With all the recent work we’ve done on event marketing, I figured it’s time to re-visit the importance of utilizing social media for your events. In today’s digital age, it’s almost impossible to run a successful event without a strong Internet presence. I’d argue that it’s essential to use social media as your main marketing channel when promoting your event, simply due to the potential audience reach, engagement, and various ways that you can attract potential attendees with the many platforms. Although there’s plenty of ways social media is used for events, knowing when and where to post can help take your internet marketing game to the next level.
A lot of the time you’ll find that when it comes to events, just as many people are talking about the event before it happens as there are during. From anticipation to FOMO (fear of missing out), there’s tons of stuff to talk about on social media prior to the actual event. When it comes to during the event, the most social posts are multimedia based such as images, videos, etc. Here’s a few ways to implement social media into your event marketing and get your audience fired up.
By frequently posting on social media about ticket sales you’re able to entice already committed attendees to convince their friends to come along. Using the early bird sales and registration windows is a great way to build buzz and create a sense of urgency for potential attendees.
There’s tons of people on social media who suffer the FOMO (fear of missing out). Use this to your advantage by offering discount codes to followers, social contests, or even go all-in with a VIP access giveaway. Adding pictures to your social channels prior to the event is a great way to enhance excitement and along with contests you’re sure to get tons of shares and engagement.
Facebook’s custom audiences capability lets you show ads to people who have already visited your website. Remarketing, or retargeting, is an effective strategy due to the fact that many people won’t buy a ticket the first time they hear of an event or see an offer. You’re able to show your event ads to Facebook users who left the website before purchasing a ticket.
If you’ve had prior events, creating a highlight reel is a unique opportunity for promoting the energy and excitement that will come with attending your event. Comments from exit surveys or interviews from prior events are also great for visual testimonials on your social media channels. Be sure to remember who your intended audience is and feel free to leverage it across all platforms!
Making your event photo-worthy is a great way to encourage attendees to post during the event. Having a photo booth not only encourages photos for social posting but you can also give sponsors a chance to add merchandise for promotional photos and giveaways. Having one unified hashtag across all platforms can facilitate all of the discussion around your event. Be sure to have someone around keeping the discussion going.
The conversation on social media shouldn’t end when the event ends. Celebrate the discussion you had, and encourage more of it. Feedback is a great way for continual engagement and to get ideas for the next event. Thanking people for the feedback will also leave a lasting impression.
We’re just touching the surface with these ideas of how to use social media for your event marketing. However, these are all options that can help promote your event and get higher levels of engagement. Just remember that depending on the type of event you’re hosting, your audience will take to different forms of social posting. Trust the experts at Hughes & Co. to navigate the world of social media to optimize your lead generation.