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12 Helpful Tips for Effectively Using Social Media at Events
From industry conferences to professional summits to intimate roundtables, most of us marketers have attended at least one real-world event to learn, be inspired, represent our brands, and network with one another.
And after attending the 2016 MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Forum last fall, I can tell you one thing’s for sure: The face-to-face time you get with industry thought leaders, peers, customers, and prospects at these real-life events is simply priceless. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about your digital tools—especially social media—to make the absolute most out of your attendance.
With that said, as TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden, and team members Ashley Zeckman and Josh Nite, prepare to head off to Social Media Marketing World in sunny San Diego, CA this week—what better time to highlight some tips on effectively utilizing social media to engage, connect, and build personal and brand awareness at an event?
Below we offer some easy tips and suggestions on social media actions you can take before, during and after your event.
Before the Event
#1- Find event-related hashtags.
These days, most conferences and events will feature at least one speciality hashtag that represents the event. Knowing these will be super important to connect your social media activities to the event, as well as keep track of what’s happening before, during and after.
Start your research on the event’s website, or main landing or registration page. You’ll likely find the hashtags there. You can also take a peek on social channels to see what they’re using to promote the event.
Once you’ve found your hashtags, set up a new stream or feed within your preferred social media monitoring tool (e.g. Hootsuite) to easily track how that hashtag is being used, as well as make it easy for you to engage with others or share that tagged content. If you’re using Twitter, add the hashtag to a saved search to make it easy to find on your mobile device.
#2 – Connect with speakers, presenters and other attendees.
One of the greatest perks of in-person events is the time you get to spend talking and connecting with experts and your fellow industry peers. But you shouldn’t wait until you walk through the conference doors to make those connections.
Use the event’s agenda to find social media info for all the keynotes and presenters you’ll be listening to while there, and follow them. This will allow you to keep up on what they’re talking about and sharing on social, as well as give you the opportunity to start interacting with them.
In addition, since you’ve already done your hashtag research, peruse what others are saying about the event to find other …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog
