Drive Cold Contacts to Events with Targeted Ads

Vector Team

You’ve got an event coming up—but cold contacts aren’t just going to show up because you posted on LinkedIn.

This play helps you reach the right people (read: ICP, not randoms) before the event invite ever hits their inbox. Whether it’s a free virtual session or a big in-person conference, Vector lets you warm up out-of-market contacts with targeted, pre-event ads—so you’re not stuck with last-minute promos or cold outreach.

The Vector way:

Traditional event promotion relies on broad email blasts, LinkedIn posts, or last-minute outreach.

At Vector, we flip that.

We believe awareness starts well before the RSVP—and that ads should warm up contacts. This play uses contact-level data to do just that.

When to use this play:

Use when:

You’re planning a problem-awareness event or community session
You’ve got a list of ICP contacts with no current engagement
You want to increase attendance from the right buyers, not just warm leads
Your sales team isn’t touching this audience yet

Goal

Drive awareness and attendance for an upcoming event by targeting cold contacts with impression-optimized ads.

Objectives

Warm up net-new, unengaged contacts before the event
Increase attendance from high-fit accounts
Seed early-funnel engagement that can convert post-event
Reduce reliance on expensive or low-conversion channels

Use case

You’re hosting a live event, webinar, or roundtable focused on a key challenge or trend. Your target audience isn’t showing intent, but they’re still a great fit.

Play Type: Top-of-funnel | Event Activation | Contact-Based Ads Estimated Time to Execute: 1–2 hours setup + 2–4 week ad run-up

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How it works:

Step 1: Pull your event target list

Start by identifying the ICP contacts you want at your event—but who aren’t engaging.
In Vector:

Pull a list of relevant contacts from your CRM, MAP, or existing audience
Filter for those not in any active stages (no intent, no visits, no clicks)
Export as a CSV or build a segment in-platform

These are your cold-but-qualified event prospects.

Step 2: Upload to Vector and tag for tracking

In Vector:

Upload the list (if CSV)
Tag it with a custom label like “Unengaged – Event Targeting”

This helps track performance and avoid accidental retargeting later.

Step 3: Create a contact-based segment

Build a segment based on your tagged list, with no additional filters.

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This segment should be defined only by their lack of engagement—that’s what makes them valuable for awareness-building.‍

Step 4: Launch pre-event ads on the right channels

Choose your ad channels based on the event type and your budget:

Big flagship events (e.g., in-person exec dinners or conferences):
Use LinkedIn or premium placements where precision is key—even if CPCs are higher.
Lighter-weight webinars or virtual sessions:
Go for lower-cost channels like:
- Google Display Network
- Reddit Ads
- YouTube Pre-Roll
- Programmatic Display
- Facebook/Instagram

🎯 Tip:

Focus creative on the value of the event—not your product.

Examples:
"Struggling with [problem]? Join 200+ leaders tackling it."
"Free virtual event: How [industry] teams are adapting now."

Step 5: Monitor engagement in Vector

As contacts engage with ads or visit your site, Vector will automatically detect activity and move them into new lifecycle stages.

Step 6: Advance warm contacts post-event

After the event, feed newly warmed contacts into your mid-funnel plays (e.g., nurture sequences, SDR outreach, retargeting).

Wrap up: From cold to conversion

Don’t wait for intent to show up—create it.

This play helps you take control of early-stage engagement by reaching the right buyers before they’re ready to RSVP. With Vector’s contact-based ad targeting, you’re not just filling seats: you’re laying the groundwork for better conversations, stronger conversion paths, and a pipeline that’s already warm before sales steps in.

Example H2