In today’s day and age, almost everyone uses social media. A common consumer has social media accounts on at least 8-9 social media platforms. Social media is a dynamic digital channel that gives brands amazing opportunities to get closer to their target audience.
If you are an event organizer, you must be looking for various opportunities to capture the attention of your target audience, offer them a unique event experience and give them memories they keep on recalling.
Social media has made it all easier. Want to know how? Here are 15 ways for you, and the best part of these ideas is you can also use it for your next social virtual events.
Before The Event
1. Event Countdowns
Social media platforms like Instagram offer the event countdown feature in their stories. You can put it on your Instagram stories before your event. Your event attendees can then save the countdown, and they will get notified once the countdown is over. It is a great way to generate curiosity among your potential attendees and keep the attendees posted.
2. Create Event Page
Social media platforms like Facebook offer brands to create a page for their events. They can offer all the details related to their event, the timings, the date, the speakers, guests, and above all, ticket buying options. Not just that, the users get the option of the choice of whether they will be attending the event or not. Whatever they choose, the event’s page automatically gets shared on their friends’ news feed, helping you reach a larger audience.
3. Hashtag Campaigning
Hashtag campaigning is a great strategy to reach a larger audience and create awareness around your event. All you need is to choose a unique and relatable hashtag that your audience feels encouraged to use. Use the hashtag frequently on all your social media posts and encourage your speakers, attending audience, and others to use it too.
4. Behind The Scenes
Show the work in progress of your event. Tell your audience what all efforts you are putting in to make sure that they have a remarkable event experience. The sneak peeks will create excitement among your attending audience.
5. Event Teasers
Show your event teasers to entice your audience and collaborate with influencers to share them, so that you can capture the attention of your target audience and increase your event’s footfall.
During The Event
6. Display A Social Wall
Collect all the content created around your event on social media and display it on the social wall at your event to engage the attendees. You can also create a hashtag wall and encourage the attendees to use it whenever they post related to the event. The best part is that each time they post, it will automatically appear on the social wall, creating major engagement opportunities.
7. Attendee Interviews
Take the interviews of your attendees and post them on your social media accounts. It can be them sharing their experience of attending your event. You will have some unique content to post on your social media and gather more user attention.
8. Live Polling
Polling is a great strategy to engage your event attendees. You can create polls on platforms like Instagram or Twitter, display them on the social wall or any other digital screen. Your event attendees will visit your social media accounts to answer the poll, increasing your profile traffic rate. It will also keep the audience on their toes as they will keep waiting for the results.
9. Live Social Media Updates
Keep giving live updates to your online audience about your event. Keep posting pictures, videos, and other social media content. Don’t forget to tag your attendees who feature in the posts so that they repost and create more awareness for your event.
10. Go Live
Turn your event into a hybrid event by going live and allowing your online audience to attend some of your sessions. It is a great strategy to give a sneak peek of your event and generate excitement among the users who have missed the event so that they don’t miss out on your forthcoming events.
After The Event
11. Repost Attendee-Generated Content
Use a social media aggregator to collect all the attendee-generated content with your event hashtag and handle and repost it on your social media handles. It is a great way to gather some unique content as each attendee has a unique way to capture your event.
12. Add Social Wall To Website
A social media wall is a responsive tool that is compatible with multiple digital touchpoints. Add the social wall to your event website. It is a great strategy to make your website look appealing and generate interest among potential attendees for future events.
13. Send A Follow-up Message
Collect the social media handles of all your event attendees and send them a follow-up message. You can communicate with them about their experience at your event.
14. Create Event Highlights
Instagram has a highlight feature that allows you to create a highlight for all the stories you have captured throughout the event so that any of your Instagram profile visitors and relive the event.
15. Post-event Surveys
This step is almost like sending a follow-up email but in a much better way. Frame a questionnaire to survey the experience of your event attendees. Make sure the questions are quick and objective. You can use this survey to make improvements in future events.
Let’s Call It A Wrap!
Alas, we reach the end! Social media is diverse, and there are so many ways to use it in order to reach your audience. With social media marketing, you get an abundance of possibilities. We just shared with you the 15 ways to use social media to improve all aspects of your next event.
So what are you waiting for? We just gave you an entire handbook for your next event. Go on, implement and enjoy all the benefits it brings!
