8 Tips To Leverage Social Media For Your Events

Are you an outstanding event influencer or is your mark made in the virtual community in engaging the audience? Making your presence or brand recognized through social media is a big challenge. Some of the most powerful strategy B2B marketers strive to capture markets and carry out business events flawlessly. In this virtual world, in order to execute events and gain maximum attendee engagement, getting live experience is what event organizers or exhibitors or attendees look for. Events and conferences are effective platforms in encouraging networking, reaching connections, putting brands at the forefront and building a rapport among other event bodies; and moreover today’s event industry moves around live virtual components such as social media, sophisticated mobile event apps, and webinars to bring out interaction and participation in its attendees.

Apparently, event planners invest a lot of time and money to ensure the event goes seamlessly, and with the boom of these digital channels, it brings good news for the event organizers each time. Social media and mobile platforms are more accurate and cost effective when compared to the conventional strategies. So don’t you think that if you are armed with the right game plan and a dedicated team, social media efforts could take your brand and event to greater success? Get your event social media powered and make the most out of your brand by creating an incredible awareness in the community.

Research The Hashtags

These days you spot a hashtag everywhere, showing how important it is to tag a word. The more effective you expand the reach using hashtags, the more likely you get in front of your desired audience. Event marketers, knowing the importance of hashtags in event promotion, should research relevant hashtags, like session hashtags, speakers, delegates, sponsors, and industry leaders attending the event. While you check out hashtags of other companies’ events or websites, you may find it much easier to share event news and activities across social media channels.

Ready For Visual SM?

Visual social media, is spellbind! As you look at the exploding social media content and its viral impact, you can be pretty sure of one major aspect – the significance of visual content across social networks. Moreover, you might have noticed how many ‘likes’ a Facebook photo reaps over text or status updates, implying how undeniable it is to cultivate visuals. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are the giants to get maximum profits with visual media marketing. Don’t you think that building attractive images, infographics, or videos for your event can take it up a notch? If you have the tactic right, start sharing event related videos and images across all social outlets.

Adopting Third Party Sources

Browse through relevant third party sources like news, articles, blogs, and infographics to be shared on social sites. Tie these sources to  event sessions and you will see how it encourages the audience, increases awareness of sessions at the event and also helps to go beyond addressing the needs of the attendees.

Create Buzz

Without hesitation, you can say that social media is the key to create enough buzz for any event. If you are leveraging social media to supercharge your event, use all possible functionalities to promote the event. Tweets, photos, videos, check-ins, hashtags, posts, ads, signage, speakers profiles, keynotes, badges, event logos, and whatever else you think could lead to increased engagement. Hosting an event contest via social can be a thrilling way to engage your audience, if you have the right prizes! Audiences may even spread the contest news on their social profiles, inviting others to peak at your event page. Why not give away one or two event tickets to ignite the buzz?

Credibility To Your Ads

Just as you walk on the event floor and create a first impression, ensuring belief on pay per click Google ads are important to boost trust, credibility and professionalism among the potential online audience. This is one of the first touch points with your customers to yield a positive image about your brand. So the question is, are you using Google Adwords for event promotion? Do you have a Google+ page? If you have these, socialize your paid Google ads to increase potential trust. You can easily add Social Extensions from the drop down menu of Ad Extensions.

Leverage Facebook Exchange Ad Targeting

An economical way to lure in prospects to your event is FBX (Facebook Exchange). Re-market the product or event offers via social sites to drive target customers with specific interests to the event. FBX is real-time bidding where advertisers leverage buying and selling ads among the respective audiences on Facebook, honing business. This new exciting tool helps event promotion, as you can put up event related ads in front of Facebook audience who looked at your Event page but did not purchase a ticket.

Meetups Or Tweetups

When adopting social media in your event marketing process, why not have some fun to boost up the total event?Tweetup, frequently referred to as live Twitter meetups, is an ubiquitous arena, to get your brand to stand out and for more networking. Select the exact social media venue to host the Tweetup party, or boost up the spirits of attendees by offering them a cocktail while signing-in to the venue on Foursquare. This gives an opportunity to your attendees to mix up or mingle with others and widen their connections. The exciting thing about hosting a Tweetup is that it encourages your audience to promote your event.

Respond Promptly

Despite utilizing various social media networking channels, if you fail to communicate real-time with your target market, efforts are often wasted. Remember to motivate your audience to talk about your event or brand. You should be aware of the talks and respond promptly to keep the conversation going. If you are unable to, then someone else should be responsible to keep a close watch on the hashtags and keywords about the event and to understand the issues out there. Responding frequently is as important as audience engagement and customer service. If you are active around the issues in the social world, more attendees will come to you, producing loyal customers.

Remember that the more you draw target customers to your events, the more leads you will have. And that’s the message social networking has for you – social media campaigns and sharing will bring leads to your desk! What is your current strategy? Do you have anything new to share? Let us keep you updated with social media tips to engage your audience in live events!

By Susan Peimer, a marketing strategist and consultant who work on creative solutions around new and traditional media.