Presented By:

Taylor Brione Ballard

USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN EVENT

MARKETING

Taylor Brione BallardUniversity of Houston, Hotel Restaurant Management

MajorEvent Planner/ Certified Wedding PlannerBlogger, Pretty Pink Living (www.taylorbrione.com)Freelance WriterSocial Media Enthusiast info@taylorbrione.com

ABOUT ME

SIXTY SECONDS OF SOCIAL SHARING

Build an online community around your eventAttract attendees for the eventHelp attendees connect with each otherBroadens participation throughout the eventEncourages information for sharingLeverages event for media coverage online and off.

WHY SOCIAL MEDIA?

Optimize the event for sharing by having as many distribution channels as possible.

Top Two to Focus on:

FacebookTwitter

GETTING STARTED

WHY FACEBOOK?

Create a Facebook LIKE Page make sure privacy settings allow “PUBLIC” to view and post

comments and pictures Pages have advantage over groups and event pages

because they show up in news feeds Create a public Facebook EVENT and encourage

attendees to share on their personal status updates Include an EVENTS tab on your Facebook fan page

that directs visitors to where they can register or purchase event tickets

Include a “LIKE” badge on the organization or event website

HOW TO ADD FACEBOOK TO YOUR STRATEGY

LIKE PAGE

Can add direct registration or ticket purchase right here.

Some pages don’t have this option for likers to add content. Having this option available allows people to write or add pictures before, during, and after the event.

EVENT PAGE

Allows you to add to Outlook or Google Calendar

Depending on your event, you may want it to private or open only to some people.

Encourage urgency or limited ticket sales without sending an email.

WHY TWITTER?

And most of all, everything is in real time!

Promote “following” the event or organizations twitter for updates

Ask for people to share your updates with the phrase “PLEASE RT”

Create an event hashtag EX. #moneyweek2013Give out incentives to share the hashtag or RT by

off ering door prizes, raffl e tickets, etc.Have a designated tweeter to tweet out whats

happening at your event in real time

HOW TO ADD TWITTER TO YOUR STRATEGY

TWITTER

Twitter Search for #HouMarathon

Share images on Twitter and Instagram with #HouMarathon

Retweets (RT) show up in the followers timeline for non-followers to see

Pinterest: online pin board Instagram: Twitter for pictures

PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM

Save, share, and locate event ideas for theme, décor,

favors, etc

Share your event with others on Instagram and Twitter with the

use of hashtags.

Add pictures to website or FlickrPost pictures and videos to the Facebook page and

tag those in the pictures so that it shows up on their page

Encourage participation by inviting guest to share their pictures to the Facebook page or on Twitter by using the event hashtag

Create a short video or picture slideshow and upload to organizations Youtube channel

Embed videos on website or company blog Invite guest of honor or speakers to write blog to get

attendees excited for event

MULTIMEDIA

Social Media has revolutionized events and you have a lot of resources at your disposal. Remember that quality beats quantity. Start out with the main networks, discover your target audience, and use what works best for you.

SUMMARY

Questions??

THANK YOU!