Social Media Content From Your Live Event
Covered in this post—
How to Use Social Media at Live Events
Make a Hashtag
Post Your Handles
Strategically Livestream
and More!
Few tools in an event manager's utility belt have the power to extend well beyond the event itself, reaching new audiences and generating engagement, like social media content. Even as the use of social content during live events grows, orchestrating a well-planned social media strategy takes timing and precision.
Having a solid game plan and the right people in place at the right time during your event, will ensure that you capture every shareable moment, and reach as many people as possible. Typically the go-to strategy revolves around livestreaming, and while it may take centerstage during the event, there are additional components that need to be accounted for to achieve the best possible results.
Leveraging specific tools within each social media platform, strategically placing content creators throughout the event, and engaging with your audience all come together to create a symphony of engagement.
Social media can be a goldmine for your event. At Mark Campbell Productions, our expert team can help you create shareable social media content to help generate buzz leading up to, during, and after your live event. With a professional team in your corner, the sky is the limit.
How to Use Social Media at Live Events
Despite the growing popularity of social media as an event tool, putting resources in place to maximize its potential is frequently overlooked. Many event managers simply task an already overburdened team member with livestreaming the event for a few minutes, in the hope that their efforts will pay off.
Having someone dedicated to social media content during the event is step number one.
While the media, photography, and videography team you hire will get great footage, livestreaming and running other social media mid-event is best done by someone on your team who is connected to your audience members. The more connected that team member is, the easier it will be for them to zip around with their phone capturing quick-share moments and insights from attendees.
By designating specific roles, you allow the social media manager to focus on the task at hand, while your fantastic recaps will come later when the professional content has been edited.
To help set that person up for success, incorporate the following pieces into your social media strategy during your live event.
Make a Hashtag
Content alone only has so much potential. The chances of creating a viral video aren’t as common as it might seem. Hashtags provide the bridge that connects your event and a wider audience that has similar interests.
As you promote your event, create a unique hashtag that is easily recognizable and shareable. Put up signage and encourage your attendees to tag any personal photos or videos for maximum reach.
Consider these tips:
Great hashtags are short and sweet
Leave out unnecessary spaces or words
Make it relevant to the event
Make it easy for someone to type out
Hashtags are like ice cream, there are a million different flavors and only you can pick the one that works for your event.
Post Your Handles
Every piece of signage at your event is an opportunity to direct people to your social media channels. Adding your company’s Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok handles to your banners, or on-screen during presentations gives your audience the ability to find you more easily and engage.
In an ideal world, all of your attendees would already be connected with your organization on each social media platform. In reality, you may only have a small percentage currently following your company’s various social media channels. This is a great opportunity to boost exposure for your event and help with your long-term social strategy.
Calls to Action
Engagement doesn’t always happen within a bubble. As we mentioned earlier, having a dedicated social media manager that is outgoing and engaging is a huge benefit. Not only will they be able to create those shareable moments, but they can literally ask attendees to engage.
To make the process more engaging for your audience, simply build a contest around social engagement. If the person likes, shares, and follows during the event, their name is entered to win a small door prize.
Pro Tip – Be sure to share the winner receiving their gift. Doing so creates a unique piece of content that highlights the audience.
Strategically Livestream
Livestreaming is one of the best ways to capture high-energy moments, such as an exciting speaker taking the stage. These quick snapshots are like jolts of adrenaline to your event’s social campaign.
Keep in mind that planning is a must for an effective livestream. Those golden nugget moments happen in real-time, and if your team is rushing from one area of your event to the next, you might miss out on specific content. Mapping out must-livestream moments will help ensure that nothing is missed.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and now LinkedIn all make great livestream platforms.
Share and Tag
Have you considered how you are going to share and tag photos and live videos from your event?
Tagging and sharing shouldn’t be a foreign concept, but most people lump everything together in a single post. The result of this is limited exposure, even if engagement is high.
Share often and tag smart, as an alternative. Instead of sharing a group of photos and tagging 20 people, space it out throughout the day for the best resharing possibilities.
Consider a Boosting Budget
Some of your organization’s most shareable content will come from your events. Consider putting a little money behind that to turbocharge your reach and engagement.
Great options exist even if you are on a shoestring budget. Boosting posts is one of the most effective ways to extend your reach without breaking the bank – simply define the audience, set your max spend amount, and let the social platform amplify your message.
Pro Tip: Have the tools in place before the event starts. You don’t want to have a social media manager looking for a company credit card last minute.
Stories and Shorts
Livestreaming isn’t the only real-time video component that can be shared during your event. Stories and shorts are a great option for gathering feedback, attendee testimonials, and more. These tools provide two key components that shouldn’t be overlooked.
First, short videos create instantly recognizable moments for attendees. Engagement with this type of content is quick and easy. At the same time, it also peels back the curtain and shows those that didn’t attend your event what they were missing, and why they should consider registering in the future.
Partner With the Pros: Sweet Social Media Content… and so Much More
Social media’s role in event promotion is only to grow. Getting the right pieces in place and having a solid game plan will make it easy to create lasting content that drives engagement and helps grow your audience. Remember that with great power, comes great responsibility.
Each year Chicago plays host to hundreds of events, of all shapes and sizes, and our expert team of photographers, videographers, and content specialists are ready for any challenge. At Mark Campbell Productions, we know the power of social media, and we are here to help you unlock your digital potential.
Connect with our team and get your quote today.