In earlier days, marketing was only limited to placing banners or hoardings on the streets. But with the increase in popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, the event marketers are shifting towards social media to promote their events. Event marketing through social media is very dynamic, you can promote a business event as much as a music festival. By following the techniques explained below, you can become a pro in social media event marketing.
MARKETING BEFORE THE EVENT
Generating buzz or excitement amongst the target audience is necessary for an event to be successful. The excitement that you are able to instill among people has a direct impact on the footfall. Use the following ways to generate buzz among people.
1. Create an Event Dedicated Facebook/Twitter/Instagram Page
Through an event page, you can inform people about your event, how it came into existence and other interesting facts. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc have the option where you can create an event page. Follow the link for more information on Creating and Managing Events Using Facebook Pages.
2. Highlight Special Guests, Famous Personalities Attending the Event
If you have pre-confirmation of any famous personality like celebrity, authors, speakers attending the event; then update your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram pages, the website about such people. It will help boost event attendance as all the loyal fans will visit to meet/interact with his/her favorite person.
3. Generate Excitement
Once you have created an event page on various social media platforms, make it your priority to keep regularly posting images, videos relating to your event. When you keep posting regularly, the people following will continuously feel your presence online and it will generate more buzz. Adding on, you must be cautious and active in replying to all the queries.
4. Organize Pre-Event Parties
Make your target audience feel they are missing the FUN!! Post appealing pictures of pre-event parties on the social media pages, websites to create anticipation among them.
MARKETING DURING THE EVENT
Event marketing is a continuous process in which social media plays a very active role in keeping the event live in the digital world. In this part, we bring you the best trending social media marketing techniques which you can use during the event.
1. Updating Live Experiences of Visitors
Taking live feedbacks and encouraging all the visitors to do the same, creates an everlasting impact of the event. Providing space to visitors on the social media page of the event where they can post & share their experiences (ensure that their experiences are great) online. This user-generated content will help generate more audience for the event as oral publicity is the most relied form.
2. Post Ongoing Event’s Picture & Video
Whether it is a one-day event or more, picture/videos of ongoing sessions must be continuously shared online through social media. Event organizers can also encourage the visitors to upload images or videos on various platforms like Instagram, Vine, etc and to use dedicated #tag which can eventually lead to the trending of the event on social media. Users can also use tools like Pericope, Ustream or Livestream to broadcast events live.
3. Social Media Promotions during Event
Online promotions create good buzz and it can be done by organizing various activities/contests during the event. For example, visitors can upload pictures of the event online using event brand #tag and picture with maximum likes will win an exciting prize. Tools like Woobox come in handy for social media promotions.
4. Using Social Walls in Event
Who doesn’t like his/her picture being visible on big screens in an event? Use of social media wall for events is gaining much popularity these days. People can upload images on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter etc with dedicated #tag and social wall software like Taggbox will aggregate all the feeds and display them on screen with beautiful graphics and animations. Social media display wall is an amazing tool to increase event engagements and brand trust among the audience!
MARKETING AFTER THE EVENT
Post-event marketing is only helpful when the event is organized on a continuous basis. Post promotions play an important role for event organizers as they need current visitors to come back and bring new crowd too. Discussed below, best ways to keep an event alive in the minds of people using various social media techniques.
1. Creating a Spell-Bounding Aftermovie
The human mind has the tendency of retaining aesthetically appealing visuals for a long time. By creating an event AFTERMOVIE that has beautiful visuals, great music is the best way to create an everlasting impact on the minds of people. TomorrowLand 2015 official after movie is the best example of mind-blowing & captivating after movie.
2. Value Visitor’s Feedback
So provide a feedback section on the social media page of the event and make sure to respond to each feedback in proper time. It will make people feel “their opinion matters” and will be more loyal towards the event.
3. Give Teasers for the Next Event
It is said “Curiosity is the lust of mind”, we couldn’t agree more. Make your followers curious and more eager by giving little hints or what’s going to happen in the next event by posting on social media pages.
If not done with proper guidance, promoting events using social media can be very expensive and time-consuming. Create an everlasting impact on people through social media by using these tips and thus saving time and money, reaping away the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS i.e. SOCIAL MEDIA & EVENT MARKETING.
Don’t forget to read our compilation of the best event management tools for 2019-20
