Integrating Social Media And Event Marketing

Written by 5ivecanons Staff

Event marketing has always been a successful means of promotion. Many marketers view event promotions as having the greatest return on investment.

However, the introduction of social media has given marketers a powerful tool to keep audiences engaged before, during, and after an event has ended.
Traditionally, event marketing is the use of media to promote, market, or advertise an event, but it can also include marketing during an event or trade show.

Integrating social media with event marketing creates new opportunities that help drive brand engagement through earned and owned media channels. In a report by the Event Marketing Institute, the combination of social media and event marketing can “extend the brand relationship beyond a set time and place, transforming the relationship into a continuum where contact starts well before the event, peaks during the event, and continues long after.”

Brand Advocates

Brand advocates are influential consumers that feel connected to a brand’s identity, actively promoting and sharing brand content. Capitalizing on brand advocates is an easy way to turn customers into an advertising message, influencing their network with their social posts.

90% of consumers say they trust reviews by someone they know.

 

Checking Into an Event

When your customer checks into your event, they are actively promoting your event to their network of friends and family. Incentives can help increase check-ins at your event, improving engagement and leveraging customers as another form of advertising for your brand.

The image on the right demonstrates how a check-in can spark discussion about an event. Users engaged in this message expand the brands reach to their social networks as well. This leads us to the next part of integrating social media and event marketing: social reach.

 

Social Reach

When a consumer interacts or engages with a brand in social media it expands your brand’s reach to new networks through earned media. When users like your page, check in to your event, tag themselves in a photo or even share a status update, your brand is spread to their network of friends and family. Social media takes the old marketing strategy of the power of three and multiplies it by 229.

 

Maintaining Engagement After an Event

Social media provides almost limitless opportunities for future brand communications with your consumers, and when consumers like your facebook page, follow you on twitter or subscribe to your YouTube channel – they’re requesting more content from your brand. This gives marketers the freedom to promot