Let’s take a dive into one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on—Conquest Games convention. This is an annual tabletop games convention that takes place in Melbourne, Australia. Since its debut in the 1980s, it’s been an essential occasion for tabletop RPG, board game, and miniatures enthusiasts.
They said: Covid would be the nail in the coffin for this dying annual event… I said: I’m going to make your event bigger and better than ever! Hold on to your butts!
From a humble attendance in the 200s, we now boast over 500 attendees. And it’s all thanks to the power of digital marketing.
I began working with Conquest back in 2013, when I took over the development of their website. It was a pretty big undertaking, but I was excited to take on the challenge. And over the years, I’ve been able to do so much more.
By 2016, I had started managing Conquest’s organic social media campaigns, and soon after that, I was appointed president of the organising committee. It was a lot of work, but I loved every minute of it. And I was able to use my digital marketing skills to help grow the event and reach a wider audience.
But in 2022, I made the difficult decision to step down from my position as committee president. However, that didn’t mean I was done with Conquest. Instead, I took on a new role as their PR and marketing director. I was still able to use my expertise to help the event succeed, but I had a bit more flexibility and freedom to focus on what I loved most—digital marketing! This involved:
- Email newsletter marketing.
- On-page SEO.
- Website maintenance.
- Google Ads.
- Organic and paid social media marketing strategy.
- Hashtag and keyword research.
End-to-end campaign setup and management with Facebook Ads manager.
Working with Conquest has been an incredible journey. And I’m proud to have been a part of their growth and success over the years. Who knows what the future holds, but I’m excited to see where this partnership takes us next.
Achievements
Because Conquest doesn’t receive any commercial or government funding, I’ve chosen to offer my talents for free. Why? Because it’s an important experience for the local gaming community in Melbourne (and Australia).
- Between the 2021 and 2022 conventions, I helped grow attendee numbers grow by 45%!
- For the 2023 convention, I helped attendee numbers grow by 70%!
- Conquest is on the first page of Google search results for “Dungeons & Dragons Melbourne”.
- Made their website responsive and easy to use on mobiles, allowing easier access to more visitors.
What did I do for Conquest?
Upon taking over the website design in 2013, it became important to design for mobile (responsive design) as previous iterations of the website didn’t offer this feature. From 2014 to 2016 I created custom WordPress themes from scratch. In 2022 I rebuilt the website using the Divi theme, to make it easier for our committee members to edit content.
Since 2016 I have taken over operation of Conquest’s email newsletter. I have designed the custom email template, and usually write the messages with assistance from the committee. Conquest sends out emails as often as needed – with frequency increasing as the convention gets closer.
Up until 2022 I have managed the Instagram and Twitter profiles for Conquest. But as of 2022, Instagram is now being contributed to by our committee members, with my direction. I also share responsibility of looking after the Facebook page with the other committee members.
From 2014 to 2021 I have used Adobe InDesign and Illustrator to produce posters for the annual games convention. (“Emily” illustrations have been provided by various artists.) I now currently use Canva to produce our social media graphics for Facebook and Instagram.
Feedback from the committee
“Lou has completely rebuilt our website, and in doing so has created a site that any committee member is able to maintain and update with new copy, artwork and improvements to functionality in the future. Lou worked closely with our committee to determine our website requirements, and has been in frequent and proactive contact with us to ensure the site functions as successfully as possible, and also to suggest and implement improvements as our needs change.” Michelle Kent, former committee member, Conquest Games Inc.
“As the Current President of Conquest I have seen first hand the work Lou has done to increase the online presence of our convention. With their help we have reached a wider community and increased our attendance as well as the effectiveness of our advertising dollars.” Bryce Bannon, committee president, Conquest Games Inc.
The results
Don’t just take my word for it! This design and marketing case study for Conquest would feel incomplete without the proof!
If you’re looking for someone to boost your social media marketing, look no further! I’m more than happy to offer this service for games-related organisations and small businesses across Australia. Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to have a chat. 👋🏻
0 Comments