Make Your Event a Social Occasion
Setting up an event without a hashtag is like setting a table with no chairs. Make the most of events by using social media and hashtags.
Imagine a conference where all the chairs are lined up to hear a speaker, the speaker gives their presentation, and everyone just leaves. Nothing to take home, nothing to remember the speech by, nothing to comment on.
Now, imagine the same speaker in a different situation. This time they’re smart and sent out pre-meeting reminders on their social media channels as well as Q&A’s that feed into their speech. At the end of the meeting, they direct guests to a website with downloads of the speech and ways to take action, and send them a link through social media to participate in an activity based on the speech.
Which speech was more memorable?
Social Media for Organizers, and Meeting Planners
Pre-Event
If an event doesn’t have a hashtag, isn’t boosted with ad money, and isn’t promoted on any social media channels, there is a high likelihood that it won’t take off and attendance will be low.
Hashtags and social media posts are a great ways to engage the audience, promote the upcoming agenda, make announcements, answer queries, and gather feedback.
Post-Event
Not only is it important to post on social media before and during an event, but it is highly recommended to post after the event as well. Share a download of the event or a transcript from the landing page. This is also a great time to get feedback and ask questions or post surveys on information the audience is interested in. After the event, gather intel from the host’s social channels. Post a Q&A and write blog posts on the portions of the event that were most interesting to the audience. Snippets of these posts can even be posted on the host’s social channels throughout the year to make the event a continuous gathering and gain audience following.
Social Media for Speakers
For speakers or presenters at the event, using social media for promotion before and after is absolutely necessary. Make an short introduction video on YouTube and link it back to the site. Speakers can try publishing blog posts on their website about a part of the speech to whet their audience’s appetite and then post snippets of their call to action on any social pages. Make sure not to slam sales language down their throats—use only interesting tidbits of information that will capture the audience’s attention.
Pre-Speech
Post information about the speech on any social media channels leading up to the event. Consider scheduling meetups on Twitter or Facebook in the city that the speech will be given in. Share photos of the city along with interesting facts and interviews with members of the audience. Ask them what their takeaway was and post the responses with hashtags on social media.
Post-Speech
Thank the audience through social media and take notice of any outstanding parts of the area and its people. Share parts of the speech and a link for downloading the transcript after the tour, as well as a survey about the speech for feedback. Don’t forget to get analytics.
Getting involved in social media will take time, but the bonuses are too great to ignore for both the speaker and their event. Speakers who don’t participate in social media may never know where their speeches need improvement, and will lack analytics to show the value of the speech while pitching events in the future. Take advantage of social media platforms to make any event a truly memorable and interactive social occasion for everyone involved.
Socially Bold is a digital marketing firm located in Jacksonville, Florida providing marketing services to small to mid-sized local businesses. Specializing in social media and content marketing, Socially Bold focuses on aligning with clients, the ‘Socially Bold Community’, to deliver innovative ideas and translate those into refreshing results. For more information about Socially Bold, visit sociallybold.com. Join the #SociallyBold conversation on Twitter @sociallyboldjax, Facebook @sociallybold, Instagram @sociallybold, Pinterest @sociallybold or Google+ @sociallybold.