Event Social Media Marketing: How Not to Go Crazy Series
Most fatalistic way to begin social media marketing
Unfortunately - I realized it the hard way.
This was year 1 of the event, we were struggling with a multi - headed hydra monster - mega event marketing. We thought social would be easy. After all, how difficult can LinkedIn posts and Facebook likes can be? And isn't that something that we do all the time? Good thing that we learnt in year 1 -- there is nothing easy about social, except perhaps the name.
Why do I say there is nothing easy? I've got to be kidding - right? No, unless of course it doesn't bother you that your posts have 4 likes, no shares and no engagement. Then, it is okay.
But if you have sponsors to answer to & potential event delegates to reach out to, you can't take social lightly.
So how to build a massively successful social media marketing campaign for a giant event? This is just the strategy -- watch out for the next post on social media tactics!
Source: http://kevy.com/blog/2015/04/social-media-marketing-success-stories
1. First, as always, we begin with the Why. What is your event format? Does your event need social? If it is an invite only, limited attendance event only, would you consider investing time in social media? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. Your event is selective, your audience extremely so. Perhaps you'd rather invest in generating the right event experience, hiring the best event management agency for delivering the sophisticated exclusive ambience that your audience so rightly expects. Unless your event needs it, don't invest in something that you don't believe in. An event is a complex, multi-pronged, multi-function project --and you will be always better off in parking some time & funds for contingencies --instead of initiatives that drain your time. And a half-heartedly managed event page on Facebook can do you a greater disservice than no page at all. So evaluate and choose wisely.
(I am at the risk of upsetting major event marketers! So you are leaving social out? Man, this event is dead already - but then, well the event format should decide the marketing mix, and not otherwise)
2. What? So now, you've decided that the event would need social media marketing. But what objectives are you hoping to achieve through social media? Just because it is (perceived to be) free, doesn't mean that you allocate resources to it? Every marketing activity has an underlying cost. So evaluate your objectives, objectively. What are your objectives? Do you want to achieve ticket sales through social? Do you want to attract potential sponsors through social media? Do you want to build brand awareness through social media? Or do you want to increase visibility and press mentions? Are you thinking of reaching out to influencers? Your objective will now decide the next steps -- that is, your choice of channels.
In case you want to achieve ticket sales, perhaps sponsored messaging on LinkedIn would work for you. In case you want to achieve mass hysteria, maybe Facebook could help with that. Or is it that you are looking to engage with the Top 10 socially savvy influencers? Look no further than Twitter. So your objectives decide your platform, but lets park this step to identifying the objectives.
3. Who? What is the profile of the person attending the event? Is it mid-level marketing managers (boy, then you'd better do social!), or it is entry level tech geeks, or it is multi-level HR professionals? Is it an event for musically savvy teenagers or is it meant for stay-at home parents? Your audience decides the mix, not you.
4. Now that you have through a process of empirical analysis, evaluated whether you need social, type of audience, we move to the next step, that is the choice of the channel. Blanket attack on Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter? Oh yes..Post I can, post I will.
The most disastrous way to start a social media campaign
So your event caters to musically inclined teenagers. Do you think you know what social platforms they frequent? Worst mistake, ever. In case you don't want to spend the rest of your marketing budget advertising on Facebook and later realizing that it was not the right channel to be on, research first.
Read, talk, listen, network, understand what channels they frequent, what platforms are trending? Chances are you might come across some surprises here -- you could stumble on a new platform, realize that you need to change your messaging or even that you need to tweak your communication style.
Or in case your target audience is healthcare professionals in the age group 20-50, you could look at all the channels frequented by them, and then realize you need to micro-segment your social media marketing strategy-- for the 20-30 group, you could use Facebook, for the 35-45, perhaps, LinkedIn would be appropriate. For the influencers perhaps Twitter is the platform to use. So before posting/uploading, spend time on your audience profiling.
5. Messaging
You need to work on multiple but consistent themes of messaging. The underlying soul of the message would remain the same, the delivery would vary.
On how to grow your Twitter followers, read the DigitalMarketingConclave post on this here http://digitalmarketingconclave.blogspot.in/2015/01/how-to-build-your-twitter-followers.html.
Facebook: The most awaited event in tech industry in APAC this year, extends a very warm welcome to our sponsors, @ABC. @ABC is a leading name in PQR and have been recognized as the market leaders in the industry. Hear our sponsors speaking about the partnership -- #Event2015
LinkedIn: Excited to announce our partnership with @ABC for event XYZ -- the most awaited event in tech industry in APAC this year. Hear the CEO of @ABC speaking about the partnership -- #Event2015
You need to work out messaging for each milestone of the event, for each platform. Phew!
Don't worry -- break the entire event into consumable chunks:
Pre-event
Coming Soon!, Teasers, Announcing the event, Unveiling the event format & details (venue, location, date), announcing the partnerships, call for sponsors, announcing the host, announcing the event participation, 1 month-to-go, 1 week to go, 1 day to go announcements.
In-event
Winners, attendees, sponsors, event bytes
Post-event
Thank you, sponsor promotion, media & press coverage
The bulk of the work would be Phase 1, that is pre-event. If the pre-event is rock-solid, then the in-event and post-event would be a breeze. Okay, not a breeze but relatively easy.
Take-away: Divide the entire event into sections, work out messaging section wise, platform wise.
6. Don't think of doing social without engagement.
That is not to say that you run contests blindly. Find out ways to engage your audience. Else they will learn to see your content and mentally tune you out.
Which famous tech czar in APAC is coming to TechSummit 2015 #Event 2015? Guess and win seats to the event!
Which path-breaking product is going to be launched at TechSummit 2015 #Event 2015? Guess and be the first one to win the product!
How many rounds does a contestant have to pass through to win the HPR Quiz? Guess and get a chance to meet with XYZ at the event.
7. Make your photo-library your cannonball.
Visual appeal works. Don't just post supporting photographs -- don't use them as a crutch. Make your photographs the centerpiece of the story. Run a series with visual cues in photographs. Embed text within your photographs. Brand your photographs with your event logo and ensure that they stand out.
PS: This article has no references -- this is predominantly experience driven (and my limited experience at that). Reader comments most welcome -- any one who wishes to take this offline for inputs/helps please do write to blogbox24x7@gmail.com. Cheers and have a nice day!
Hello Admin!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great and informative post indeed on social media marketing, I really appreciate it!
Keep updating stuffs like this.
Manager:
Training n Development