Social media is the best channel to build excitement, increase participation and increase engagement for your virtual event.
You might want to create brand buzz, build a community, or generate revenue through your online meeting. Here are some brilliant ways social media can be used to market your event and help you achieve these goals.
1. Social Media Marketing Influencers
To access new communities and build credibility within those networks, tap into the influencer marketing power. Ask influencers to promote the event in their own words on their preferred platform.
You could also create a co-branded video (an interview, a case study) with them and ask them to promote it to their networks multiple times in an organic (or paid) way. .
Tip: It is crucial to select the right platform and influencer according to your event topic, niche and target audience. Instagram is not for knowledge professionals, and sometimes only a handful of influencers can accomplish the trick.
2. Organic Social Promotions
You can create an event calendar which lists all the types and formats of posts that you will make before, during, and after your event. You can post about marketing your event and speaker updates, sponsorship banners, partnership banners, key statistics about your industry, agenda, highlight video, schedule updates, giveaway contests, and promotional offers.
Create a 360 integrated strategy for social media across all channels. You should have a plan for creating, publishing, promoting, and measuring your organic efforts. These should be scheduled at regular times in your calendar, and you should start well in advance of the big day.
Select your social media platform(s) wisely
You should choose your platform carefully to match your industry, niche, event themes, and target audience. Some platforms are great for stimulating discussion, while others can drive higher engagement than platforms that drive more traffic.
- Instagram If your promotions offer striking visuals, Instagram might be the right fit. Instagram is a visual platform that uses photos, videos, and visually appealing graphics. To increase awareness and recall, send out old photos from events or colorful graphics.
Be aware that Instagram’s traffic and sales are likely to be lower than on other platforms.
- LinkedIn This social media platform is for professional and business networking. This is the best place for corporate news and events. LinkedIn is the best place to focus if you plan an online event for knowledge professionals, who most likely have a technical or business background.
LinkedIn is a great tool to help you reach decision-makers, professionals, and executives.
Pro-tip: Use LinkedIn to share your personal experiences and write long, authentic posts (100-250 words). These posts can bring a lot of value and traffic to your event.
- Twitter Twitter allows for quick, efficient conversations. Twitter is much more active than Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. However, it has a passionate, engaged audience.
It is relatively easy for your content or post to trend on Twitter and get picked up celebrities or influencers which could lead to a lot of real traffic to your event. Try different formats of posts, including tweet chats and tweet storms.
Ask influencers for posts or to retweet about your event. They can also share their experiences at previous events.
- Facebook The largest social media platform in the world. This means that every target customer you have would be on Facebook, if not already active. You can also target specific audiences with paid ads. You can post comments, event messages, engage page followers, or create an event page.
- Snapchat – Snapchat are the best platforms to reach teenagers and young adults. It has a large user base that is engaged and substantial. It also requires a steady stream of high-quality content.
If your virtual event is intended to appeal to a younger audience and if you have the ability to produce lots of short-lived content, Snapchat is the best choice. Use Snapchat’s Geo-Filter feature on Snapchat to promote your event and reach new customers who may not have been part of previous promotions or events.
3. Paid social advertisements
To target your audience, create paid ads on different channels. Your ROI value per click and per participant sign-up will be determined. You can choose from a variety of payment options, such as click-per-impression, click-per-conversion or pay-per-impression. Always test your campaign. Make at least three ads per campaign, and then analyze the data using the correct metrics to determine which one is performing best. If you aren’t confident in running ads, consider hiring a PPC advertisement company.
4. Hashtags
Posts that use hashtags get twice the engagement as posts without them. You can track the buzz generated around your event easily by tracking how often the hashtag was used.
You should create hashtags that include your brand name, event name, primary USP (or topic/theme), and target audience. This combination will ensure that your posts are picked up by people who are interested in your topic and your target user audience.
These hashtags can be used to create awareness and stimulate discussion. You can also hold small competitions to increase recall. Use hashtags in all media campaigns, including emails, print materials, and billboard advertising.
5. Get excited
Use icons and symbols that are specific to your cause to make it easy for customers to find you on other sites. These icons are located at the bottom of the page. Use them boldly in your emails and newsletters. Your logos and graphics can be viewed repeatedly to elicit curiosity and build excitement. You can achieve more with a small group of dedicated, active advocates than you might think!
6. Make use of LinkedIn Groups and Facebook
You can find communities on Facebook and LinkedIn that may be interested in your event. You can establish yourself as an industry leader by engaging with them. These groups should not be used to market your event. Instead, show them how they can benefit from the event. Ask for feedback and genuine participation to ensure that the community is part of your success.
7. Profile check
To refresh your about section, and add links to other sites, go to your Facebook profile page and click’fill‘. Recheck your profile and make any necessary changes. Make sure to renew hashtags and filter your content so that it is ready for the event. No matter what event it may be, it is important to keep your profile and page current with market trends.
8. Personalize
People want to feel a connection to things they are interested in. Engage them by telling stories about different aspects of your brand. Your posts should include a ” About Us” section for new viewers. Even better, create content that resonates with their emotional makeup. Be inspired by them and go viral.
Conclusion
Social media is a vital marketing tool. It allows community managers to engage directly with the audience, build a community, sell more tickets, optimize ROI, and increase ticket sales. Make your brand event the talk in town with a social media strategy.