Twitter offers incredible potential for event marketers to promote events and inspire members with meaningful content. And you don’t have to launch an elaborate social media campaign to get results. Follow these best practices to connect and inspire your base on Twitter—and maybe even see attendance numbers rise.
- Create an event-specific hashtag.
This will help you track the conversation before, during, and after your event. You can find out a lot about your members this way. What questions are they asking? Which sessions are they talking about? What were their disappointments? Choose a hashtag that’s unique but easy to remember. Put it on everything—your direct mail pieces, brochures, website, a billboard…everything. - Link to interesting and informative content.
Share your organization’s blog posts, but don’t forget to link to third-party info that is also useful to your members. Your goal is to be seen as a resource. - Be authentic and human.
Even if your organization has a Twitter page, consider establishing pages for key leadership personnel. Your members want to see the human side of your organization, and a human profile pic (rather than a corporate logo) can go a long way in fostering connectivity with your base. Regardless of the type of page, tweet in a genuine, conversational tone. - Be entertaining.
Tweet a quote, a joke, or a beautiful image. Engage people emotionally. You might not get a measurable result from entertaining tweets, but they help to portray your brand personality and will eventually draw like-minded members to your organization. - Participate.
Be sure to favorite member tweets that catch your attention. Tweet @ members and prospects and retweet their interesting tweets. Talk with people, not at them. What saves Twitter from being a noisy crowd of people furthering their own interests is genuine human connectivity. - Ask for the sale.
Avoid being overly promotional most of the time, but don’t be afraid to ask members to renew dues, sign up for your events, or buy your products every once in a while. Mention early bird discounts or special offers to soften the message and make members feel like they’re getting special treatment by following you on Twitter. - Integrate with offline promotions.
Interactive storytelling can help you get more mileage out of your marketing. Ask a thought-provoking question in your direct mail piece and encourage members to tweet their answers. Ask for photographs. This interaction will not only engage members; it will help you tailor your event to meet their needs.
Having followers makes you a leader. While it seems like the goal on Twitter is to get as many followers, favorites, and retweets as possible, it’s wise to keep in mind that we must offer value to our base or they will find it elsewhere.
Twitter is just another extension of your authentic brand story. Make sure your language, images, and corporate identity on Twitter are consistent with the rest of your branding. Tell stories. Tweet professional images that represent your organization. Encourage a conversation with your base. The result will be connectivity, inspiration, and a stronger following online and in person.
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