Social media have become an important part of how people experience events. That means you have lots of new opportunities to get more out of your event marketing strategy. Whether you are organizing a small professional networking event or a large conference, social media can help you to get the word out and connect with your audience.
1. Think of a short and unique hashtag
Every social media interaction will be tracked with your event hashtag, so make sure you have one and you choose a good one. It should be unique, short and easy to spell and remember. Alliterations help to let the hashtag stick in people's minds and so do simple, straightforward ones.
2. Use ‘B2C-media' for your business event
Don't be afraid to use social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for your business event. Many people log into Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook at least once a day, so it's more likely they will see news updates about your event in their daily Facebook feed than on LinkedIn.
3. Never mind the size of your event
Should you use social media if you are ‘only' organizing a small network event for 100 professionals? Yes, you should. Social media are a great way to build excitement and to engage your audience before your event has even started. So create a page on LinkedIn, tweet about keynote speakers or special guests and promote your event on Facebook or Instagram.
4. Don't be discouraged by low click-through rates
A limited number of shares, likes or clicks does not mean your audience didn't notice your content. So don't be discouraged and keep posting updates about your event.
5. Capture the event happenings
Events produce outstanding marketing content to use during and after your event, so make sure you document and share the event happenings. Repost tweets from your speakers and attendees, post interviews with your guests and share photos of keynote speakers. Having a social media display at your event is a great way to stimulate attendees to post their own content.
6. Focus on people
Photos of empty congress halls or event venues are not quite as appealing as pictures of people networking, attending a seminar, or giving a speech. So focus on people by posting videos of keynote speeches, photos of attendees who are networking, etc.
Source: SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVENTS: CONNECTING THE DOTS
A Groundbreaking Study of Event Attendees' Social Media Usage
