Social Media Weapons for Your Event-Planning Arsenal

A short post from Markteing Profs about the use of social media in event planning. CONVENTION/CONFERENCE PLANNERS PAY ATTENTION. It usually is a big investment to have a booth at a tradeshow or convention which is why you need to maximize the results from the event. Use the pointers below as a starting point to brainstorm ways to fully integrate social media into your action plan. Here are a few of my ideas:

• Encourage visitors to "check-in" at your booth for a special prize, or an extra entry into a drawing.
• Have visitors snap a pic with their phone and "tag" you to get them interacting with your Facebook fan page.
• Tweet regular updates about speakers, contests, lunches, networking, etc. Make sure you encourage visitors to follow your Twitter page.
• Consider purchasing the email list of participants for emails to start the social media link before the event. 
• Place an ad in the program and instead of branding, use it to promote a social media contest. 

Social Media Weapons for Your Event-Planning Arsenal
Published on August 28, 2012    

Anyone who thinks it's easy to plan, promote, and execute a successful event has never planned, promoted, or executed a successful event. In any case, social media tools can make events easier.

 "Whether you need to work with organizers, generate buzz, or share post-party photos, social media should be a primary weapon in your arsenal," writes Ben Parr at Mashable.

Here are Parr's recommendations for each stage of the process: 

• Planning. No matter the size of your event—a small party or a large conference—ease planning with a trio of tools: Skype facilitates productive brainstorming; PBworks is a business-friendly wiki that makes it easy for everyone on your team to manage, edit, and share information; and a collaborative calendar like Google Calendar can arrange meetings.
• Organization. "PBworks is once again a great tool for keeping information on the event organized—you can publish guest lists, speaker lists, and more," notes Parr. Also publish updates at a WordPress or Drupal blog.
• Invitations. Set up a Facebook event listing (this is where many people will go for information) and consider sites like Anyvite and Eventbrite for invitation and RSVP management.
• Promotion. According to Parr, Facebook and Twitter are your go-to promotion channels. When tweeting, be sure to use event-specific hashtags.
• Optimization. Provide high-speed wifi so guests can easily tweet from your event; and consider a live stream through Ustream or Mogulus for those who can't attend.

The Po!nt: Remember that the event isn't over when your guests leave—continue the social media conversation with thank-you emails and updates.