Facebook:
Okay, we already mentioned the 350 million+ active users. But did we mention the average Facebook user has 130 friends, is invited to three events per month (on average), and that more than 65 million active users access their account through a mobile device (all these stats from Facebook's official stats page)? This is where your prospective attendees are at, no question about it. So if there's one spice you need to add to your secret sauce, it's Facebook.
What you need:
Create a company fan page. Here's an excellent two-part article on how to do this with relative ease.
How to leverage it:
Your fan page will be the place where you can:
- Promote events (to attract attendees)
- Upload clips from recent events (so people who didn't attend can get a flavor for what they missed)
- Provide incentives to your fan base only by using promotional codes
- Solicit questions in advance of an event
- Poll fans on what topics they'd like to see covered in the future
Twitter
Tweet, tweet, tweet. It's been around since 2006, and 2009 was the year it really caught on. While many businesses are still struggling with how to use Twitter effectively overall, here are some tips on how to use it effectively before, during, and after your online events.
What you need:
A Twitter account and followers. Here's another good two-part article on the ins and outs of Twitter.
How to leverage it:
- Before an event:
Promote your event (but don't over promote it - people don't want to be spammed). This is more challenging than you think. The first half of your tweet should resonate and be memorable. The second half of your tweet will include a link to your dedicated landing page for the event. You'll want to use a URL shortener like bit.ly. Here's how a promotional tweet might look for a webinar on the facts and myths of the H1NI vaccine:
Overwhelmed by H1N1 info? Get the facts at our free webinar: "H1N1: Myth vs. Reality" http://bit.ly-url-here/ Pls RT
Prior to the event, have those staff members who are taking part in the event Tweet about it with something like:
Getting ready for our H1N1 webinar. The virtual room is filled. Send questions to me via DM or @BusinessTwitterHandle
- During an event:
At the beginning of your event, let people know where they can send questions to by providing your Twitter handle (or a dedicated Twitter handle for this event). Make sure someone is following this handle so that you can respond to questions coming in. You can also use a dedicated hashtag for the event (read more about hashtags here).
Let's stop and think about this: you're able to get real-time reactions from people attending your webinar or video conference. Not only that, but the people who tweet during your event are also promoting your organization. How so? Let's say an attendee tweets this:
@BusinessTwitterHandle Is the H1N1 vaccine really safe for kids? Is there any science to back it up?
Someone following this person could click on your business's Twitter handle and learn more about your organization and potentially become a follower. Not only that, but now you can make sure you cover this question (and you know the old saying about if one person has a question, more than likely others do as well). Talk about instant and effective content-customization!
(By the way, we recommend having someone on your end acknowledge these questions coming in via Twitter.)
- After an event:
All the people in your organization involved with the live event should post a recap of their experience. Don't micro-manage this. Let them tweet what they want so it sounds natural. If you're making the slide deck or audio available to the masses, promote the link once it's live. A captive audience is your best audience. If you just had a kick-butt event and have another one planned, promote it now while the positive experience is in attendees' minds.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great way to connect people who attended your live event. Don't underestimate the value in this: like-minded people like to meet and connect with like-minded people. And if your organization is the one to introduce them, well, that's another positive for your business (yes, even if they don't buy from you right away).
What you need:
A LinkedIn account and connections.
How to leverage it:
- Consider creating a group for your event. This can be especially effective for online "summits" and events that occur over more than one day. The people who attend longer events with a theme have the overall theme in common, so allowing these folks a place to connect with one another is another great benefit you can offer them.
- You can also promote your event to your own connections and ask that they look at their connections and see who might be interested in attending your event.
- Also, take advantage of LinkedIn's newest feature: its integration with Twitter. You can set up LinkedIn so that your tweets feed your LinkedIn stream...you'll likely reach a wider audience. Read more about how to do that here.
Blogs
You may have heard about the death of blogging a few years back. Premature, indeed. Blogging is alive and well, and studies show that SMBs (small- to medium-sized businesses) that blog regularly have more Twitter followers to boot. Your business blog is a great way to do more of what we've been talking about above. Consider it another social media channel.
What you need:
A blog that's kept up-to-date. Make sure you have a way for people to subscribe via RSS and email.
How to leverage it:
The blog gives you space to do what you can't accomplish in 140 characters or even on a company landing page. It allows you to have a conversation with readers, to really "talk" to them. Talk about your goals for the particular event, what your hopes are that people will get out of it, and even share some of your concerns or questions. If you have a healthy number of followers, you'll get feedback--feedback that can help you tweak and customize your content.
When the event is over, provide a post mortem, but again, offer it up in a conversational way. This is the place for self-deprecating humor as well as for saying what you're most proud of from the event. And, of course, it's also the place to promote downloads or paid re-broadcasts as well as clips or audio from the event.
Have you used social media in other ways to promote your events? I'd love to hear about it. Email me now