Marketing Your Events with Social Media
October 12, 2011 Prepared by Carter Hostelley
Leverage Social Media for Your Event
Leverage the power of social media to create buzz and
Engage your customers and prospects to attend, and get
them sharing your event information and ideas with their
social networks.
Keep the conversation going with, and between, attendees
and their social networks after your event is over.
Remember, your target audiences has lots of event
Listen
Social Media Planning Stages
Build AWARENESS
1. Pre-Event PROMOTION
2. During Event ENGAGEMENT
3. Post Event CONVERSATION
Generate ACTIVITY
Develop ADVOCACY
Listen & Engage
Keep Conversation Going
Use social media to make your customers
and prospects aware of the event
Get attendees participating during the event via social media
Generate positive social media conversations
after the event
Social Media Process
Your Event Content Types
Social Tools & Platforms
Target Attendees
Blog Posts Tweets
Status Updates
Videos News Releases
Comments
Announcements
Polls & Surveys
Contests
Games
Offers White papers Presentations
Advertising
Generate Awareness & Buzz
Create Engagement & Advocacy
Key Messaging
Customers
Prospects
Partners
Influencers
Set up Web and social media alerts to find out
what people are saying about your brand,
product, or service.
Discover which news sites, social networks, blogs,
groups or forums are generating conversations.
Monitor brand conversations pre, during, and post
How to Get Started?
1. Determine your social media goals for the event
2. Understand the social profile of your target attendees
3. Develop your social media plan
4.and mobilize your target attendees
5. Track and measure progress along the way
1. Determine Your Social Media Goals
Create awareness and buzz with your customers,
prospects, partners, and other target attendees?
Drive engagement during the event?
Build relationships and advocacy post event?
All of the Above!
Reach Audience
Engage Attendees
Build Relationship
What are they saying online
about your brand or product?
What social networks do they
belong to? (e.g., Facebook)
Do they read, share, and/or create social content?
(e.g., blogs, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn)
How active are they on the Social Web?
3. Develop Your Social Media Plan Prepare your overall event description including key benefits, target audience, graphics, etc.
Determine your social media success metrics:
- Social media traffic coming to event registration page (pre event)
- Social media event mentions and shares (pre, during, and post event)
- Social media views/downloads of event content (post event)
- Increase in followers, fans, connections, etc. (pre, during, post event)
- Sales or leads generated from social media (post event)
Plan event timeline - start social media efforts at least 30-days before small events (e.g., Webinar) and 180 days before large events (e.g., conference)
Socially-
Enable social media tracking (Web analytics) on registration pages.
Pick social media tools to use pre, during, and post event.
4. Pre-Event Promotion Social Tools To do List Description
Monitor Social Web for brand and product related keyword mentions.
How to Use Set up email alerts for brand and product keywords ; hear what people are saying
Add your event to LinkedIn and create event page on Facebook.
Invite LinkedIn connections and Facebook fans to register for your event. Event pages should include event graphic, description, and registration link.
Set up dedicated Twitter keyword phrase (Hashtag) for your event.
Reference hashtag in email invites, tweets, blog posts, etc. when promoting event.
Tools
Set-‐up Social Monitoring
Create Hashtag for Twitter
Add Social Event Pages
Create Social Profiles
For large events, set up Twitter profile and Facebook page.
Build audience for event Twitter and Facebook profiles. Leverage as channels to promote and engage target attendees.
For large events, create blog for event.
Blog about upcoming event speakers, topics, happenings, sponsors, etc. Create Blog for
Conference
Do Conference Videos
For large events, create event related video and post on YouTube.
Post YouTube video about your event highlighting topic, target attendees, benefits, etc. Share using social tools.
To do List Description How to Use Tools Promote your event using online news release services.
Issue news release announcing event, benefits, target audience, date, location, etc.
Issue News Releases
Promote on Twitter
Tweet daily and increase frequency as event date approaches.
Use Twitter to promote event, speakers, topics, attendees, benefits, etc.
Promote on LinkedIn
Promote event to LinkedIn social network. Send personal invites to your
connections.
Promote on Facebook
Post daily about event on Facebook pages.
Leverage Facebook to promote the event. Besides event pages, also do frequent newsfeed updates about your event.
Launch Social Contest
For large events, consider launching social contest.
