Integrating Social Media At Your Event

Integrating social media at your event can sometimes feel like a big, and pretty daunting, task. There are plenty of people who feel a post on their Facebook page or a quick tweet about an upcoming event qualifies as social media integration, but that’s not really the case.

By ignoring the potential that can be leveraged through social media platforms, businesses are missing the opportunity to use an easily-accessible, engagement-driving tool that deserves to be integrated across every element of their strategy.

INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA – WHY?

Around events, 45% of all businesses say that while they embrace social media to publicise the event before it takes place, they do not use social platforms during these events. Understanding how powerful these platforms are, businesses must realise the potential that exists.

A massive 85% of consumers report that social media during events would be a key decision making factor with regard attending a future event. Even more note-worthy is that a majority of those consumers say that user-generated content holds even more influence for them.

INTEGRATING SOCIAL MEDIA – THE TIPS

Get users talking about you and your event.

Clearly people want to feel involved, it’s why they’re at your event, but having them there and having their social media connections know that they’re at your event are two very different things.

Remind them to get involved. Encourage them to check-in. Create a bespoke hash-tag for your event. Why not take it to the next level? Incentivise tweets, snaps, check-ins. Display a screen featuring your hashtag so they can take centre stage. Simple, easy to implement tricks can make a huge difference. Anyone for a Snapchat Treat?

Know your audience.

If you’re launching the newest, hippest skateboard park in town, spend time getting a Snapchat filter created and live on the platform. However, if you’re launching a new range of footwear specifically for doctors, maybe focus a bit more on LinkedIn. Every business is different, so is every customer, so is every platform.

Having said that, always try to use more than one solitary social platform. Your attendees will be diverse, that’s natural.

Last but not least – think about it.

It’s all too easy to think that your Facebook and Twitter logo on the flyers you’re handing out on the night will inspire people to get on to their phones and go to social media heaven for your brand. That’s rarely, if ever, the case.

Whatever you might do, don’t just add a half-hearted social bolt on to your event because it’s the “done thing”. Rather, creatively come up with a plan.

Hands down, awareness and engagement are the measures for success when it comes to integrating social media at your events. By carefully planning and understanding what it is that you’re doing, both of those elements are guaranteed to increase. Guaranteed.

If you’re planning an event, FCDM can help make sure it reaches as wide an audience as possible. If you’d like to know more, just contact us here.

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