Is your company a sponsor for the upcoming User Group Summit 2019 in Orlando? If so, social media expert Jon Rivers has tips for capitalizing on your event marketing strategy with social media.
Social media and event marketing work perfectly together.
When you don’t include social media marketing in your trade show marketing strategy, you are losing a lot of opportunities and handing off the keys to the social kingdom to your competitors. If you are like me, I don’t like to hand off anything on a plate to my competitors.
The next 14 tips will cover ways to use social media before, during, and after Summit so you can connect with prospects, strengthen your relationships with your clients, and attract attendees to your booth.
Pre-Event Buzz
1 – Conference Hashtags. Most conference these days will have a hashtag defined for the event. Look to connect with others who are utilizing the hashtag. Utilize the hashtag within your messages to promote that you will be attending and sponsoring the event. Be an active part of the conversations with regards to the hashtag. Official User Group Summit hashtag is: #UserGroupSummit
2 – Other Hashtags. Look to include other relevant hashtags within your messages to grab people attention. A great resource is a Guide to the Right Microsoft Dynamics #Hashtags to Use For 2019 which gives you the most popular hashtags to use.
3 – Hosting a Special Networking or Party. Look to create a facebook event as this will allow you to generate some noise. Now you have that event create you can share it across not only your Twitter account but all your social channels to create even more buzz.
4 – Videos. Try creating some teaser videos to engage the audience. They don’t always have to be about your products and services. They could be something fun that makes you stand out from the crowd.
5 – Media. Don’t dismiss the media via either Twitter or LinkedIn. Engagement with them and share what they’re sharing. Think about giving them some nuggets that could use to write about you.
6 – Summit Specific Landing Page. This page allows you have one place where you can have all your related event content, videos, special events, etc. Look to have something that your visitors will have to share their contact information with you, maybe an eBook.
During the Event Buzz
7 – Pictures. Take photos of what is happening during the expo floor and especially at your booth. A neat idea would be to take time-lapse pictures of your booth being built and then posting them. Other ideas are taking pictures during your sessions, special guests or anything that will keep you in the limelight the social feeds
8 – Video footage during the event. As we know videos are at the top chain when it comes to engaging people so look to take short clips of winners of contests you may have done or capture what is happening on the expo floor. Videos not allow you to connect with people at the event but also with people who are not attending.
9 – Schedule Content. Having worked booths for many years while as an ISV event like Summit can be very busy. Well, that can be an understatement. Unless you have a considerable time, and a dedicated team to handle it, I would recommend that you look to schedule social posts in advance. It will allow you to not only focus on the event but then also add the adhoc messages as well during the event.
10 – Contests and Giveaways. Utilizing social media marketing as a way to run a contest or giveaway. It allows you to get creative for example have contestants having to take a picture and then include your hashtag and/or Twitter handle within their message as a way to be entered in to the competition. The more visibility you can get and using others to do that isn’t a bad thing.
11 – Video Testimonials. Take advantage of being in the same place as your customers and then look to ask and record via a quick video a testimonial that you can then use social. Make sure you are prepared with questions you would like to ask; this will keep everyone focused, and it will make the process run smoother. For social you need no more than 1-2 minutes of video to post.
After the Event Buzz
12 – Follow up on Social. Now that the conference is over review your booth visitors and also the people who connected with you on social. Reach out and connect to/or follow them on LinkedIn, and make sure you follow them on Twitter. When you are inviting to connect on LinkedIn make sure you customize your messages and not use a default message as that will give you a better chance of them connecting with you.
13 – Blogging. One of my most valuable tricks I learned when I was working as an ISV was to write a recap blog including assets gathered from the event. These blogs were some of the most engaging blogs that were written, and they help drive traffic to our website.
14 – EMAIL!. Can’t stress this one enough and yes I happen to talk to a sponsor from Summit 2018, and they didn’t get around to sending a follow-up email last year. The email gives you an opportunity to re-engage with the booth visitor and share all the appropriate assets. Within in the email make sure to encourage them to follow you on social.
I have tried to share as many tips here to make sure your social media marketing and User Group Summit Event marketing strategy gives you the biggest ROI.
Have I missed tip that you have used within your event social media strategy? If so, I would love to hear what you did.
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