Whether you’re going to a big industry expo, specialist conference or attending one of our Forums or Summits, social media can help you get the most out of the event.
So we’ve pulled together five top tips to get you going…
- Get yourself up to date
Whether you’re an attending as a delegate or a supplier, make sure your personal and company social media profiles are up to date.
That’s everything from the logo and description to posting a few things to the account (whether that’s Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn) to make sure it looks active.
Don’t forget, a lot of the people you meet at the event will do some research on you and your company by way of a follow up – you want to ensure they have a great first impression when they stumble across your social media on Google.
If you don’t have a social presence, you really, really, should. It takes no time at all to get the basics set up on Twitter or Facebook and there are plenty of ‘how to’ guides out there if you need some help with brand pages and the like.
- Do some research
So your social media accounts are up to date and ready to go, now you need to find out where the conversation’s going to be happening.
Twitter is will be where you’ll see most activity during a live event, so spend a little time before you get there doing some research – find out what the event Twitter handle is (follow it if you haven’t already) and what the official hashtag will be.
Also, make sure follow a few industry media outlets – this will help you keep track of what’s happening at the event while you’re ensconced in meetings all day.
- Start the pre-event hype
During the lead up to the event let everyone know you’re going – @mention the official account and use the hashtag. Let the world know you’re super-excited, particularly if you’re exhibiting or speaking – tell them what you’re going to being talking about or the products you’re going to be showing off. You can do this across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Also, think about using a company or campaign hashtag if you’re going to be doing special promotions during the event.
If you are promoting specific products or services, create a landing page on your website with data capture, just for the event in question – you can then push people there via social media so they can request more info.
- On the day…
The first thing to do is to check yourself in virtually across your social accounts – you’re in the building and you’re ready for business.
Now, if you have a busy event itinerary you’re not necessary going to have time to live tweet the entire thing. If that’s the case, say it with pictures – busy stand? Take a picture. See a great product on display? Take a picture. Sitting in an interesting conference session? Take a picture. It’s a quick and engaging way of getting your message across.
And if you spot something compelling, post a video.
You can also schedule posts in advance using tools such as Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. This is particularly useful if you’re trying to drive stand traffic or promoting products – and don’t forget to push people back to that website landing page.
Keep an eye on those industry news feeds – retweet or pass comment on any big announcements and get involved in the conversation.
- After the event
This is when you can have some fun. If you have a company blog, write up your experiences of the event. You don’t have to write an essay – 350-500 words would be sufficient – and then push that article out across your Twitter, Facebook and Linked in accounts.
Perhaps the most important post-event task is to follow up on all those delicious new leads and contacts you made – make sure you follow and like their social media accounts, both personal and company.
Finally, it’s worth searching the event hashtag and scrolling back through its timeline to catch up on the show news and, perhaps more importantly, see what your industry peers were up to…
