As of October 2022, there were roughly 2.934 billion active monthly users on Facebook, 1.386 billion on Instagram, 1 billion on TikTok and 544 million on Twitter.
It is clear that the world we live in is obsessed with social media.
It is no longer just a tool used to keep in contact with friends and family, but one where people turn to find real time restaurant reviews, what to cook for dinner or even the news!
With people spending around 50% of their time on their smartphones, event managers should be jumping at this type of advertising.
By taking advantage of hashtags, tagging, live streams etc, it is an easy way to reach potential audiences and attract a new customer base.
Why is social media important in events?
Social media has forced the events industry to evolve; with event managers are now competing against each other at an unforeseen rate.
There is a higher sense of accountability and responsibility as attendee reactions are now immediate and have huge reach.
Events have to constantly evolve and aim to be bigger and better than the last one. Social media isn’t an option anymore. It’s a necessity.
Your social media accounts:
Your social media accounts shape the reputation of your events and organisation. It is the face of your brand and will be the first port-of-call that attendees or other organisations will ‘stalk’ when first hearing about your event.
Different ways to promote your event via social media:
At Crowdify, social media is a crucial part of our event promotion strategy. Depending on the brand and audience, there are many creative and effective ways to use social media to promote your event.
Show don’t tell:
‘Show don’t tell’ is a writing technique that allows the reader to experience the written word through the use of actions, sensory and emotional details.
Social media allows you to do exactly that with the recent rise of TikTok and video content. It is allowing brands’ social media platforms to become more than just a vessel to sell tickets, but allowing their followers to connect emotionally with the brand.
Video footage:
Video footage is your ally, you can’t get a better form of review style. It is proof that your events are a great time and that people love to go to them.
Social media users are relying on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok for event reviews as they can see what the event is like, not just from the event company itself but also other ticket holders, just like them.
Video is an effective way to demonstrate the credibility of your event in your industry and a way to install FOMO in your followers so they will buy tickets for the next event.
What’s a better way to showcase your event than an easy to consume video of a crowd going wild?
Organic vs pre-made content:
Successful social media accounts are ones that maintain a healthy balance of promotional content and behind-the-scenes content where you meet the team, give advice to their followers or keep their followers informed with all industry updates.
Consumers prefer to follow accounts that have a personality and don’t overly force sales on their followers.
Community management:
Although the content that you are posting is hugely important, you must make sure that your community management is up to scratch.
Your social media pages are a chance for your followers to interact with you and ask questions about your event.
By engaging with your followers, you are making them feel like they are part of the event, which will in turn increase your ticket sales. Host competitions and give away free elements to keep your followers entertained.
Communication with your audience:
By communicating with your followers, you will be able to stay one-step ahead of your competition. Is there a new DJ coming onto the scene that your followers want to see? Maybe they want a different style of music to mix things up?
Talk to your audience and see what they want, this way they will feel listened to and you will know that they will be coming to your event.
Social media can seem like the ideal marketing tool but with all of its perks it can really damage your brand.
As with all marketing you MUST be careful with what you are putting out, once something is online it will be there forever. Content that is riddled with spelling mistakes, low-quality images, incorrect tags and repeating content will ruin your reputation.
You must focus on producing high-quality content across all of your channels to drive engagement and ultimately increase your bookings.