At Liuna Gardens, we have the pleasure of hosting all sorts of extraordinary events including so many exciting corporate functions for business groups and organizations across the GTHA. As we move further into the 21st century we are seeing some very cool developments in how these events rollout and how businesses are turning to social media to enhance the effect of their marketing efforts and improve attendee experience at any given event. On today’s blog we thought we’d take some time to share a few helpful tips for making your next event #StandOut with the help of social media.
Make your online presence known: Depending on the type of business, there may be one or several appropriate platforms to share and deliver content. Do your research to figure out the best outlet for your particular business. Does your audience generally use LinedIn? Facebook? Instagram? Once you figure out how you’ll be able to best reach your audience, continue to make your online presence known and begin to gather a following. This way, when you’re ready to plan an event, you have a network of connections with whom to connect and share. Before you decide to dive into the world of social media, make sure you’ve got the human-power to keep up with it. If someone is chekcing out your business and you haven’t updated your page in 6 months – it’s not a great look. You’ll also need to constantly monitor your various forums to make sure you’re staying up to date with all of the potentially public customer/client/audience feedback.
Share, share, share: Once your online presence is known, and you’ve got an event in the works, use your social media communication chanels to promote. One of the best ways you can create a buzz is to come up with a catchy event hashtag. Be creative, keep it short and easy to remember. Be sure to use the hashtag often, on all marketing materials leading up to the event as well as on on-site materials including slide presentations and event booklets. Also be sure to have event presenters mention the hashtag, encourage people to follow you on social media and share their event experience online.
Make things simple: Depending on your audience and the nature of your event, you may be able to create and share your event directly from the social media platform itself. Several platforms, including Facebook, allow you the option to create targeted groups, send out invitations and track RSVPs. If this method doesn’t make sense for your particular event, you can still use the platform to spread the word and share the link to your registration page. The more pathways leading to your event registration, the greater the potential for a bigger buzz and a larger interest/potential turnout at your event.
Leverage your network: Have you signed on a popular keynote speaker or landed a reputable event sponsor? Be sure to work with the various parties involved and figure out how to help each other through your given social media networks. This kind of cross promotion can help increase a businesses social media following and give your event even more reputability.
Go live: Once your event is in full-swing, there are several ways to get attendees involved, and continue to grow your social media presence. Consider having attendees live Tweet questions for speakers or panalists, share ideas that show up in real-time on a screen during the event, and even give people the opportunity to submit their social media handles and business pages on your delegate list in your program booklet. It’s a whole new way of networking! Be sure to have a representative from your organization onsite to be responsible for monitoring your social media platforms leading up to and during the event. Be sure to engage with your audience by re-posting appropriate content and media from event participants.
Expand your reach: If you’d like to reach audiences beyond the room, consider live streaming your event online, sharing updates and poignant key points from the session for those who were not able to attend. This is also a great way to inadvertently attract interest for potential upcoming events. It’s a win-win!
We hope you take these tips into consideration when you’re planning your next corporate event. We’d love to host your function at #LiunaGardens, so get in touch with us today to start planning!
Stay tuned for weekly blog updates and be sure to follow us on Instagram @Liuna_Gardens as we deliver fresh, new content to inspire, excite and assist as you plan your dream event. From all of us at Liuna Gardens, thank you for following along!
