Using Social Media to Plan and Promote Events

Social media is described as a category of websites that are based on user participation and user generated content. Examples of social media sites are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as blogs and forums and sites that have user generated content such as Amazon's customer reviews.

Many event management software solutions come with the ability to integrate with your existing social media channels. Being able to update your Facebook page without having to leave your event management software package is a great timesaver. But why are Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels becoming such a popular tool for event managers? This article explains how different social media tools can be used during the planning of the event, promotion of the event, during the event and after the event; all adding additional value to the delegate and improving their event experience.

Before your prospective delegates are even aware of your event, event organisers can use social media as part of the planning process. Skype is a piece of software that allows individuals and business to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Using Skype can be a great ways to keep in touch with event partners and those aiding in the management of the event. Using video conferencing to hold meetings is not only more cost effective than face to face meetings, but has also shown to be a faster way of conducting brainstorms and meetings compared to plain telephone conferencing.

All those involved in the planning of the event can also be given access to a set of Google Documents. Google Documents are known as 'collaborative documents' and are hosted on 'the cloud' meaning that the original document is stored online. Anyone with login details can access and amend the original document - meaning that organisers will always be able to access the most up to date and current plan or calendar.

Once the basics of the planning have been carried out, event managers can turn to social media to help promote their events. Social media is all about communication and engagement; getting your customers and delegates talking and sharing information. This is where social media really comes into effect. There are many mediums out there that can help promote your events - most of them for free! Event managers should create profiles on all the key networking sites, so that no matter what platform a particular delegate prefers, they are able to find you and your event:

• Create a Facebook page (not group) and populate this with the key information regarding your event. Make sure that you add your event to the "Event" tab. Also allow fans of your page to take part in online discussion within the page.


• Create a Twitter account specifically for the event. Or, if the event is quite small (such as a seminar, training course or other smaller event) use an existing business Twitter account to promote it. Make sure that you create a unique has tag for your event (such as #socialevent) and use this in each tweet regarding your event.


• Create an event in LinkedIn where delegates can join advance. They can then also use this as a platform for networking and discussions before the event takes place.

The goal is to get your event covered in the main social media platforms. Once you have a presence, try to encourage conversation and promotion of your event. A good idea is to link all these accounts to a focused page on your website, or microsite or blog.

Having a new category on your existing blog, or creating a new blog specifically for your event is a great way of providing information to delegates and prospects. Keeping this up to date with event changes, developments and announcements means that all interested parties are able to get all the information they need from one main source; cutting down the amount of enquiries event managers have to deal with. Linking all your social media channels to this one blog helps to direct traffic to a focused message.

It's important to ensure that you select the right social media channel for your event and treat your followers, fans and members with respect. Do not spam them with the same content or message. Instead provide them with useful content that helps make a decision about whether or not to register for your event and what to expect when they attend.

Integrating your social media accounts into a comprehensive event management software solution is also an excellent way to manage these tools. Being able to update all your social media accounts without having to leave your event management solution makes them even easier and faster to manage. With event managers being under considerable pressures, using technology such as event management software solutions can be the key to organising a successful and well executed event.