Some people and companies may be reluctant to embrace the era of social media that is upon us and to that I say: use social media to your advantage. It is your friend, not your enemy- I promise.
So this week we dedicate our blog post to social media and some of the ways that you and your company can use it to your advantage while promoting your next event. These next few tips are simple, effective, and best of all: FREE (who doesn't love that? If it's free it's for me!)
1. Create a Pre-event Buzz
Utilize your Facebook page or send out an email blast to encourage your fans and potential attendees to sign up and share the event with their friends. You can even offer prizes for the individual who refers the most people or a discount when a certain number of their friends buy a ticket.
If you're feeling really fancy, you can utilize sites such as Meteor Solutions helps you to incentivize your event by offering rewards for sharing your content.
2. Encourage your guests to use a pre-agreed upon Hashtag when discussing your event on their own personal social media sites. Make sure you inform them of the exact hashtag to use (For example: #EventsNorth or #TinasWedding2012) so that there are not two or three different types floating around. Hashtags allow you to promote your event and include it in conversation threads. If you have enough people discussing your event, it may even start trending within your area- the ultimate social media accomplishment!
3. Keep up the buzz by keeping some things a surprise. If you keep mentioning snippits of what is to come at the event via social media outlets, but don't let your guests know the whole picture until the day-of...they're more likely to stay hooked. Even snapping mystery pictures and showing them bit by bit to your social media audience works. Your attendees will remain engaged by guessing what is to come and keep checking back...once the get a hint of what's to come they'll keep coming back for more!
4. Use QR codes on your ads or Facebook page to allow people to easily access your website. A large majority of people are smartphone owners, so they can snap a picture of the QR code and be led to your site immediately. This will allow you to give them an abundance of extra information that you couldn't fit onto your ad.
5. Encourage your attendees to check in at the event using Facebook Check-ins or Foursquare. This will allow them to promote your event on their Facebook or Twitter. Their friends can then simply click on the link and be directed to your page and find out easily exactly where your event is...and see what they're missing out on!
6. Have a lot of things going on at once? Utilize live videostreaming of your event via Facebook or Youtube to allow attendees (and virtual guests following along at home) to catch a glimpse of the speeches or concerts they're missing.
7. Create a Twitter Wall at your event. Mashable Business explains this concept best: "The most successful social media campaigns merge what’s happening online with what’s happening offline. Setting up Twitter walls throughout the event space is an effective way to entice attendees to get involved in the online discussions stemming from the event.
If you’re running a smaller gathering, consider creating a virtual welcome wall near the registration area so that you can say hello to attendees on Twitter as they check-in. When attendees see their username displayed on the screen, next to your hashtag, they’ll be encouraged to get involved.
There are a number of vendors that provide Twitter wall functionality, including Socialping, Visible Tweets and TweetWally. Each offer varied levels of customizability and analytics. Just be sure to think through filtering options and map out a plan for the worst-case scenario, like a hashtag hijack."
8. Make sure to follow up post-event. Thank your guests for coming via Facebook or Twitter. Send out a follow-up email to let everyone know the event specs and how much you appreciated them coming out. Already know the dates for the following year's event? Post them on your Facebook or Twitter and let your guests know so they can plan ahead.Social Media is such a useful tool and in today's day and age...if you're not using it, you're behind the times. Make sure your event promotions are up to date and watch your event attendance (and number of twitter followers) soar!
Sources for a few of these tips include:
Social Media Examiner
and
Mashable Business
You can use social media to promote your events. Useful information
ReplyDeleteConference events
Live video streaming is a great idea to share your events to the world in real-time. There are times when people aren’t able to attend, and video streaming is the only way of keeping them in the loop on what’s happening. By doing this, your customers are more likely to engage with your business because they know that you’re truly offering them the best. It’s also a great way to build interest for those who are quite unfamiliar with your business.
ReplyDeleteDarryl Tay