A buoyant social media presence is a key part of any good event’s marketing campaign, but just how can you optimise your socials to get the most from your posts?
Just like any other good marketing strategy, it’s important to plan your campaigns before you begin. Your social media post should connect with potential and definite dele- gates before, during, and after the event.
Getting Ready
Before the event, social media is a great way to get the word out and get delegates interested in attending. Countdowns build anticipation and are a daily reminder to keep your event in delegates’ minds. Instagram has a built-in countdown sticker in which you can customise the background and time, or you can devote a daily post on any social media platform conducting the countdown. Just make it eye-catching and simple. Catch attention, the detailed information can be provided elsewhere.
Facebook is also a great place to advertise your event before it happens as it has specific event pages. This can be a good to place for your delegates to get logistical info for your events and for you to provide updates as and when they happen.
On the day
The power of social media shouldn’t be ig- nored during the event. A particular drawing point such as an augmented reality filter or a particularly Instagram-able photo spot (and above all a memorable hashtag to post it all under!) will have your delegates doing your advertising for you. And inspire some FOMO in those that didn’t attend, encouraging them to sign-up next time. Go live as often as possible.
Social media can also be an active part of your event while it’s taking place without having people glued to their phones the en- tire time. A large screen showing a real-time social media feed with posts made with your easy to remember hashtag is a great way to engage your delegates through social media. After all, who doesn’t want to see something they posted displayed proudly for all to see? Get your audience involved with interactive content. While the event is going on, remember to grab some snaps to post in the days after!
Closing it out
A big mistake some event organisers make is thinking that the social media campaign ends when the event does. Remember those snaps you took during the event or that great video piece? The days and weeks after are the time to post them. Remind your dele- gates of the good time they had and keep the event fresh in their minds for next time. Posting attendee-generated content is a great way to connect with delegates after the event. A quick share, retweet, or even like shows your delegates you are still engaged even though the event is over. Social media is also a great way to get feedback on the event. Posting a link to an anonymous survey will get you more respons- es than handing them out at the event, and they’ll likely be more honest!
10 Top Tips
• Know your audience – get to know who you are targeting.
• Use hashtags – social media users can explore content that catches their eye with relevant tags
• Make it easy – there are some great easy to use tools for artwork like Canva, and scheduling tools like ContentCal.
• Advertising – all social media have targeted advertising opportunities; you can experiment and see what works for your event. Try Pinterest ads.
• Lead Magnet – use your posts to drive leads, discounted tickets, added value in return for their contact details.
• Influencers – get some key people onside and sharing your message.
• Videos – use video where possible; keep it short though.
• Platforms – popular new social media sites such as TikTok are worth looking into.
• Polls – a simple way of getting engagement.
• Analyse – Hootsuite is a good tool to measure the success of your campaign, you can then review and move accordingly.