Your social media marketing doesn’t stop once your tickets are sold out — some of the most exciting conversations are happening during your event!
Whether you’re planning a weekend music festival or a professional conference, engaging with your attendees on the day of the event will help you establish a presence and build long-lasting relationships within your social community.
For your next event, take advantage of these social media sharing tips that will put you at the center of the conversation.
Create a memorable hashtag. Want to have an easy way to see what people are saying about your event? Develop a hashtag for your event and share it with your audience in advance on Twitter or Instagram. Then, you can encourage guests to use the hashtag to share photos and videos from the event in real time. With all the excitement being broadcast by you and your attendees, you might even attract the attention of folks who didn’t attend the event (and may think about attending next year).
Listen to what your attendees are saying. Use a social media monitoring platform (such as HootSuite) to keep an eye on customer comments during the event. You should quickly respond to any questions, concerns or comments your attendees have. Don’t be afraid to be diligent and respond personally to any incoming feedback; your customers will appreciate the sincerity.
Offer incentives. Everyone loves free stuff, especially social media addicts. Give your event attendees the chance to win free merch or tickets when they interact with you on Twitter or Facebook.
Initiate the conversation. Ask your social media audience questions about your event to stimulate social activity and build some extra hype around your event. Try relevant, specific, leading questions such as “What song are you most excited to hear at tonight’s show?” or “Which speaker are you looking forward to seeing at today’s conference?”
Share what’s happening behind the scenes. Give your fans an extra reason to follow you by sharing exclusive content on your social media channels. Post photos of the event setup, your special guests or anything else that gives your attendees a closer look at the event.