I've been asked to deliver a training session on the use of Twitter in event marketing, so thought I'd share here some of my thoughts thus far.
BEFORE THE EVENT
- Make sure the event Twitter account is included in all event literature
- Schmooze sponsors and speakers by commenting on stories relating to them (mentioning that they are speaking/sponsoring the event of course)
- Use lists to segment the Twitter accounts of speakers, sponsors and delegates
- Comment on topics that are discussed at the event
- Respond to delegate queries
- Define the hashtag. You can search to see if it’s being used elsewhere at http://hashtags.org/
- Send delegates a pack on how they can use social media at the event
- Run a live blog at the event so that delegates don't need to take notes
- Mention the hashtag in event literature
- Mention that there will be a tweet-up at a particular time/place (maybe in the bar after the event?)
- Promote the live blog – ask delegates to promote it to their colleagues – it’ll save them having to make notes and will prepare them for the post-event debrief when they return to the office
- Try posting up materials that support the event
- Maybe the speaker has videos of them on YouTube you can share
- Maybe the sponsors have whitepapers you can share
- Build anticipation around the event
DURING THE EVENT
- Conduct the live blog – showing it on screens throughout the venue as well as on the event website
- Solicit questions from Twitter for the speakers
- Run polls to solicit opinion during the event
- Post up photos of the event – don’t forget to post photos of you with the speakers and @reply them so their followers get to see it. Ditto for sponsors and other influential people.
- Run the tweet-up and use it to network with delegates. Maybe give them something unique to just them.
AFTER THE EVENT
- Use a hashtag to solicit feedback from delegates
- Display these on the post-event page (along with the live blog, photos, videos, podcasts etc.)
- Use a service such as http://blastfollow.com/ to follow all of the people that have posted with the hashtag and keep in touch with them
- Share any material from the event, such as photos or videos.
- Encourage delegates to post their own photos onto the brand Facebook page
How else can you use Twitter for event marketing?
Great Advice, Thanks
Thanks Steve.
Excellent advice, Adi!
I've been reading that Super Bowl generated at some point 10,000 tweets per second, which is a lot. 🙂
That's right Eugen. Toyota didn't really follow the script though
http://technorati.com/social-media/article/toyota…
good post. used it in my daily read. http://leader-leader.com/blog/?p=1501
Cool, thanks David.
Thanks Adi, this is good advice and you have written it out in a very effective list. I think you have taken something that could be complex and made it appear simple. Interesting topic, knowledgable source, well written!
Thanks for the comment (and sharing it on SME) Abigail 🙂
Great post, Adi. I think another way events can add value with Twitter is through continuous utilization of the hashtag throughout the year. Too often, a hashtag is used up to event time, quite feverishly during the event, then it sort of dies off… Events that are recurrent should keep the stream alive, even if it's only to retweet content or pertinent articles during the year. It keeps the event top of mind, and makes it easier to pick up momentum 3-4 months prior to the next event, when registration and promotion begins.
That's a good point Frederic, thanks for sharing (and for persisting 🙂 )
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