Create social contest or sweepstakes that targets attendees in fun and interesting ways. Promote on social networks.
Find groups and forums where target attendees participate, and talk about your event.
Participate in discussions on relevant LinkedIn groups and mention upcoming event.
Promote on Groups and Forums
Pre-Event Promotion Social Tools
To do List Description How to Use Tools
Comment about event on related blogs.
Find relevant blogs and comment on posts about your upcoming event. Promote on
Other Blogs
Advertise on Social Network
For large events, consider advertising on social networks.
Buy advertising on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to reach target attendees.
Get Partners to Promote Event
sk speakers, partners, vendors, sponsors, key attendees to promote.
Any and all tools
Make sure they know Twitter hashtag, event social pages, registration link, etc. and prompt them to promote often.
Pre-Event Promotion Social Tools
Pre-Event Promotion Examples Webinar Event Pages
Event Tweets
Event Updates
Inviting everyone to our upcoming tech Webinar #techwebinar
During Event Engagement Social Tools To do List Description
Monitor Social Web for event hashtag and related mentions.
How to Use Monitor Social Web for what people are saying during event; and respond to questions and comments in real-‐time.
with key attendees.
Let social network know that have joined event and monitor network updates and engage. Connect to key attendees.
Tools
Monitor Social Web
Engage on LinkedIn
Engage on Facebook
Engage on Twitter
Tweet out frequently during event. Encourage attendees to tweet.
Tweet out highlights, key questions, updates, etc. Respond to attendee tweets in real-‐time.
Post event updates to Facebook newsfeed.
Post highlights, key questions, updates, polls, photos, etc. to Facebook newsfeed and pages.
Upload Videos
For large events, upload event-‐related videos to YouTube.
Post YouTube event videos: sessions, interviews, updates, etc. Share using social tools.
For large events, do blogging during event.
Blog about presentations, speakers, attendees, updates, happenings, sponsors, etc.
Blog about Event
To do List Description How to Use Tools
Upload Presentations
For large events, upload presentations and post on social sites.
Post presentations and related documents.
Launch On-‐Site Contest
For large events, consider launching Location-‐based contest.
Generate attendee engagement with check-‐ins related contests and sweepstakes.
Upload Photos
For large events, upload event photos and post on social sites.
Post event photos: sessions, interviews, updates, etc. Share using social tools.
During Event Engagement Social Tools
Post Frequent Updates During Event Post event updates, videos, and pictures to the Facebook and YouTube.
Tweet tips, key points, questions asked, highlights during event.
Blog about event news and happenings.
Monitor and respond to comments and questions.
Post Event Conversation Social Tools To do List Description
Monitor Social Web for event hashtag and related mentions.
How to Use Monitor Social Web for what people are saying post-‐event; and respond to questions and comments in real-‐time.
Connect to speakers and attendees
Connect to speakers and key attendees; respond to LinkedIn updates about your event.
Tools
Monitor Social Web
Connect on LinkedIn
Update on Facebook
Engage on Twitter
Post-‐event tweets. Tweet out event highlights, attendee and
tweets, etc.
Post event update to Facebook newsfeed.
Post highlights, key findings, questions, updates, presentation, survey results, etc.
Survey Attendees
Send out event survey to attendees.
Share summary survey findings with attendees. Share using social tools.
Share Event Document
Post presentation so others can view and share.
Share presentation on document sharing sites.
Wrap-‐Up Blog Post
Write blog about what the event.
Do wrap-‐up blog post referencing key findings, questions, attendance, etc.
Keep the Conversation Going After Event Survey attendees about event and share results.
Socialize all your content presentations, interviews, speaker notes, whitepapers, etc.
Link in to key attendees and prospects.
Thank attendees that tweeted about event.
Leverage conversations to promote next event.
How likely are you to recommend our event to a colleague?
Social Media Plan Summary
Pre-Event PROMOTION
During Event ENGAGEMENT
Post Event CONVERSATION
Create Facebook and LinkedIn event pages
Get Twitter hashtag and use it
Do event video
Do live Tweeting and blogging during event
Create event blog
Update Facebook often
Set up Twitter and Facebook pages
Listen
Listen & Engage
Keep Conversation Going
Advertise on relevant social networks
Monitor and respond to social comments
Post and share event-related content
Talk about event on related groups and forums
Survey attendees and share findings
Tweet out thank you, key questions, comments, presentation, etc.
