When attending an event, you need to justify your time, money and efforts by maximising your Return on Investment (ROI).
Using social media before, during and after the event maximises every possible gain, from winning new customers, growing your online community, and furthering your position as a thought-leader.
Here’s how you can take advantage of social media during every stage of an event:
Pre-event
Extensive groundwork must be done during the lead up to any event. Here you will want to decipher who will be attending, start learning about them and even connecting with them before the big day.
The majority of companies speaking or exh
ibiting at any event will be detailed on the event’s website well in advance. Social networks are a great place to find people planning to attend.
This could be via the Facebook event page or perhaps by discussing it using event hashtags on Twitter.
Use the time before an event to research and join in with some of the conversations. Meeting and greeting online gives you a greater opportunity to make contacts at the actual event, while joining in conversations helps position yourself as a thought-leader within your sector.
During the Event
Throughout the event, act like a reporter whenever you get a chance. Micro-blogging, i.e. posting updates on social networks, will be appreciated by the people who can’t make it and often get shared.
Meanwhile, the people at the event will be busy engaging with the content you post. Visual media, such as images and videos, are far better at engaging your online audience. Don’t just post about your own role in the event though, be sure to share key quotes and recommend the talks and exhibits you enjoyed the most.
Post-Event
It is important not to forget to nurture your newly made connections after you get back from an event. Connect online with the people you met, continue the conversations you started, and create online content from what you’ve learned. This way, you’ll continue to make connections, grow your online community and even turn some prospects into sales leads.
By using social media throughout the event process, you’ll ensure that you maximise your return on investment – growing your sales funnel while improving your brand image.
Read the Adra Match case study for more about using social media to improve your event impact.
For more advice on streamlining marketing events, be sure to contact us today.