I went to a new Extension Faculty training earlier this week and heard tidbits of ideas for programs and events that they want to take back to their county residents. They all seemed so passionate about their specializations and the impact they can make on their communities. So naturally, to kill their morale, I came in with the question, "How will you get people to show up?"
Aaaaaand crickets.
They just didn't know. So I came up with a quick list of how they could promote their programs and events using social media. Here's the list I shared with them:
1. Create a Facebook Event - You can share posts, upload photos, invite guests and edit event details. Select the people you want to invite for that event and ask them to share it on their pages. Add a cover photo to make the Event page look more colorful and visually appealing. And finally, pin the event to the top of your Facebook Page!
2. Choose a Hashtag - Do your research to make sure it isn’t used for anything else with hashtags.org. *Keep it simple and consistent* and use across your social networks - refer to it on printed materials!
Use related hashtags for market/industry, but don’t use too many hashtags each post.
3. Go Visual - Generate buzz by hinting at the headline act with a video, featuring the keynote or demonstrating a new product (people love Vine and Instagram videos!). Create event-specific Pinterest boards that tell exciting, visual stories about past events and what attendees can look forward to seeing at the next one.
4. Hold a Contest - Contests help boost exposure and get the buzz going, as well as establishes the event hashtag for everyone to follow. You can promote the campaign to your newsletter/email list and create a sense of urgency with the announcement of the tickets going on sale (or prices going up). You can post it on your social feeds, or cover it in your blog. If you have some influencers and champions (read: colleagues and sponsors) helping you promote the event through their social channels, offer them a giveaway or have them promote your giveaway.
5. Offer a Sneak Peek - I love sneak peeks! Give potential attendees real-time access to keynote speakers, panelists and other experts who will be at the event. If you have resources to spare, host a Google hangout or a Twitter chat (or a whole series of them) to give attendees an idea of who will be at the event and what they’ll learn!
6. Do a Countdown - This isn’t a simple ‘Five days until the event’ status on Facebook. You HAVE to make it visual and graphically appealing. But don’t overdo it – start a couple weeks out, then every few days, then every other day until five days out and then every day. Why? It gets massive involvement and keeps the event at the front of people’s minds without spamming them with the same event details!
7. Encourage Check-ins - Tell people to share your event on their social networks by “checking in” (Facebook, Foursquare).
8. Thank people Socially - Thank sponsors, people on your networks and email lists for attending. This adds an intangible touch that adds to their overall experience!
The biggest takeaway here is that there will never be a "One Size Fits All" for marketing events/programs on social media. These suggestions may not be applicable to your event due to size, timing, platforms you're using, etc. But! You can still be a rockstar... you just have to be strategic about it!
Aaaaaand crickets.
They just didn't know. So I came up with a quick list of how they could promote their programs and events using social media. Here's the list I shared with them:
1. Create a Facebook Event - You can share posts, upload photos, invite guests and edit event details. Select the people you want to invite for that event and ask them to share it on their pages. Add a cover photo to make the Event page look more colorful and visually appealing. And finally, pin the event to the top of your Facebook Page!
Use related hashtags for market/industry, but don’t use too many hashtags each post.
The biggest takeaway here is that there will never be a "One Size Fits All" for marketing events/programs on social media. These suggestions may not be applicable to your event due to size, timing, platforms you're using, etc. But! You can still be a rockstar... you just have to be strategic about it!