Do wrap-up blog post on event
Start promoting your next event!
Issue event news release
Comment about event on related blogs
Update and expand social network on LinkedIn
Launch social contest
Post and share event photos and presentations
Do event videos
Talk about event on related groups and forums
Comment about event on related blogs
Launch on-site social contest
Engage and expand social network on LinkedIn
Comment about event on related blogs
5. Track and Measure Your Progress Categories Key Questions Examples
Social Audience Did the event help your total audience for your social media properties grow?
Twitter Followers, LinkedIn connections, YouTube and Blog subscribers
Social Views How often was your event-related content viewed via social media?
Number of Facebook views, LinkedIn views, YouTube views, blog views
Social Engagement How often did your event attendees engage with you and each other via social media?
Facebook wall posts, blog comments, brand mentions
Social Advocacy How often was your event content being shared and recommended?
Facebook likes, Twitter retweets, positive reviews
Social Referrals How many registrations, visits, clicks, and leads were generated from your social media efforts?
Website visits, newsletter signups, referrals, product sales
Social Media Tools for Events Tools Description
Monitors Web for brand and keyword mentions.
How to Use Are you listening? Set up email alerts for keywords related to your brand or product to hear what people are saying.
Stage Pre-‐Event
Social networking platform for business professionals.
Create event page and post related comments to LinkedIn Groups. Advertise event to target business professionals. Link in to key attendees.
Pre-‐Event
Social networking and microblogging platform for everyone.
Build and engage relevant target attendee audience. Build event awareness and engagement with frequent tweeting.
Pre-‐Event During Event
Social networking platform for friends and
brands.
Create Facebook event page to promote to Facebook audience. Use newsfeed of brand page for event updates. Leverage for event related contests, polls, surveys.
Most popular blogging platform.
Blog pre, during, and post event to generate awareness, comments, and conversations.
Pre-‐Event During Event
Video-‐sharing platform and 2nd largest search-‐engine on the Web.
Leverage (prior event )videos to generate interest in new event. Post videos of speakers and attendees during and after event.
During Event Post Event
Pre-‐Event During Event
Post Event
Post Event
Post Event
During Event Post Event
Pre-‐Event During Event Post Event
Social Media Tools for Events Tools Description
Location-‐based social network application for mobile devices.
How to Use
-‐social activities like contests.
Stage
Online presentation and document management and sharing application.
Post and share event related presentations and documents.
During Event
Online photo management and sharing application.
Post and share event photos.
During Event
During Event Post Event
Post Event
Web-‐based survey application.
Survey attendees about event and share results.
Post Event
Online news release service.
Issue online press release about event to generate buzz and awareness.
Pre-‐Event
Monitors Social Web and blogs for brand mentions. Sends email alerts.
Monitor what people are saying about your brand, product, event on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Pre-‐Event During Event Post Event
Free Social Monitoring & Tracking Tools Tools Description
www.google.com/alerts
URL
www.socialmention.com
www.klout.com
www.bitly.com
www.facebook.com/insights
Monitors Web for brand and keyword mentions. Sends email alerts.
Monitors Social Web and blogs for brand mentions. Sends email alerts.
Track interactions with fans and content within Facebook. Must be page admin to view. Insights
Measures an individuals social influence. Want high Klout score folks recommending brand.
Measures
Social Engagement Social Advocacy
Social Engagement Social Advocacy
Social Views Social Engagement Social Advocacy
Social Advocacy
Link shortening tool that makes it easy to track and analyze clicks and referral sources. Social Referrals
Monitors Twitter for brand and keyword mentions. Sends email alerts.
Social Engagement Social Advocacy
www.tweetbeep.com
Website and blog analytics that tracks unique visits; and inbound clicks from social referrals. www.google.com/analytics
Social Audience Social Views Social Referrals
Insights Website and blog analytics that tracks unique visits; and inbound clicks from social referrals.
www.youtube.com/t/advertising_insight
Social Audience Social Views
Just Remember Before You Get Started Start social media efforts early. At least 30-days before small
events (e.g., webinar) and 6-months before large events
(e.g., conference).
Social media is not an advertising campaign. It takes time to
on all your marketing materials (e.g., direct mail and email
marketing).
Enable social sharing on registration thank you page so
attendees can tell their network they registered for the event!
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