We have come a long way in the age of communication. The communication channels have evolved from the age of television, newspaper and radio advertising to a dominant and forever evolving digital social media platform. The digital communication channels we all use has a strong influence over our decisions to attend events that are trending in society and business.
We’ve all witnessed how powerful social media can influence people across all platforms globally. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen thousands participate in the Black Lives Matter solidarity march in Auckland. It brought a united front of diversity of believers in the purpose and message. This single event had used social media to get the word out and we can all learn from this event.
One thing we can all agree on is that we live in the digital age. Everything that we want to know, learn and want to watch is all at our fingertips. So utilising the power of social media you can target your audience, creating awareness of your upcoming event that can lead to a successful outcome.
Get to know your audience
Your event is targeted to a specific demographic that makes up your ideal audience. So, a good place to start is to understand your audience and what social media platforms they use. This will help you to reach them gaining exposure to your event content.
It’s not only worthwhile knowing your audience it’s also important to understand the social media platforms your audience use. Each social media platform has slightly different audiences and understanding this will help you with your event strategy.
For example, we know that over 80% of New Zealand’s population uses Facebook and YouTube however, Twitter is a platform that young adults use to post content in the moment because tweets are short lived. LinkedIn is our business professional platform and Pinterest and Instagram are visual content platforms.
But before you leap into getting your event content out there, do a bit of research first.
Let your voice be heard
Getting your event content out there is one thing however you don’t want to sound salesy! By using your brand voice, you don’t sound robotic. Your voice must be genuine, supporting the purpose and messages of the event across several social media platforms.
If you’re planning your next annual event, to help you gain more exposure you can share delegate and speaker testimonials.
If you had done a post event survey from the previous annual event this will be like nuggets of gold! Testimonials are effective and a powerful tool that speaks about your event, so you don’t have to. It creates social proof of the quality and content of your event.
For new and upcoming events, you can introduce your speakers to your audience. You can post up a photo with a write up of the subject they will be speaking on at your event. It will help the audience to engage the relevance of your event content and it could be the determining factor on whether or not they will attend.
So, when preparing your social media content, think about the voice that comes across to your audience.
Visual creativity
Your visual creativity on your chosen social media platforms will also help your event. It can be much more than an image and a write up! Here are just a few ideas:
- You can use a graphic design platform of your choice and create eye-catching images to go with your speaker write ups.
- Create a branded video or go live with your client introducing the event. In our experience videos get a lot of engagement!
- If you’re hosting one of your annual events, you can use photos from your previous events, or you can create a highlight reel.
To gain exposure of your event it’s good to look for opportunities to live stream. You could share your team’s journey behind the scenes leading up to the event and it could also be included in a post event video.
Time to get creative with your branded visual content so your event stands out!
The missing link
The missing link is connecting your social media content with your event. Every piece of content you post needs to drive traffic to either your event website or registration page.
It’s as simple as including a link for viewers to click and to be redirected. Another common thing that you’ll want to use on social media are hashtags. Create an event related hashtag to go with each social media content, come event day you can also encourage your audience to use your event hashtags with their posts to create interest in your next event – people don’t like to see that they’ve missed out.
So, remember your social media content must direct your traffic to your event website or registration page. It works vice versa, your event website should include your linked social media icons.
