If you have a promotional stand at one of those really big happenings like a huge networking event, exhibition or national conference - are you maximising your presence there and ensuring you will get the best return on your promotional investment?
Image credit: Teemu Paananen on Unsplash.
Although your marketing and media experts can guide you through this, you may want to know yourself about these five ways to make your event pay with social media.
Raylene de Wet, director of event sales at Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, unveils six trends that will likely disrupt and elevate South Africa's events industry in the coming year...
6 Aug 2019
Make pre-event contacts
Don’t wait until you get to a live event to see who you happen to run into. Use your social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook to try to establish if any of your prospective clients or contacts will be attending and make firm arrangements for them to meet you at the event.
We speak to VP of business programming for World Expo 2020 (one of the biggest event on the planet), South African, Shaun Vorster about the opportunities that this event will afford businesses in South Africa and across the rest of Africa...
As a sponsor, you can ask for a list of other promoters and attendees from the organisers and see who you can make contact in advance. Ask your social media experts about using social media listening tools and search functionality to find out who else is posting and getting excited about the event.
Boost pre-event brand familiarity
This is one time when familiarity definitely does not breed contempt and research has shown that event attendees tend to gravitate towards those brands with which they are most familiar.
Use bulk email, LinkedIn or Twitter to create pre-event awareness that you will be there and, in particular, what you may be offering as an event special.
Use VR or live streaming to invite those who are unable to attend
One of the greatest innovations in recent times is the advent of virtual and augmented reality. One of the advantages is that you need no longer physically be somewhere to attend!
Ask AR and VR experts about setting up live streaming or VR to allow prospective clients to view your stand from the comfort of their offices. Have some running on your social media platforms if possible too. This can and is being done. It is a great brand-building exercise as you are seen to be using cutting edge technology to engage with customers.
Establish and follow up leads
During the event, you should have been using the event hashtag or keyword listening to list prospects you have met and engage with them via social media. Follow up of these leads after the event is crucial as it is the whole point of the exercise.
The best follow up is via direct email, but use LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter connections as well – if email response is not forthcoming. Also, do a follow-up brand-building campaign by posting stuff about what transpired and what you achieved at the event.
Use the professionals
Ultimately the services of an expert digital marketing and brand building company would help as all the aforementioned would be professionally and proficiently handled by them as a part of your overall brand building and marketing strategy.
The difference is, they would also have used the latest state of the art technologies and years of marketing experience to ensure the whole effort maximised your spend. Do therefore consider using professionals to help with this kind of exercise.
Either way, I hope these five ways to make your event pay with social media have helped and I’ll see you at the event!
Founder and proprietor of Pace Digital, Talitha Spykerman has been active in the marketing industry for many years. She was Marketing Manager for 6 leading travel brands in South Africa and Head of Sales & Marketing for Hard Rock Cafe Johannesburg, where she developed her passion for and cut her teeth on creating successful integrated marketing campaigns.
Don't miss BizTrends2022 - 7 keynote speakers forecast trends shaping business in our region! Register now!
Juanita Pienaar 19 Aug 2019
Jessica Barrella 15 Aug 2019
![Studio[K]irmack](https://www.bizcommunity.com/b/1907/1011365.png?1){kind=small}
