The value of posting out to social media about events is often overlooked by employers, employees and freelancers. Whether it be networking events, informal business meetups or exhibitions, start posting reactive content to your business’ social media profiles to increase engagement on your pages. This trick will help you to show, rather than tell, your audience about your business by covering events live on social media.
-
Consider Your Platforms
Posting live updates at events may not be effective on all platforms. Multiple posts on Facebook and Instagram feeds can start to seem ‘spam-like’ to followers, instead consider posting regular stories on Facebook and Instagram, and up to three strong, focused posts to your feeds summarising the event. LinkedIn will benefit from one strong post wrapping up all the action of the day, some key people you networked with, and some photos illustrating what you gained from the event.
Live tweets are a great idea, posting out at least every 30 minutes. Always be sure to use official hashtags if there is one for an event, and ensure you are tagging the correct accounts for any businesses or events you are tagging in your posts.
-
Livestream & Post in Real-Time
Posting quotes, photos and time-lapses of lectures, panels, booths at exhibitions or performances can make strong posts, but it’s also worth experimenting with recording slightly longer, high-quality video or photos on high-definition cameras and reserving material to edit and post after the event.
Be mindful of how much you are allowed to cover. Certain talks won’t be able to be included in coverage, some material might be under embargo, and some people will not want to appear on social media. The best way to find out is to communicate with others at the event and those running the stall, talk or event, and to get in touch with event organisers ahead of time.
-
Consider Blogging About Your Experience
For key all-day or weekend events, it’s worth considering writing up a blog post on your experience, summing up talks you attended, including photos, and name-dropping businesses and individuals that really stood out for you. This is a great way to reach out to new connections and the event organisers to encourage them to share your coverage.
-
Don’t Overlook Networking
Posting photos or even short (<1 minute) video clips with people you speak with and network with at events is a great way to get their social media details and tag them and their business, giving you more leads to follow up with after the event and a higher chance that your content and profiles will be shared.
5) Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
For longer events where you might be needing to post regularly to stories, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds, LinkedIn and collecting material for YouTube videos and blog posts, if possible having a team dedicated to event coverage can help save time and ensure coverage is as strong as possible.
Sending photos and videos in a WhatsApp group, email chain, Facebook message or Slack channel helps to quickly share content and discuss an event with a team who might not be there but can help with social media posts. The key to this is to organise who will cover what platform ahead of time, and the kinds of content you are expecting to collect. If schedules change, these groups can also be a useful way to convey this quickly and clearly.
-
Bring portable chargers!
This tip speaks for itself but bring along a portable charger because all-day events and using social media platforms constantly can be a huge drain on your phone battery!
-
Engage with others!
Social media is about conversations and engaging with others. Reply to comments and replies, share anybody on Instagram tagging you into their stories, and consider integrating polls and Q&As into coverage to create posts that other attendees and those interested in the event can engage with. Always make sure you are using official event hashtags in these posts and tag the event on social media if the event has a profile!
Go into the event with a plan of which platforms you are posting to, the frequency of posting, and which photos and videos you are aiming to collect on the day. The most important aspect of live posting is to seem coordinated, but spontaneous and authentic, so stay calm, have fun, and plan ahead of time!