Remember when keynote speakers and moderators were perturbed to see people texting, tweeting or posting during their presentation?
Now, in most meeting and event settings, engagement through social media is more a sign of intense involvement than disinterest or rudeness.
“Social media has completely changed how we interact with each other, and special events and meetings are no exception,” says Emily Maxie, marketing director for SIGNiX, a cloud-based digital signature company. “Event planners can distribute information quickly to a broad audience and interact with attendees in real time through social media.”
Excellent Engagement
“Social media isn’t simply about creating posts and sharing things and expecting them to take flight on their own,” says Lisa Sagstad, director of communications for HelmsBriscoe. “The conversation should begin well before your event starts, and continue once the event has ended.
“The first action meeting planners should take is to choose two or three social outlets they want to feature at their conference and decide how they want to use them,” she continues. “For example, if they have the most followers and engaged employees on Twitter or Facebook, this is where they should place their focus. Next, determine how they will focus on these channels with a social media wall, a hashtag or both.”
Joe Pardo, an interactive marketing strategist for Experience Columbus (Ohio), says planners should be more concerned about the quality of engagement, not the quantity.
“It’s important to establish your goals before an event and determine what you want to accomplish through engagement,” Pardo says. “Getting people intensely involved and engaged is great, but you must have some direction to make the social media experience successful and productive.”
One of the ways to enhance engagement is by educating attendees about social media and how it’s used in a meeting or event setting.
“We don’t take for granted that because seemingly everyone has a smart phone that they understand how to use social media, especially in a business setting,” Pardo says. “People may use it in their personal lives, but may not fully comprehend the uses and ramifications at a conference or event, so we offer a breakout session about methods and nuances.”
Photo Ops
In the social media world, a picture is actually worth more than a thousand words.
Site and venue selection is especially important when incorporating a social media component, as a photogenic setting will generate excitement with attendees and encourage them to share the dynamic experience through photos.
“Hosting events at unique venues where opportunities for great photos is vast is always going to generate significantly more social content than an event in a standard hotel ballroom,” Sagstad says. “Offering one-of-a-kind experiences will make attendees want to share their experience with their followers through images and event hashtags, and chances are they might even snap a selfie or two.”
Enhancing the opportunities for photos through creative planning is one of the keys to a successful social media program at a meeting or event.
“A great idea is having photo booths at events along with signage, make them user-friendly so people can easily e-mail to themselves or instantly post on social media,” says Alex Bimonte, director of social media at The Buzz Agency, a public relations, social media and events company in Miami.
Innovative planners have devised a variety of ways to encourage intrepid image taking, including photo contests, caption competitions, retweet challenges and scavenger hunts.
PageBreak
“Some of the meeting and event mobile applications currently available offer photo scavenger hunt options within the app, making it easy for attendees to access event information and participate in a scavenger hunt all in one place,” Sagstad says.
To promote the event or a company brand, the strategic placement of signage will enhance the impact of the photo.
“For an event, create a banner with the name of the event and the logo of all the sponsors, make it into a red carpet setting and people will likely congregate around the area, take pictures and then post them on social media,” says Scarlett Sieber, vice president of operations for Infomous, which services companies seeking content solutions.
Utilizing a social media wall is a great way to increase involvement and generate more impact for photos.
“Social media walls are a must if you’re looking for more-effective interaction,” says Michelle Bergstein, marketing maven for Event Industry Marketing by Beat Creative in Ocoee, Fla., near Orlando. “People love to see their pictures and names in lights.”
Sagstad agrees and believes a social media wall encourages neophytes to get more involved.
“Using a social visualization tool can also encourage others who may not have previously interacted with you on social media to begin doing so,” Sagstad says. “When attendees see their colleagues posting and influencing with conversation around the event, it may prompt them to join in.
“Photos are essential to your comprehensive social media campaign,” she adds. “Attendees like to see themselves and photos even more than seeing their names and comments.”
Event Enhancement
Engagement at an event or meeting can be accomplished in a variety of ways that transcend tweeting, posting and sharing.
“We have teambuilding programs that combine technologies with outdoor adventures to create activities like a high-tech treasure hunt,” says Jeannette Davidson, director of sales at Seattle-based Geoteaming. “The fun activity can then be shared in real time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other platforms.”
Davidson says team-oriented activities shared on social media are important because they give attendees an opportunity to connect face-to-face in pursuit of a common goal.
“In today’s world, many employees work more remotely and don’t see each other regularly,” Davidson says. “Chances are, they may only communicate through e-mail or phone and these types of adventure activities allow them to have fun and share that experience with others at the meeting.
“Attendees form a much deeper connection on a personal level,” she continues. “As well as on social media.”
Hashtag Help
Whether you’re executing a scavenger hunt, photo contest or any other activity, arguably, the most important element to promote engagement is the hashtag, which helps everyone stay connected.
“Broadcast your hashtag every way possible,” Maxie says. “Mention your hashtag on every piece of event communication your attendees will see, including your event website, printed materials, banners and more. Attendees shouldn’t be confused about which hashtag to use when they want to post or tweet.”
Providing the hashtag several weeks before an event can create social media momentum that will increase engagement, says Tatiana Ceresa, marketing coordinator for GreenRope, a business application software company in San Diego.
“Submitting a photo on Instagram or Facebook using a hashtag can spur social engagement before and during the event,” she says.
A pre-event strategy is important to creating excitement.
“Social media posts can be scheduled out strategically in the days leading up to the event,” says Jason Parks, president/owner of The Media Captain, an online marketing company. “You can have people sign up for the event on Facebook or tell them to follow your social channels for information leading up to the event.”
Pardo urges the use of a key staffer for event social media.
“I recommend dedicating a person to the program to keep messages and goals concise and focused,” he says. “Think of it as your company spokesperson who can coordinate a consistent message and theme.”
Edward Schmidt Jr. is an Orlando-based writer who yearns to win his first Instagram photo contest.
