We were recently asked to help with some last minute social media promotion for an event. We would normally recommend at least 3 months lead up however we only had a few days, but with everyone focused on the goal and the fact that the client was able to supply us with good content, we were able to work fast and get some good results.

Here are our tips for using Twitter for an event:

Objective of Social Media Campaign

Firstly make sure everyone is clear on the main objective of the social media campaign. If time is short then everyone needs to be focused. Our campaign was aimed at spreading awareness in the local borough about an event, therefore our first port of call was to identify some key influencers in the borough. If time is short you are going to need connections. Once you know the aim of your campaign you will need to make smart decisions on how to achieve your goal.

Twitter Analytics

Make sure you have twitter analytics set up from the offset. You will need to check your stats to make sure your strategy is working & to shape any future campaigns.

Twitter Lists

If you are setting up a new twitter account for your campaign, then start with good practise, it will save you time in the long run. Create Twitter Lists as you go, this will allow you to find the content you want to see and monitor those key accounts and influencers. Particularly useful if time is short and you need to familiarise yourself with the content quickly. 

Hashtags

Research your hashtags, give your event a hashtag and encourage attendees and others involved to use it, but not before you’ve done your research. There may be other hashtags you can jump on to help build your account quickly. A hashtag for your event is a must, particularly useful on the day of the event allowing you to monitor and help spread the word of any relevant content.

Make sure you have good content. Start by writing a general post about the event, tagging people in the post or image and pin it to the top of your Twitter page. This will probably be the first tweet people see when they visit your profile.

We found it useful for one person to write the content and another to create the accompanying visuals. Make sure you include relevant hashtags and twitter handles where you can.

Schedule your Content

Set up a social media dashboard such as Hootsuite or Buffer and schedule your content,  research optimum times to post ensuring you are getting the most from your content. 

Influencers

Who do you know who can help you get the word out on Twitter? Make contact with them, and ask for them to support the campaign but you should be prepared to return the favour and support them in return. After all it’s all about being social!

Social Media at the Event

Make sure you have someone available to monitor the account throughout the event, either in person or virtually, you will need to interact, retweet and reply where appropriate. Check your Twitter lists during the event for activity and search your event hashtag to see if you can pick up other mentions, they may not all use your twitter handle.

After the Event

It’s always advisable to keep your social media ticking over rather than just abandon it until the next event, a static account will loose followers quickly and do make sure you unpin any tweets that are no longer relevant or out of date. now passed.

You might also be interested to read Online Event Promotion – What to Consider which is more geared up to events if you have a longer time to build up the social media presence.