5 Ways Social Media Can Make Your Event Live On

Deeper customer engagement is becoming uber important to building a successful marketing strategy, so it’s never too late to identify opportunities to integrate social media with our old friend - the event.

Today’s marketers may look with skepticism on what I like to call experiential marketing, but the reality is a successful (and unfortunately, an unsuccessful) event will leave a strong impression on your customers, donors and/or B2B partners alike.

The trouble is getting the most bangs for your buck. After all, events cost money and manpower – two commodities everyone is short on these days. But if you have the resources to pull off a meaningful event, here’s five ways you can use social media to make your message and content live beyond the big day.

1. Generate Customer Created Content. If you have enough lead time, solicit ideas from your online community asking them what they would like to see at your event and who they would like to hear from in your organization. Ask for their comments or post a short survey to capture qualitative info. Share the results back with them and run with a few winning ideas. Be sure to give credit for the feedback online and again at the event.
   
2. Build Programming Content Interest. Plan on featuring a keynote speaker? Work with him/her to create a dynamic pre-event message addressing your target audience. Use video or podcasting to record your message and broadcast via your social networks, or, consider conducting a live interview on Twitter.
   
3. Capture Event Testimonials. There’s nothing like having customers engaged in your brand on camera and in person. Ask the faithful for some perspective on how they engage in your product, service or cause. What makes them a fan? How has your brand helped them? Record. Edit. And Post. Be sure to get their permission in advance.
   
4. Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose Event Content. Have a plan in place to re-edit and post critical content immediately following the event. Focus on content that addresses the primary objectives of your event. This may include audio, video and photos. Be certain to tag that content and link it back to your Web site.
   
5. Don’t Forget About Offline. Take inventory of all related offline marketing efforts – including news coverage, collateral, event footage and photography, advertising and promotions. These are assets which can easily be brought into an online environment to generate pre- and post-event interest.

Finally, thank them. You may have planned for your event for six months, but your audience took three or four hours to engage in your message. Respect that by giving them the courtesy they deserve for their valuable attention.