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What is the last business event you went to? Did you get an invitation in the mail? Not likely. There’s hardly an event that’s not promoted these days through social media channels, and there are good reasons for this. At W2 Communications, we recognize the value of social media. Our hi tech PR agency promote events by effectively leveraging these tools for our clients, as well as ourselves. How so? By following these best practices to get the best outcomes for both virtual and real-life events:
Get the information out there in a timely way. Social media is a great way to get initial event information out to your audience. Even if you don’t have all the details nailed down, you can still start generating buzz for your event with “teaser” messages/tweets/posts. The information should deliver the event basics: topic, date/time, how to register and get more information and, very importantly, a hook that establishes the reason why people should go. When using Twitter, create a hashtag to make tweets about the event, so it’s easy to track. This also encourages others to promote it as well.
Keep posting, keep posting, keep posting. This will keep the event foremost in mind with your audience. With all the noise found on social media, it’s vital to stay in front of your potential attendees and stand out from the crowd. These repeated posts/tweets/messages must sound interesting and fresh – avoid repetition. Be careful not to over post too. That’s when you blur into the noise. Pick up the pace of posting as you near the event date, but be sure to keep it engaging.
Effectively deploy the full arsenal of social media channels. Make sure you’re taking advantage of Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and any other top social media channels. Craft your message for each social site – short and timely works best for Twitter (for tips on crafting effective tweets, we like these tips from ReadWriteWeb), while longer posts with richer content (e.g. images and videos) makes for a standout Facebook post. Remember, Twitter is an appropriate platform for slightly more frequent messages, whereas you’ll want reduce that frequency for Facebook.
Promote the event on the big day. Get the most out of social media on the day of your event. Direct last-minute attendees to the event by sneaking in that final post and tweet. It’s also key to promote the event while it is taking place. Because of its pace, tweeting is a popular and effective way to promote your event for anyone who can’t be there, while engaging attendees who are monitoring Twitter during the event. (Yes, that’s right. You’ll have attendees who are already there who also want to get a “Twitter read” on the event as it’s happening.) Mashable has even more tips about promoting live events with social media.
Take it home. Get the most bang for your buck from your event by posting pictures, videos and other event content following its conclusion. This keeps the conversation going once the live presentations are over. If all goes well, it will generate interest in the next event.
An event’s success is often measured by the number of seats filled. There’s no better way to reach potential attendees than presenting your message where potential attendees already go. That’s where social media comes in. So post, Tweet and message away – and we’ll catch you at your next event!
Molly Doyle is a senior account coordinator at W2 Communications.