NOVEMBER | TRENDING
Social success
Access talks to Richard Dodgson, founder and creative director,
Timebased about amplifying your event exposure using social media
I
t’s undeniable that social media
is an integral part of 21st Century
society. Taking advantage of its many
opportunities and benefits, for each event,
can make all the difference to its success
and the amount of exposure achieved. Not
only can social media help to drive business
enquiries, it also supports your authenticity
as a brand and gives potential clients vital
insights on your work. Used in the correct
way it can be a goldmine, used wrongly and
you’re compromising the brand.
The first step towards successfully using
social media to amplify your event exposure
is to prioritise your goals and ask yourself
‘what do I want to achieve?’. Do you want to
raise awareness, would you like to promote
a product, or do you want to simply drive
direct sales? Once you have made this
crucial decision, the choice of which social
media platform to use, and how to use it,
comes into play.
Know your platforms
With the incessant modern-day demand
for creative innovation and instant visual
content, Instagram has climbed up the ranks
to become the most popular platform among
a contemporary audience. Since its release
almost eight years ago, it has developed its
offering considerably with the introduction
of IGTV, stories and videos. This has given
companies more ways than ever before to
get their message out there and make an
impression. When doing so, you should
be conscious of remaining consistent in
your messaging style. For instance, decide
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whether you will post high-quality curated
photography or more ad-hoc mobile phone
style content that creates the sense of being
behind the scenes. Both are equally valid, but
choosing one approach and sticking to it is
vital for creating and maintaining the feel of
your brand.
Thanks to the assent of Instagram, we are
seeing a marked rise in companies seeking
to create memorable ‘Instagrammable
Moments’. These ‘Moments’ act as a
backdrop, enticing attendees to take photos
with powerful visual content, for instance
an attractive floral staircase at an M&S
fashion event, encouraging them to post on
their Instagram channels. As a result, they
drive authentic engagement and awareness
of both the event and the brand as a whole.
Although it has seen a drop-off in recent
years, Twitter remains an important
channel for connecting with consumers
and securing attention. A key way to
enhance your event through the platform
is to populate it with appropriate hashtags
before, during and after the event itself.
Doing so will enable you to raise and sustain
awareness, as well as shape consumers’
engagement, to secure a consistent message.
A brand should use the same hashtags
throughout the event’s lifespan, from the
lead-up to the follow-up content. The latter
could include tributes to the sponsors and
partners or you could draw on memorable
highlights.
LinkedIn is another fantastic way to
nurture your business connections, as
well as attract potential customers and
consequently drive sales. It offers a great
opportunity to showcase your event and, by
extension, your product or service. As such,
it’s a platform that should by no means be
overlooked.
More for less, or less for more?
There is an ongoing debate regarding
whether focussing on fewer, but more
targeted engagements is the most effective
way to amplify your event, or whether a
higher volume of less targeted “likes” is
the best option. While there is no single
right answer, you should be conscious that
while likes are often viewed as a significant
criterion of success, if these are made by
individuals who aren’t really buying into
your brand they won’t deliver as great a
financial return.
Influencers
Nowadays, Influencers are increasingly
dominating the social media landscape,
particularly in relation to businesses, as
they hold the key to significant numbers of
relevant customers. An Instagram post or
tweet from a well-known name can be the
difference between a company’s success
or failure, due to the trust built between
themselves and their following. As such,
they’re a powerful tool for raising awareness