Social media is forever changing and what channel is best for your events or how you use them is something that will always need to adapt. However, we think these tips below are key to how successfully you manage your social media campaigns, whatever change may bring…

1. A dedicated social media strategy is vital to success
From the very beginning you should consider which objectives you would like to achieve with your social media activities and this should be part of your overall company or event strategy. Every company and each event may have different goals, for example, to increase the brand awareness, or attract new attendees. In order to quantify the success of your campaign you must determine measurable indicators.

2. Once you have a strategy in place… set targets
You know the objectives you want to achieve, now set yourself some measureable targets. Every company has sales targets, fr events it may be attendee numbers, why should you not have targets for your social media activity too? You could start with follower numbers, but targets that measure your engagement with your audience would be much better.

3. Not every social media channel is suitable for any type of event
Identify your target audience and then determine the appropriate social media channels to market your events. Your choice of appropriate social media channel also depends on the time of the communication. Twitter, for example, would be the appropriate channel during an ongoing event. However, the highest possible coverage is achieved with a multi-channel strategy.

4. If you are on multiple channels… manage them properly
There is nothing more annoying than a company or event that doesn’t engage with their social community. If your followers are asking questions, make sure you always respond! The best way to manage all platforms is by using tools such as Sprout Social, Hootsuite or one of the other many options.

5. Satisfied attendees are the best multipliers for an event
The majority of attendees at your event want to get the most out of their visit. Give them useful and interesting content before, during and after your event… don’t go quiet. If you don’t have much to say, join other industry discussions, share useful information you might find or introduce your attendees to each other. By giving your participants the opportunity of connecting and getting in touch with each other, you can attain higher and more sustainable attendee satisfaction.

Also…

The XING events 2014 report talks about social media in the industry in great depth, if you haven’t already, read it here and we highly recommend downloading the Social Media for Events ebook here.