How to Promote an Event on SocialMedia like a S.T.A.R.Marketing an event through Social Media requires having a good plan in place and thenexecuting it with precision. By using the S.T.A.R approach which stands for Situation- Task-Action- Result for a recent event, the team from Social Media Business Boosters WA ensuredthat visitors were lining up at the gate. This is how we did it…

Situation - Organisers of the WA Indian Festival, the Jain Community of Western Australia,planned for an extravaganza of food, fashion, dancing and culture in and around Perth. Thefestival aimed to engage the community, promote small businesses and increase business tobusiness networking.The organising committee worked tirelessly with a focus on attracting a big crowd, exhibitorsand sponsors to the festival.

Task – Social Media Business Boosters were given the job of developing and implementing amarketing strategy aimed at promoting the festival. The key objectives were to:1. target additional exhibitors2. build excitement around the event3. create awareness of the festival4. attract visitors on the day

Action –The social media campaign commenced only 4 weeks prior to the WA Indian Festival. Itis a good idea to allow more time for a big event, planning should start up to 6 months before. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn were used to reach, engage and create a buzz about the eventin the following ways.1. Interact with organisers, stall holders, sponsors and media to promote sharing 2. Find out more about key participants to share products, services and entertainment3. Highlight special guests and presenters4. Create interest in the Indian Culture by sharing news5. Engage with followers, responding to questions and comments promptly6. Create a hashtag and integrate platforms - ours was #WAIndyFest7. Create Facebook advertising campaigns and invite stall holders to participate8. Hold Facebook competitions around the theme of the event ie. Bollywood Movies9. Mention key influencers on twitter, follow and retweet 10. Keep the energy flowing during and after the event

Results Through planning and precision posting, tweeting and commenting – Social Media BusinessBoosters reached more than 25,000 people that resulted in a buzzing crowd of over 4,000visitors and over 70 smiling exhibitors.This was above the expectations of the organisers, who were extremely pleased with theoutcome. Social Media activity during and after the event was monitored closely andfeedback provided to the Jain Community to assist with creating the next WA Indian Festival.