When used well, social media platforms can improve the conference experience for attendees in many ways. They also help form an impression that conference organizers seek to engage with attendees on multiple levels instead of avoiding them.
If organizers neglect social networks before, during and after a conference, the audience could think something is wrong and miss the full picture of the event they are about to participate in. Setting up your social media presence is a key step towards success that every event organizer should follow. As a helping hand, you can use these 3 rules for social media to improve your conference.
A social media presence demands focus from conference organizers. Being present on so many levels requires a dedicated approach and a team of co-workers.
The team usually consists of three to four people (i.e., communication manager, content creator, designer and media planner) collaborating to create and disseminate information before, during and after the conference. The team must work closely with the rest of the event planning team.
Once your team is ready, it’s time to create media profiles and define conference hashtag(s). Not all social media outlets will suit your conference and audience interest defines which outlets you should use. In general, we advise using LinkedIn for all information and Twitter for important announcements such as speaker line-ups or major updates during conference rundown (i.e., sudden changes to the agenda, room switches, and important security announcements). Instagram should be used to connect with your attendees emotionally.
Finally, don’t start communicating across social media without setting up a communication calendar. It aims to train you to think strategically and distribute information suitable for the particular social media platform format. Depending on their preferences and skills, your social media team can put a calendar together in a simplified spreadsheet or use the professional tools available to improve your conference overall.
After successfully taking the first steps and communicating on social networks, you will better understand where to make further optimizations. The following suggestions to improve your conference and boost your social media presence can be helpful:
1) Buzz generation
One of the important aspects of improving social media presence is to generate excitement. Using conventional print media is costly and impractical. In contrast, social media allows constant communication. When needed, it can be supported by relatively cheaper campaign costs where ‘shares’ and ‘likes’ can get your information noticed by many people at zero cost.
2) Hashtags
Using a catchy hashtag is an important aspect of boosting your social media presence and the existence of your conference in the world of social media. A hashtag brands your conference virtually and encourages attendees to use it to make various posts. A hashtag also helps to index and catalogize all your communication and engagement in one big virtual pocket, making it very useful for reporting to sponsors, referring and later extending your conference’s impact.
3) Answer as many questions as possible over social media
Most of your attendees will use social media to get relevant information about your conference. This also means they will ask questions to get those answers fast. Try to answer all of them and be patient. Providing relevant information portrays you as a professional organizer.
4) Social media announcements
Social media is the perfect platform for quick, impactful announcements. Nothing creates a bigger impact than bragging about the confirmed speakers! Potential visitors are more likely to attend your conference if they know you are putting on a big show with superstars.
5) Follow-up
Although your conference may be over, your work on social networks isn't. One of the great things about working with social media is that you can maintain connections with your followers for future promotions providing updates on what is happening and sharing news about upcoming conferences.
Social media platforms allow you to determine who is considering or coming to your conference. This unique ability can help you boost your social media presence and improve your conference by tailoring a broad marketing strategy to attract different target groups to your conference.
Knowing how to read given feedback will allow you to be one step ahead of your competition. It also provides a cost-effective way to promote your work well before the conference starts.