The 10 Most Rewarding Social Media Ideas For Events

Do you organize events? Then social media should be one of your favorite marketing tools. Social media channels can get you more attendees and more event engagement. But only if you use them right.

With these 10 rewarding social media ideas, you will learn how to:

  • choose the best social channels for your specific audience
  • use them effectively before, during and after your event

1. Choose the right social media channels

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Before starting to develop specific social media strategies, you should first define your target audience. Which social media networks do they actively use? Also research which online groups they are members of. If Google+, for example, is not so popular with the majority of your prospective attendees, you shouldn’t waste time on it.

Social media channels you can use:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google+
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Decided which social channels you want to use? Good! Now try to stay active on all of those channels. Regularly promote updates before, during and after your event. Also make time to respond to questions and retweet, like and share.

Keep in mind that different social channels are used in different ways. So be sure to adapt your messages to each network. A funny video might not do as well on LinkedIn as it would on Facebook, for example.

2. Create social media event pages

facebook event page

Make event pages on:

  • Facebook: for all kinds of events
  • LinkedIn: especially for an industry event
  • Google+: not the most popular venue, but it has some interesting benefits: automatic email invitations, reminders, and it is linked to Google calendar
  • Event websites: for example a city’s monthly event calendar, or Eventbrite where you can also sell tickets. When it comes to event websites where you can promote your event, there’s only one rule: the more, the better. You want to reach as many people as you can, in as many ways as you can.

3. Create a strong conference hashtag

Hashtag Notification Concept

Events with a customized hashtag get 5 times more social impressions than events without a hashtag.Mashable.com

Having a good event hashtag has lots of advantages. You can use your hashtag to:

  • make people discover your event
  • create buzz
  • easily track conversations about your event: before, during and after

Use your hashtag on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+. You can even mention it in news letters, flyers, etc.

4. Advertise with paid promotions

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With Facebook Ads and/or Google Adwords you can spread the word about your event. These paid promotions will help you target more possible attendees and promote your event.

Can’t choose between Facebook or Google? They both have their advantages. This infographic can help you decide which one is a better option for you.

Bonus tip: If most of your audience is on Twitter or LinkedIn, you can also consider advertising with Promoted Tweets on Twitter or targeted LinkedIn advertisements.

5. Share teaser content about your event

Create and share remarkable content to promote your event. A simple video about your event is the most effective way to do that. This video about the Diesel On Tour Live Event definitely made its attendees look forward to the event.

A pre event conference video obviously isn’t as flashy, but can highlight the event benefits in another way. This video for the Social Media Marketing World 2013 is the perfect example:

Did you know that promoting with videos, photos and music increases event websites views by an average of 221%?– source Mashable.com

6. Give away tickets

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Free tickets? Yes please! Possible attendees won’t mind to post a simple tweet or share a Facebook message, if they can win a ticket. Giving away free tickets is an easy way to generate interest in your event and to create some buzz.

7. Social media wall

social media ideas for events

Bring the online social media feeds to your offline event. You won’t regret it. Displaying a live social wall at your event has plenty of advantages, as you can read in this article about displaying a live Twitter stream at your event.

A Social Media Display will:

  • motivate your attendees to be active on social media
  • boost interaction between attendees
  • engage your audience
  • generate exposure
  • entertain your attendees

8. Host social-based recreational activities

During your event, you can also use social media to organise recreational activities. Entertain and engage your guests with some fun. They will love online games or contests as a welcome break from more serious lectures.

TweetBeam Selfie competition

Whether you organise a selfie contest or a simple sweepstake: don’t ruin your effort by selecting an unwanted prize. Choose a prize that matches your attendees interests. Want to play it safe? A free registration for next year’s event is always a good option.

9. Reward good promotors

reward

If your attendees enjoyed your event, they like to tell their friends about it on social media. If you’re lucky, some will even dedicate a positive blog post to your event.

Be sure to share those posts on the event’s social media channels. You’ll kill two birds with one stone: reward the bloggers by promoting their blog and promote your event at the same time.

10. Collect social media content

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Your attendees won’t only share blog posts, but all kinds of media about your event: videos, photos, Tweets, etc. With a tool like Storify it’s easy to collect this valuable feedback shared on social media.

Share those positive messages through your event’s social media channels, or even embed them in your website. Why? To keep your attendees engaged after the event and to warm them up for your next event.

Get the most out of your event a with good social media strategy

Social media can be quite overwhelming. So many channels to use, so many people to reach, and even more possibilities. Hopefully, these 10 tips can guide you through the social media jungle to get the most out of your event!

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