Social Media Mastery for Event Planners

Social media can make an event the must-attend meeting of the year or keep it from even showing up on an AskJeeves search.  Here are five simple concepts you can use to make your event a social media success.

Solid Technology
Wifi and charging goes without saying, but this simple check will save you plenty of headaches.  Consider flat screens and monitors with event info and video/info feeds to broadcast relevant communication to your participants.  You can stream video now to almost any device.  Look for paid channels to connect this content to those who couldn’t attend.

Enlist the Movers and Shakers
Seek out the big names relevant to your audience that already have mastered social media.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help and give them specific assignments as well as swag to say thanks.  They will keep things creative and help you with street cred.

Social Media Zen
Provide spaces for people to engage and enjoy social media.  Tweetups and facebook groups are always looking for a physical space to meet while at conventions/meetings.  Make them comfortable and easily identifiable.

Pull Them In
Examine your site, and make sure it is formatted for mobile devices.  Get your hashtag out there ahead of the event and start using it at least a month before hand.  Look for ways to entice those who did not register; consider free content and discounts for providing login information.

Easy Buzz
Design all content with social media in mind.  Keep it short, make sure it is easily shared via the major platforms and find ways to keep it fun.  Tweeting and texting lend themselves to contest registrations and updates during the event.  Many events are now setting up video booths and/or photo booths to make it easy to connect experiences to social media platforms.  Give participants simple ways to make others “wish they were here”.