How can social media boost your event?

1 Choose the right platforms

Not all social media platforms are created equal. Depending on your event goals, target audience, and content type, you may want to focus on different platforms. For example, if you want to showcase your event visuals, Instagram and Pinterest are great options. If you want to create a community and encourage interaction, Facebook and Twitter are more suitable. If you want to share educational or professional content, LinkedIn and YouTube are ideal. Do some research and find out where your potential attendees are and what they are looking for.

2 Create a hashtag

A hashtag is a simple way to create a unique identity for your event and make it easy for people to find and join the conversation. You can use your hashtag to promote your event, share updates, collect feedback, and encourage user-generated content. Make sure your hashtag is relevant, catchy, and consistent across all your platforms. You can also use tools like Hashtagify or RiteTag to analyze the popularity and performance of your hashtag.

3 Build anticipation

One of the benefits of social media is that you can build anticipation and excitement for your event before it happens. You can do this by creating a countdown, teasing your speakers, sponsors, or agenda, sharing behind-the-scenes photos or videos, or hosting contests or giveaways. You can also create a landing page or an event page where people can register, get more information, and see who else is attending. This will help you generate leads, increase attendance, and create a sense of urgency.

4 Engage your audience

Social media is not a one-way street. You need to engage your audience and make them feel part of your event. You can do this by asking questions, conducting polls or surveys, sharing testimonials or reviews, or featuring your attendees or speakers. You can also use live streaming, stories, or reels to showcase your event in real time and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). You can also use tools like Slido or Mentimeter to integrate social media into your event and allow your audience to interact with your speakers or moderators.

5 Measure your results

The last step is to measure your results and see how social media helped you boost your event. You can use metrics like impressions, reach, engagement, clicks, conversions, or sentiment to evaluate your social media performance and ROI (return on investment). You can also use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, or Hootsuite to track and analyze your data. This will help you identify what worked well, what didn't, and what you can improve for your next event.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?