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5 Ways to Leverage Social Media at Your Next Event

Here are 5 tips to help streamline your social media presence at an event.


Events are a great way to improve your company’s exposure offline — in the real world. With the way technology has changed over recent years, event presence can be amplified through social media networks for an extra boost in attendance and engagement. However, running a handful of social networks (on the floor of an event), while dealing with customers and event logistics can be a very hectic task.

Here are 5 tips to help streamline your social media presence at an event.

 

  1. The more help, the better.

    While it sounds easy (running the social media for an event) it’s really not a one-man job – especially if you’ve got other things to do throughout the day (i.e., manage staff, merchandising, help customers, etc.). If your event has attracted a few hundred (or thousand) people, you’ll want some help to get coverage on the floor from different areas of the venue. Sharing access to your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with a few volunteers or staff members goes a long way, since they’ll be able to post photos and key happenings.

  2. If this, then that.

    The last thing you’ll want to do at an event is jump on your Facebook, post a photo from the current keynote, and then post it on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social networks one at a time – and by the time you’ve done that, you may have missed another important message or photo opportunity from the keynote. 

    If This, Then That (IFTT) is an extremely helpful tool for relieving a lot of this stress, by automating social media posts across multiple social networks. It works by creating “Recipes”, where you can connect different social networks via API’s and tell them to do certain things via triggers.

    One basic example is “If I post a photo to Tumblr, post it to Twitter with the hashtag”. Yes, there are several other plugins and API’s that provide post automation, but IFTT supports dozens of social networks at once, with features like being able to copy over hashtags.

  3. Use unique #hashtags.

    Every event you promote via social media should be associated with a unique hashtag, but make sure it’s distinctive enough to not conflict with an existing one. Incorporating an event hashtag allows fans to engage with others, and best of all it can boost visibility of the event. Including the hashtag as an overlay in photos or posts prior to your event, can help raise awareness to encourage attendees to use it often.

  4. Leverage essential networks.

    The sheer number of social networks, these days, can be overwhelming. However, it’s important to focus on at least three of the most popular social networks when promoting an event: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The reason for this is that each of these social networks lend themselves well to hashtags, tagging, and photos – which are key elements that can make an event go viral by way of engagement and word of mouth.

  5. Say cheese!

    Posting quotes from an event keynote, or panel of speakers, is important, but it can also be boring and redundant. Make your social media posts fun by including a quick photo with the quote. Photos should take up the majority of your Facebook timeline and Twitter feed during an event – they provide more engagement, and may entice some of your Facebook or Twitter fans to attend if they are local.

Zach Taiji is a freelance writer and photographer by night and a public relations professional at Pulp PR+Marketing by day. He has over 4 years of writing experience in technology, marketing, PR, social media and web design. He has helped to place articles in various publications including Wired, PC Mag and 9to5mac. Connect with @pulppr on Twitter.

 

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