How to Use Social Media at Your Next Event

Association Marketing, Event Planning Tools

A few months ago, we wrote a post on using social media to increase membership. Specifically, which platform would best serve your association. Check out the details here: what social media platform to use to increase engagement

The Best Social Media for Your Event

Today we’re going to expand on that topic by analyzing the best social platforms to use to promote your next event. Before we choose a platform, it’s important to think about the type of event your hosting and how people will engage with one another. Are you having discussion groups or breakout sessions? Or maybe it’s a lecture series, where participants spend most of their time listening. Consider the dynamics, the space and the type of people attending.

Twitter is a common platform used at many events. It’s a great place to ask questions, share images and participate in a live discussion. However, if your group has never used Twitter or your members aren’t familiar, that’s probably not the most appropriate platform.

Consider Your Audience

David and I attended Associations North Annual Expo and Meeting in April. They had a mobile application where we could interact with other members, access an agenda and even post pictures. Other members also participated on Twitter and LinkedIn. One of my main goals at this conference was to connect with as many association managers as possible. I wanted them to remember me when I later connected with them on LinkedIn, so I posted a photo of David and me by our booth.

social media association event

Image Credit: AMO at Associations North

LinkedIn and Twitter made sense at this event. Everyone knew how to use it and it worked in the context.

But maybe your group frequently posts on Facebook? If your members are using Facebook to interact with each other outside of your website, that may be the place to advertise your event and post pictures during the event.

A Wider Reach

If you want your event to reach more than just your members (generally we do, right?), it’s important to promote your event through multiple channels. Remember the channels you use during your event can be different than the ones you use to promote it. Jay Bear of Convince and Convert gives us this reminder:

“Sure, its a bit of a hassle to oversee all of these event pages [social channels you use], but your attendees swim in different ponds. Plus, every conference has the same MVP attendee: some guy named Google. Why would you pass up a chance to double, triple, quadruple your search engine listings?”

By thinking outside of the box, you may reach more and open the opportunity for membership growth.

Event Teaser

“As the event draws closer, you have to pull potential attendees off of the fence with content hors d’ouerves” (Baer).

Baer’s analogy highlights the importance of drawing people in with event previews. Excite your audience and convert prospects to attendees with a teaser. Make a video that captures last years event or features one of your event speakers. Offer a prize to one of the first 50 registrants. What channel makes the most sense for video sharing? How will you advertise your contest and award the winner?

Choosing the right social media for your event is challenging – it all comes down to the details. How does who your serving and what you’re serving change your choice? To really get the most out of your social media platform, pay attention to the needs of your member base and how their engagement levels affect the success of your promotional campaigns.

Events are huge projects. They take a lot of work and all the details can be overwhelming. Simplify the process by consolidating all your event tools (event set up, online registration, live attendee list, messaging, reports) in an AMS system like AMO. Demo our event tool for yourself by starting a free trial.

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