4 Social Media DOs and DON’Ts for Event Promotion

According to Forrester Research, events constitute 24% of B2B marketing budgets.

An event is essentially its own short-term business. It needs a venue, sponsors, partners, vendors, and most importantly—organizers. How does the host of an event get the word out to potential prospects and attendees?

Event marketers need a promotion plan that encourages early interest and maintains momentum until the last ticket or registration is sold. A solid social media strategy can even help garner interest for future events. Keep the following social media DOs and DON’Ts in mind for your B2B event.

DO: Spread the word through social media

Develop compelling social media copy for posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other channels to entice your target audience. Include images from previous events, or post live video or images from your action-packed venue. Consider interviews with a prominent keynote speaker or even on-site discussions with influencers.

Another option? Paid social media helps target specific audiences for your event rather than a general audience. Expand awareness of your brand while focusing on those who are more likely to invest in your product or service.

DO: Garner interest through your speakers and influencers

Speakers can include a photo of themselves mentioning the presentation topic and why it’s of interest to the audience. They can send it to their professional LinkedIn network, Facebook, Twitter, and other channels. In addition, developing postcards or flyers as handouts and using them within social media posts is a more visually appealing way to gain interest.

Review your RSVP list and social media outlets for prominent industry influencers, or those whose audiences align with your target attendees.

DO: Develop a strategy for pre-, mid-, and post-show tactics

A great tactic could include video interviews with attendees, organizers, vendors, or speakers before, during, or after the event. Use this footage to obtain sponsors or partnerships for future tradeshows or conferences.

According to a 2018 Eventbrite survey, when asked about their social media tactics, 96% of respondents who used contests said they were effective tools. Nearly half of those said they were “very effective” or “extremely effective.” You can give away free tickets, VIP upgrades, or sponsors’ products to incentivize engagement at little or no cost.

DO: Create a strong, easily identifiable social media hashtag

This is an ideal way to foster dialog and track conversations; however, research to see if there are any other similar-sounding names. Evaluate the hashtag among a beta group to ensure it is memorable and makes sense for the event. Include it on all promotional materials, social media posts, and presentations, and mention it on podcasts and videos.

Hashtags enable organizers and participants to answer queries, make announcements, promote the agenda, gather feedback, and monitor reactions. This can also enhance and support content, especially if the audience crowdsources perks like finding links, adding fresh viewpoints, confirming or adding statistics, or sharing case studies.

DON’T: Exclude your best stakeholders—your employees

Have them generate interest through their own social networks or write social posts for the event.

DON’T: Forget about your particular niche audience

Focus on paid media and target industry-specific groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. You can target by age, gender, and geography, and focus on people who already follow you. Use the social apps best suited to your audience.

DON’T: Forget post-event marketing

The work is not over after the event ends. A properly planned post-event strategy ensures better branding, increases opportunities, develops partnerships—and of course, improves sales. Follow up with sales leads, preferably within 3-4 days after the event, so there is a better chance they remember you.

Contests, promotions, or event surveys are great ways to generate leads. Contact these leads post-event through social media, emails, or phone calls, and consider sending or attaching an asset like a white paper, case study, infographic, webinar link, or ebook.

Interviews with keynote speakers, employees, subject matter experts, vendors, influencers, and attendees add fun and flavor to the post-event strategy. Post on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or your website to help generate traffic and interest for future events.

DON’T: Isolate the event from your brand

You spent time defining the objectives of the event, working out the venue details and theme, finding sponsors, building the registration process, and attracting attendees—not to mention the hands-on and social media efforts undertaken at the conference. Don’t let your hard work go to waste by leaving your brand out. The event is essentially an extension of your brand. Why did you host the event? Do you feel you met your goals for success?

Putting on an event is hard work and—between pre-planning, the chaotic period during the event, and the post-strategy—it can feel overwhelming. Let your employees, influencers, sponsors, and partners share in the promotion strategy with the help of social media. After all, social media is the new “word-of-mouth,” so you should enhance your event marketing by relying on as many of its channels as possible.

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Ryan Gould

Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services

Elevation Marketing

An expert search, social and content marketer, Ryan leads Elevation Marketing’s digital strategy department, helping brands achieve their business goals, such as improving sales and market share, by developing integrated marketing strategies distinguished by research, storytelling, engagement, and conversion. With a proven track record of energizing brands, engaging audiences, and managing multidiscipline marketing teams, Ryan is a respected expert in achieving consistent results through creative design, thought-provoking narratives, and innovative problem solving.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rygould/

Twitter: @ryanscottgould