Events bring social media to life. Learn tips and tricks for incorporating social marketing into event planning. Presented by Melonie Gallegos in a private corporate event planners' lunch and learn session.

1. Social Media Strategies For
Event Marketing
Events bring social media to life.
October 2011
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2. Social Media 411
An overview.
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3. Over 51.6% of U.S. internet users are on
social networks, that’s
109.2 million people
(eMarketer April 2010)
Fast Fact
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4. 500 million active users
100 million members
100 million active users
YouTube is the #2 search
engine in the world (only
Google itself gets more
searches!)
-Comscore
Social Networking By The Numbers
Sources: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics, MySpace http://www.myspace.com/pressroom?url=/fact+sheet/, LinkedIn Feb 2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn, Twitter Jan 2010 http://themetricsystem.rjmetrics.com/2010/01/26/new-data-on-twitters-users-and-engagement/

5. Social communications are becoming a must
for lead gen.
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6. Social + Business + Business
Does LinkedIn come to mind?
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7. Business professionals are using more than LinkedIn
to get the job done.
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8. #event
Social Event Marketing
Making A Splash: Pushing Your Events Into the Social Stream

9. Socializing Educational
Tweet-ups/meet-
ups
Organizations/Clubs Conferences Seminars
User groups Promotions Webinars Workshops
Company Corporate
meetings/Retreats
Fundraising Speakers/Panels
training
B2B B2C User Generated Non-Profit
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10. All Events Are Like A Brontosaurus
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11. Pre-Event (The Head)
The Event (The Body)
Post-Event (The Tail)
Different Tactics and Strategies for Each Phase
Three Phases Of An Event & Event Promotion
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12. Stats Source: Fascinating Event Marketing Stats, Hubspot Oct 2011
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13. Traditional + Social Marketed
Event Event
40% use
social media
for event
marketing.
(Hubspot 2011)
Builds Audience & Buzz (word of mouth)
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14. • Long Tail Communications • Promotions
The longer the timeline, the Spread word of mouth
more promotional through
opportunities. giveaways, discounts, and
outreach.
• Content Builds Excitement
Make it worth sharing. • Share With A Friend
Make it easy to share. Give
people the tools they need to
spread the word.
Pre-Event Promotion
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15. Use the iBatTM to hit a home run
(I may get sued by Apple...)
Pre-Event Promotion
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16. The iBat Approach
Influencers Benefits
Audience Technology
Pre-Event Promotion
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17. Influencers = Local Tips:
personalities, weblebrities, celebs, topic leaders
Social PR in the
with an engaged online audience form of influencer
outreach on
• Partner with influencers to promote your event. Twitter and blogs
• Elite influencers both know and attract lots of
people. Some even charge money. It may be worth it to
pay them to attend and you can exploit them attending.
• Offer benefits such as an exclusive discount to their
audience, or free passes to use and giveaway.
• Give them press member treatment.
• Find and reach out via social networking to
• Those with similar interests that may want to attend.
• Influencers in the same audience as your event.
• Brands who will sponsor or cross promote your event.
Pre-Event Promotion
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18. Twitter rocks.
You can reach influencers and venues, or those
that represent them, via Twitter directly,
quickly, and easily.
Pre-Event Promotion
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19. Drive the benefit. Tips:
A short list of example benefits: Showcase people.
• Promote topic interest. Ditch contest
• Showcase and feature attendees. People want to forms for sharing
attend events their peers are attending. promotions.
• Showcase speakers and event celebrities. People
want to network IRL and rub shoulders with
leaders in their industry.
• Delicious food, free alcohol, fun!
• Reward word of mouth using promotions and
giveaways. Use sharing as a chance to win or gain
benefits.
Pre-Event Promotion
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20. Tips:
Who’s your Audience?
Be where your
 Be where your audience is. Use social platforms they audience is.
already use for outreach and communications.
Leverage
 Advertise and promote in these places. exhibitors’ social
 Have and host conversations leading up to the event. networks.
 Give exhibitors the tools they need to promote the
event in their social networks.
Pre-Event Promotion
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21. Tips:
Enable word of mouth with technology. Showcase people.
 Make your event invite social: Ditch contest
◦ Use an RSVP platform that contains social networking and forms for sharing
sharing features. (Meetup.com, Facebook Public Event, promotions.
Twtvite, Tweetvite, Eventbright).
◦ Shows attendees names, social handle, and faces. Have a single
◦ Pre-event social networking and discussion (#yourevent). #hashtag.
 Get found:
◦ Lanyrd.com social event directory and industry websites.
 What’s your communications plan?
◦ Promote the event through existing brand social
channels, e.g.
 Twitter
 Facebook page and/or group
 LinkedIn profile, group
 Blog post
 Email list Etc.
Pre-Event Promotion
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22. Social Integration Sharing Audience Building
Eventbrite RSVP
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23. Twtvite RSVP
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24. #realtime
The Event
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25. Tips:
What do people want to do in real time?
Live stream.
• Track live event information and news. Provide real time
• Share the good times: What's the #Hashtag? Ensure it’s information.
on event signage, presentations and tweets
• Check-In: Foursquare, Facebook, Yelp, Whrrl Focus on
conversation.
• Live stream, video, tweet and blog.
• Share photos & videos, post on
Facebook, Posterous, Flickr, Tumblr, Instagram.
• Network IRL combined with social networking.
• Get featured.
• Increase sharing exponentially using a Minglestream
tweetwall or some form of display.
The Event
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26. Minglestream example –
USTREAM live video
• Foursquare Check-ins
• Twitter photos
• Conversations
• #hashtag tweets
Placement:
• Lobby to welcome
attendees
• Hashtag specific streams
in sessions (keynote)
• Projected on a big wall in
the middle of the action
Other: Smartphone apps
with built in streaming.
Multi-Media Event Live Streaming
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27. #longtail
Post Event
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28. Tips:
The long tail, follow-up, and information Share
archiving and distribution. presentations.
Wrap up blog post.
 Wrap up articles covering the event.
 Distribute presentations on Slideshare and blogs. Distribute event
 Immediately compile photo albums, Animoto.com content, photos
and videos.
video of photos, use in future promotional efforts.
 LOL all those awesome photos are now tagged on
Facebook.
 Gather interest list for next event or early sign-ups.
 Ask for feedback.
 Measure and benchmark success.
 Leverage the event for as long as possible... a long tail
is very powerful.
Post Event Wrap
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29. Tips:
 Same tactics apply, sometimes on a smaller scale. Promotions to
 Companies often prefer or warrant closed vs. public scale.
communication tools.
Enable peer to
◦ Check out Yammer.
peer social
◦ Closed Facebook or LinkedIn Group.
networking.
◦ Private Facebook invite.
 Business people share social contacts – Use social
LinkedIn, Twitter follows, etc. platforms in a
◦ Leave space on the name tag for a Twitter handle or URL. targeted fashion.
◦ Provide ‘badges’ to customize name tags with e.g.
blogger, marketer, or personality traits.
 Post event photos can be publicly or privately shared
in Facebook, Flickr, or via email.
Corporate and Small Group Events
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30. Events bring social media to life.
Put the Social in Social Media
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31. brandswithfansblog.com
@melonie
@fandommarketing
Facebook.com/fandommarketing
Melonie on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/meloniegallegos
Follow Fandom:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/fandom-marketing
Let’s connect
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