Picture this: your targeted attendees are scrolling through social media and find your event that captures their interest, propelling them to book tickets immediately. Social media for events helps you engage your targeted segment where they flock.
Social media has become the place for event organizers to promote and create buzz for their next event. A quarter of all traffic comes from social media, which can transform your event from overlooked to overbooked.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through what is social media for events, why you must use it, when to use it, and how it can be beneficial for making your next event a grand success.
What is Social Media for Events?
Social media for events refers to the strategic use of various social media platforms to promote, engage, and enhance the overall experience of events such as conferences, trade shows, concerts, festivals, and more. It involves leveraging social media channels to attract attendees, build anticipation, foster engagement, and extend the reach of the event before, during, and after its occurrence.
Why Use Social Media for Events Promotion?
According to Statista’s report, there are more than five billion social network users worldwide. The number is projected to reach six billion in 2028.
Source: (Statista)
Most of your targeted segments might be on social media today, which makes it the best place to promote your event. Social media for event promotion is a wise option as it provides you with numerous advantages:
Wider Reach and Visibility
As mentioned above there are billions of social network users, providing you with vast audiences to promote your events. This can help in attracting attendees from different geographical locations and demographics.
Targeted Advertising
Are you looking to target attendees based on their interests, location, demographics, or behaviors?
If yes, social media platforms are the best option to promote your event. This targeted approach ensures that event promotions reach the most relevant potential attendees, boosting the conversion likelihood.
Engagement and Interaction
Social media facilitates direct interaction and engagement with the audience before, during, and after the event. Brands can build excitement, answer questions, and foster a sense of community, enhancing attendee experience and satisfaction.
Real-Time Updates and Communication
Brands can provide real-time updates about the event, such as schedule changes, speaker announcements, and live coverage. This keeps attendees informed and engaged, leading to a more dynamic and memorable event experience.
Content Sharing and Virality
Attendees often share their event experiences on social media, including photos, videos, and reviews. User-generated content (UGC) serves as authentic endorsements that can attract new attendees and enhance the event’s credibility and visibility.
Cost-Effective Marketing
Compared to traditional advertising channels, social media offers cost-effective options for event promotion. Brands can run targeted ads, create engaging content, and leverage influencer partnerships without incurring high costs.
Data and Insights
Social media analytics provide valuable data on audience engagement, preferences, and behavior patterns. Brands can use this data to optimize their event marketing strategies, improve targeting, and measure the success of their promotional efforts.
Brand Building and Reputation Management
Active participation in social media conversations around the event helps in strengthening brand identity and reputation. Brands can showcase their expertise, thought leadership, and commitment to customer satisfaction through engaging content and interactions.
Drive Ticket Sales and Registrations
Wondering how to directly influence event registrations and ticket sales?
It’s by using social media platforms. By offering exclusive promotions, early bird discounts, and limited-time offers through social channels, brands can create urgency and drive conversions.
Long-Term Relationship Building
Social media allows brands to maintain relationships with attendees even after the event ends. Brands can continue engaging with past attendees, share post-event content, gather feedback, and nurture leads for future events.
When to Use Social Media Platforms for Event Promotion?
Promoting your event before, during, and after the event is crucial, and social media can make it easier for you to do the same. Social media can be used for events at every stage of the event lifecycle, let’s find more details on how and when to use social media for events.
Pre-Event Promotion:
Promoting your event on social media before the event is the best way to get more registrations and attendees. You can use count-down, polls, and other strategies as pre-event promotion:
Create CountDown
You can benefit from Instagram’s count-down feature to promote your event. You can use the event date, name, and time to customize the countdown sticker. Besides, you are even allowed to change the color that best suits your event.
When someone views a story, they can go for the “remind me later” option helping them to get a notification when the countdown ends. You can add clickable links to an event registration page to Instagram stories, helping you to increase ticket sales.
Make Your Event Landing Page Shareable
Adding a social sharing button is the initial step to building your engagement funnel. You can use an event ticketing system to utilize their social sharing feature, helping you to post them everywhere. This facilitates attendees to share your event page with their social networking users.
Post Event Teaser
Post previews of the event lineup to build spark interest. You can use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to create engaging videos and shots that your targeted segment can quickly share and view.
Below are a few ideas for a teaser:
- Sponsor shout-outs
- Giveaway announcements and virtual swag pictures
- Behind-the-scenes preparations
- Quotes from speakers and panelists
- Event schedule or agenda
Create an Event Hashtag
Develop a unique hashtag specifically for your event. Incorporate this hashtag into all pre-event social media posts, promotional materials, and communications. Encourage attendees and followers to use the hashtag when discussing or sharing about the event.
For example:
#TechFest2024: Ideal for a technology-focused conference or festival.
#MusicMania2024: Perfect for a music festival or concert series.
#BizSummit2024: Great for a business or entrepreneurship summit.
#HealthExpo2024: Suitable for a health and wellness expo.
#FilmFest2024: Excellent for a film festival or movie screening event.
#EduConf2024: Ideal for an educational conference or seminar.
By creating a unique and relevant hashtag, you make it easier for attendees to engage with your event on social media, enhancing visibility and fostering a sense of community.
