Social media can be one of the most powerful marketing tools when marketing your event, as it can help you reach your target audience as well as be introduced to new audiences.

Here’s our tips on using social media before, during and after your expo to elevate your event.

Why use social media for marketing?

Social media marketing allows you to reach a large number of new and existing customers and could be key to your event marketing being a success. Using social media can boost awareness of your event, especially if you use mutiple platforms which identify well with your target audience.

What are the benefits of using social media marketing?

  • Improves brand awareness
  • Engages directly with customers
  • Improves brand loyalty
  • Builds customer satisfaction
  • Increases brand authority
  • Enhances SEO rankings

How to use social media for your event?

You can make the most of social media marketing throughout the cycle of your event. 

Pre-Event

Pick your platform

Focus on two or three platforms which are best suited for your event goals as well as for your attendees, as you want to pick social media platforms they will actively use. Some great platforms for marketing events are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Paid ads budget

Once you’ve selected the platforms you are going to utilise, it is also worth considering paid ads for those platforms. Think about how much budget you can allocate to paid adverts as they often do not come cheap but can make a powerful difference to your event’s social media campaigns.

Build awareness

Work on building your online presence, to not to reach a wider audience, but to build trust. People spend a lot of time on social media, if people online see your event being held by an account with minimal followers and interactions, they may think your event is not legitimate. Try to post regularly and proactively invite people to your page to help build your followers.

Create an event hashtag

One of the best ways to keep people up to date with your event is to create a unique event hashtag, this can also be used on the day of your event to encourage attendees to post about your events. Also remember to use relevant hashtags in your social media posts to increase impressions and drive engagement.

Encourage your team to get involved

Encourage your fellow event organisers or employees to interact with the event posts. Ask them to like, comment and share, as well as writing their own posts which you can share on the event’s social media accounts.

During the event

Showcase live content

On the day of your event, find the balance between scheduled posts and live content from the event. Focus your live content on photos and stories, showing your followers what is happening at the event. Also repost and share social media posts you are tagged in to engage with attendees and show off all aspects of your event.

Post Event

Post event recap

Once your event is over, it is beneficial to post a recap of your event and showcase the highlights. Post photos from the event, and even create a video case study which can build anticipation and awareness for any upcoming events.

After event engagement

Use your social media to encourage attendees to fill out post-event surveys and feedback forms. This not only gets followers to engage back with your social media platforms but also gives you a valuable opportunity to collect feedback which you can use to enhance future events.

 

Final Thoughts

Social media marketing can be adaptable with the size of your event, so no matter how big or small your event you can effectively use social media to reach your audience and build awareness. Be consistent, engaging and interactive to make the most out of social media marketing and maximising your reach.

For more event planning tips and insights into event software, visit ExpoBeacon.