Digital & Social Media for Event Organisers

Richard KellySenior Digital Marketing Manager

@richiekellyhttp://uk.linkedin.com/in/richardiankelly

Digital & Media Directorate

Digital Media in Context

Quick Video

• I could talk about the importance of the web…• …but the facts speak for themselves:• http://bit.ly/m4C6O1

Six Steps To Success

Pre-Event:

Setting the Foundation

1. Establish your channels

• Protect yourself: Register relevant online properties• Domain names• Social profiles

• Knowem• Setup a blog: Central hub for all activity

• Wordpress is free, simple to use and powerful• Create an event page on Facebook / LinkedIn• Choose a Twitter hashtag

• Short, sweet – and unique

1. Establish your channels

• Formally announce it: • Blog it• Online press release

• PRWeb• PRNewswire• Pitchengine

• Be findable• Google yourself• Occupy multiple search results for your event name

• Multiple social profiles will help do this• Define measurement (more on this later)

2. Spread The Word

• Create a content plan: Know what you’re going to say in advance• Examples:

• New announcements• Previous highlights• ‘Behind the scenes’• Competitions / incentives

• Make content shareable• Make content valuable

• Funny or useful, facts & figures• Be reactive:

• Piggyback relevant news & events

2. Spread The Word

• Promote central event hub URL (e.g. Blog) everywhere – e.g. Email signature, social channel profiles

• Integrate social channels within central event hub (Twitter feeds, Facebook, etc.)

• Identify & reward Twitter influencers• Wefollow• Klout• Technorati

2. Spread The Word

• Run a pre-event competition• Leverage partners’ social channels

• The Talent• Speakers / Bands / Artists / Authors / Whoever

• The location• Venue / Local Authorities

2. Spread The Word

• Social event planners • Integrated with other

social platforms• Use your attendees to

spread the word: Their registrations shared with their social graph• Eventbrite• Evite• Plancast

During: Generate a Buzz

3. Get Interactive with Twitter

• Encourage tweeting wherever possible• Promote Twitter hashtag – put it everywhere!

• Posters• Badges• Presentations

• Facilitate real time feedback & discussion• Display live stream of tweets• Encourage talent to incorporate it• Incorporate with event plan

• e.g. SAP Twitter Powerpoint Tools

4. Share it

• Geo-location• Incentivise check-ins with small rewards

• Integration increases online footprint• Find friends - Glympse

• Stream it: Show the world with live online video• Facebook/Qik/Ustream

4. Share it

• Aggregate it: Use your own site to display the above as it happens live• Embed everything

• Generate even more discussion and buzz• Make non-attendees feel welcome...• ...but jealous!

After: Maintain & Measure

5. Maintain Momentum

• Keep the buzz going / fanbase engaged• Blog the highlights• Content generated is an asset – archive it• Use social platforms to increase footprint &

findability• Crowdsource help in organising it• Promote it through your channels

6. Measure It

• Measure it: What worked? What didn’t?• Facebook insights• Google Alerts• Twitter• Bit.ly

• Solicit feedback• Facebook polls• Google Docs

• Wash, rinse, repeat!

Summary

Beforehand:• Establish what you’re going to say, where you’re

going to say it and who can help you spread it

During: • Build a buzz: encourage discussion• Share the experience: you, your attendees, the

wider web

After: • Keep talking, keep asking, keep sharing• Measure, analyse, reiterate

Richard Kelly - @richiekelly