meditation session, giving participants a chance to reset and refocus between intensive talks.
Additionally, we infused energy into the event by bringing in a live DJ, who played music during breaks, turning what could have been dull transitions into lively, enjoyable moments.
These additions transformed the typical virtual conference experience into something fresh, engaging, and unexpected.
Building the Infrastructure
Creating a Sub-Brand
Instead of just running the event under the Skale name, we strategically developed Demand Conf as its own sub-brand.
This decision allowed us to position the event as something bigger than just another corporate webinar—it became a community-driven experience.
To support this, we built a dedicated microsite using Swipe Pages, a no-code landing page builder. This approach enabled us to move quickly, design an optimized user experience, and launch the site without needing developer resources.
Choosing the Right Tech
A successful virtual conference requires reliable streaming technology. After extensive research, we found that most enterprise webinar platforms were expensive, often costing thousands of dollars.
Instead, we opted for Streamyard, a powerful yet budget-friendly solution at just $99 per month. It provided us with everything we needed to stream high-quality sessions while keeping costs low—perfect for a guerilla-style marketing approach.
The Viral Growth Strategy
Leveraging Social Proof to Attract Speakers
One of the biggest challenges when launching an event is securing high-quality speakers. To tackle this, we first reached out to our network and locked in an initial group of demand gen experts. Once we had a solid foundation, we used these early speakers as social proof to attract even bigger industry names.
From the beginning, we built virality into the event strategy by selecting speakers who met at least one of two criteria:
- They had a large LinkedIn following, ensuring their involvement would generate significant organic visibility.
- They worked for well-known brands, lending credibility and authority to the event.
This approach meant that speakers weren’t just sharing knowledge; they were also actively promoting the event to their networks, making them a key distribution channel for us.
Launching with a LinkedIn Takeover
To maximize reach, we orchestrated a LinkedIn takeover on launch day. The Skale team, along with all 18+ speakers, simultaneously posted about Demand Conf, creating a coordinated buzz across the platform. The result? The event went viral, reaching thousands of demand gen professionals and driving an influx of sign-ups.
Creative Growth Hacks & Partnerships
Turning Self-Promoters into Distribution Partners
One unexpected challenge we faced was speakers reaching out who wanted to participate purely for self-promotion. Rather than dismiss them outright, we saw an opportunity. We turned these individuals into event partners who would promote Demand Conf in exchange for visibility.
Through strategic collaborations, these partners shared the event with their email lists and social media followers, effectively extending our reach beyond our immediate audience.
SEO as a Traffic Driver
We also used SEO as a long-term traffic channel. By creating targeted content, we managed to rank #1 for “SaaS marketing events” on Skale.so, driving high-intent traffic directly to the event registration page.
Crowdsourcing Content for Maximum Relevance
Instead of deciding all topics in advance, we crowdsourced session themes by asking registrants about their biggest demand gen challenges.
The hundreds of responses we received helped us tailor the agenda to real-world pain points, making the conference genuinely valuable to attendees.
Engaging Past & Existing Clients
A key part of our strategy was not just attracting new attendees but re-engaging past and existing clients. We wanted to find a way to reconnect with those who had previously worked with Skale but had since drifted away.
Our unconventional approach? Physical event tickets!
We mailed out custom-designed, physical tickets to past clients, inviting them to attend the online conference.
To make it even more personal, we included handwritten, personalized poems with each invitation. This unexpected, thoughtful touch helped reignite relationships and even contributed to reactivating churned clients.
And here are the custom envelopes we designed:
Post-Event Content Repurposing
We didn’t let the momentum fade after the event. Instead, we created a content repurposing system to maximize long-term value:
- All sessions were made free & ungated, giving demand gen professionals continuous access to valuable insights.
- We leveraged content for LinkedIn posts, ensuring that Demand Conf remained top-of-mind in the community.
- We launched email campaigns through HubSpot, re-engaging attendees and continuing conversations.
The Results & What’s Next
🚀 1,200 attendees globally
🚀 New sales pipeline generated
🚀 Re-engaged churned clients
And the best part? Demand Conf is back for 2025! 🎉
📌 Sign up for the next event here: Demand Conf 2025
📌 Watch the 2024 recordings here: Demand Conf 2024
See you at the next Demand Conf!
