To say that social media is everywhere these days would be an understatement. About seven in 10 Americans use social media as part of their daily routine, according to Pew Research.
So, what does this mean for events? It means event attendees are sharing their favorite moments and photos via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
For event planners, this presents an opportunity to reach new audiences and engage with attendees online. Here are some tips to increase social media engagement for your corporate events.
Identify which social networks to use.
You don’t have to be everywhere online. This depends on where your attendees are most active. Is it on Twitter? Perhaps Instagram? It definitely isn’t MySpace. Identify which social networks would be best and focus your efforts on those platforms.
Create sample social media posts.
As you gear up for your event and start generating buzz online, create sample social media posts that your attendees can quickly share on their networks so they can relish their excitement too.
Share visual content.
You know what they say, a picture tells a thousand words. Social media users are more engaged by visual content, so share photos and videos from previous events. This not only offers shareable content, but it also gives attendees a glimpse of what to expect from your event.
Specify the event hashtag.
Having a unique hashtag for your event allows attendees to build a community around for your event and creates conversation. So, ensure your hashtag is clear and memorable. And share your hashtag throughout the event so attendees can join the conversation online.
Share live updates across your social media channels.
Many event marketers take to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to share in real-time what’s happening at the event. Tweet quotes from speakers, and share photos and videos. This is a great way to encourage conversation and interact with attendees during the event.
Display a live Twitter wall.
Incorporating a live social media wall into your event is a great way to boost engagement as it allows attendees can see their social media posts instantly on the big screen. There’s a variety of tools you can use:
Develop a social media contest.
Most people love some good friendly competition. You can further engage attendees by running a social media contest. Ask attendees to share their most creative tweet or their best photo with the event hashtag, and award a prize to the winner.
Compile shared moments.
Who says event marketing needs to stop after the event? Create a recap of highlights from your event. You can also create a Twitter moment, capturing all relevant tweets with your event hashtag. This enables you to create a story from your event and share it with your audience.
Thank attendees via social media.
Gratitude can go a long way. So, it’s worth thanking speakers and attendees via social media to give them that extra love. This lets them know that they’re valued and it can help build stronger community bounds.
Key takeaways:
- Create sample social media posts
- Share visual content
- Specify your event hashtag
- Share live updates across social networks
- Display a live social media wall
- Run a social media contest
- Compile shared moments and share them with your audience
- Thank attendees via social media
Above all, keep in mind that social media is a driving force to reach attendees. Do you have any tips for social media engagement during events? If so, let us know as we want to hear from you!
