With event planning comes marketing, and in today’s world, that means connecting on social media. There are 317 million active Twitter users each month, with 67 million of those residing in the United States. Whether this is your first event or you are new to promoting events using Twitter, read on to learn five tips to create a successful Twitter campaign for your event.
1.) Create a custom hashtag
You will want to create something unique and easy to remember. Research the hashtag and make sure it is not already being used. Decide on something short and memorable and then use it every time you tweet. Place the hashtag on flyers, on other social media posts, on marketing emails- everywhere you can. In order for it to be successful, you will need to remember to use the hashtag each and every time. Tweets that include hashtags are 33% more likely to be retweeted than those without.
2.) Use images in your tweets
Images catch someone’s eye. Whether it is a stock photo of a conference, a head-shot of your keynote speaker, the event venue, your company logo, or an image that fits into your general theme, tweets with pictures are effective. In fact, photos average a 35% boost in retweets, compared to tweets without images.
3.) Schedule tweets in advance
Software programs, such as Coschedule and Hootsuite, allow you to plan a social media strategy months in advance. You do not need to sit at your computer each time you tweet- go ahead and take care of a lot of your marketing upfront. These sites will allow you to post tweets at optimal times, when traffic is high. When are people most active on Twitter? If you send out a tweet at 5:15 p.m., will anyone see it if they are busy driving home from work? These programs know when engagement is high on each social media platform, and take the guesswork out of it for your company.
4.) Tweet often
When should you tweet about your event? As much as possible! The average person spends a mere 60 seconds on Twitter each day. If you tweet about your event once, will it be seen amidst the droves of tweets that are pouring in each second? Your tweet, while saved indefinitely, truly only lasts 18 minutes before it becomes old news. So, what can you tweet about?
- Announcement of your event
- Registration for event
- Countdown to the event- a week prior, the day before, whatever suits you.
- A reminder of time and location
- A quotation from the speaker
- Anything else you can think of!
5.) Interact with your audience
Engagement with people on Twitter is critical. You will want to maintain a constant interaction before, during, and after your event. And, don’t wait for people to respond- ask for a retweet! Studies actually show that asking followers to do this will increase retweets by 4 times! Don’t be shy, especially if you want to generate buzz about your event.
More Twitter Tips for before, during, and after your event
Before the Event:
- Follow people who would be interested in your event. Follow your keynote speaker and people in the same industry.
- Look for tweets on similar topics. Like them, retweet them, comment on them- the key is to get noticed by others.
- Pose a question- respondents to a survey stated they love tweets that interact with them.
During the Event:
- Tweet quotations while the event is live. Did your speaker say something insightful? Did someone pose an interesting question during a Q&A? Quickly tweet, while tagging, as the event is occurring.
- Share photos in real time for people who could not attend. You can document the crowd, the venue, the speaker, the meet and greet.
After the Event:
- Retweet mentions and feedback of the event. Address any negative comments in a positive way.
- Share additional photos and thoughts
- Thank the speaker, sponsors, and attendees
