by Sarah Santacroce
Planning an event, whether it is a networking event, public seminar or a personal tea party, can take a lot of time and energy.
In order to make each event an absolute success, there are some great Social Media tools you can use for your Event Marketing.
- Blog
Write a blog post about your upcoming event. Introduce topics, speakers, prizes etc. This will encourage people to register and
spread the word about your event. - Facebook
Facebook has it’s own Event application. It’s pretty easy. You just create your event listing and then decide who can see the event.
Make sure you select “Show the guest list”. It’s always easier to participate if a friend of yours is already on the guest list! And don’t
forget to invite all your friends. Read this post on Mashable for more details on how to post an event on Facebook. - Twitter
Prior, during and after your event you can use Twitter to create buzz around your event. I recommend you create a specific hashtag (#). Go to hashtags.org to find out if your specific hashtag is available. Choose a short and easy hashtag. You will have to constantly remind your attendees of the hashtag by mentioning it during the event, on your website, on Facebook etc. You can even create a widget which only displays the comments concerning your hashtag. Create it here. - Email Marketing
Don’t forget to inform your list about your upcoming event ! With Email Marketing tools such as AWeber, Constant Contact or Mail Chimp you can create separate lists for each event and even create a webform where people can RSVP. If you add a “Share this” button at the end of your e-mail you maximize your outreach even more. Read this blog post from AWeber. - Linkedin
Linkedin is another great platform for event marketing. Go to Linkedin.com and you will find the events under the “more” tab on the right.
From there you click on “add an event” and enter all your info. Make sure you click the “add more details” button. You will then be able to enter your website url, a short description of the event and most importantly some keywords and job titles of people who should attend the event. If it’s a virtual event, check the “this is a virtual event” box. Once you are satisfied, hit the “Preview” button and then hit “Publish Event”. For more details, read this post from “Market Like a Chick”. - Xing
This is another option, mostly for my European readers. Same idea as Linkedin, so just login to your xing account and then follow the steps to create your event. Find more info here. - Evite for personal events
This one is not really for professional events, but I think it still deserves a spot on this list. From birthday parties to housewarmings, you can easily create an invitation and send your friends and e-mail. You have the options of asking them something to bring, indicate how many kids are attending and even display your personal profile with photo etc. I use this for all my private parties !
After the event, don’t forget to:
- post pictures on your Facebook page, Flickr, Twitpic and Evite
- send out a Thank you e-mail via Email Marketing
- send out Thank you message to your Twitter hashtag
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