Create a LinkedIn or Facebook Event
Set up a dedicated event page on LinkedIn or Facebook. Fill out all event details, including date, time, venue, agenda, and registration link. Regularly update the event page with engaging content, respond to attendee inquiries, and use the platform’s event features to send reminders and updates.
Host a Giveaway or Contest
Increase engagement and attract attention by hosting a giveaway or contest related to the event. For example, offer free event tickets, exclusive merchandise, or discounts to participants who share event posts, use the event hashtag, or invite friends to RSVP. This not only boosts visibility but also encourages participation and excitement.
During the Event
You can easily promote your virtual event on Social media when it is taking place. Explore how:
Live stream your event
Looking to reach beyond the physical attendees? You can post live tweets during the events to keep the conversation going. You can tag event speakers and use their quotes and sound bites. This can help you to build the hype and draw potential attendees to your event in the future.
Invite Your Audience Backstage
Provide your attendees with a glimpse of what is to come by providing behind the scenes. Go for quick interviews with speakers on Facebook Live, helping to involve the audience in an unscripted way.
Most audiences find this more interesting compared to polished events. Inviting influencers to the event and going for “takeover” on social media platforms. This event marketing approach allows your audience to look forward and keep your attendees focused on the event.
Event Livestream
Using Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and other social media platforms can extend your audience reach. Live streaming your event can help inspire other attendees, even when they’re not planning to attend the event. Using an event management system in PHP helps you manage your virtual and in-person events from start to finish, all in one place.
Post-Event Engagement
You’re task does not end even when it was a big hit! You can also share special moments of the event on social media.
Write Blog Post About Your Event
Reach a text-savvy audience by transforming your virtual event into a unique blog post. You can even promote your blog post on your social media accounts to reach more people and boost your metrics.
You can turn your virtual event into a blog post following the steps listed below:
- Download a recorded event
- Include memorable quotes
- Include relevant data
- Add images and embed the video source
- Include post-event resources link
- Insert CTA
Use Instagram Highlights
Create Instagram Highlights to pin to your page, this helps you get the worth of the hard work that you put in to make stories that disappear after 24 hours.
You can organize stories into highlights by:
- Content type
- Audience demographics
- Speakers involved in an event
- Theme
- Attendee engagement
Post Event Survey
Asking for feedback can help you make your next event better. Use polls to collect users’ thoughts and opinions. For example, you can post polls for viewers to rate satisfaction with the speakers, activities, and events. You can ask “What do they love the most about the event?” or “What can we improve?” These details help you collect valuable information and make data-driven decisions for your future events.
Engage in Conversation
Giving your attendees a platform to continue conversations about the event is a good social media marketing idea. Use Facebook or LinkedIn to drive deeper into the insights gained. You can use social media listening tools to know what people are saying about the event. Enusre you’re open to all the feedback to foster an open conversation.
Use GIFs and Memes
Use memorable moments in GIFs and memes to make your virtual event more shareable. For example, if you had a speaker who made a witty comment, you can use it as a meme with a trendy caption.
You can even use GIFs of sync attendees to make your content more shareable. Using GIFs and Memes increases your chances of being visible to more people and spreading your message.
Ending Note
Social media has revolutionized how events are promoted, experienced, and remembered. By strategically using social media before, during, and after your event, you can generate buzz, engage attendees, and build lasting relationships with your audience. Remember, the key to successful event promotion on social media is consistency, creativity, and interaction.
Whether through a countdown, live streaming, or post-event surveys, each touchpoint on social media offers an opportunity to enhance your event’s visibility and impact. With the right event management app, you can seamlessly integrate social media marketing strategies to ensure your next event is a success and a memorable experience for all attendees.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What platforms are best for promoting events?
The best platforms for promoting events include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. The choice depends on your target audience and the nature of your event.
How can I use social media to engage attendees during the event?
You can engage attendees during the event by live streaming sessions, sharing behind-the-scenes content, hosting live Q&A sessions, and encouraging the use of event-specific hashtags.
How can I leverage post-event engagement on social media?
Post-event engagement can be leveraged by sharing event highlights, writing a blog post about the event, creating Instagram Highlights, conducting post-event surveys, engaging in conversations, and using GIFs and memes to share memorable moments.
What is the role of hashtags in event promotion?
Hashtags play a crucial role in event promotion by creating a unified way for attendees to discuss and share content related to the event. It helps in increasing visibility, tracking conversations, and fostering a sense of community among attendees.
Can social media help in driving ticket sales and registrations?
Yes, social media can significantly drive ticket sales and registrations by offering exclusive promotions, early bird discounts, and creating a sense of urgency through limited-time offers and engaging content.
How do I measure the success of my event promotion on social media?
The success of event promotion on social media can be measured using analytics tools provided by social media platforms. Key metrics include engagement rates, reach, impressions, click-through rates, conversion rates, and overall audience growth.
What type of content works best for event promotion on social media?
Visual content such as images, videos, live streams, GIFs, and infographics works best for event promotion. Interactive content like polls, contests, and Q&A sessions also engage audiences effectively.