Events are crucial to growing your business. They give you an opportunity to network with others in your industry, attract new clients and learn new tactics. But you can maximize this opportunity if you use social media properly before, during and after the event.
Before:
Find other partners or clients (current and prospective) who are going to the event and start interacting with them on Twitter. Ask them what they are looking forward to most about the event, what they plan on doing there and if they’ve been before.
When you get to the event, they will know to look for you. Not only is the ice broken, but you and your business are now top of mind to them before the event even starts. That’s why they call it social networking.
Live updates
Live Tweeting from any event allows those who aren’t there to follow along, giving more people a reason to follow you. You can also interact with other attendees who are following along with event discussion.
Providing updates on the event enhances your status as an industry expert (hey, you invest in events like this, don’t you?). Moderators of the event will likely share your updates, increasing your reach to your target audience. More attendees will also know to come and look for you, yet another ice breaker.
Images and video:
These updates must go beyond text. Take pictures and videos to share on Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram and YouTube. Visual content from events appeals to those who could not attend, as they can experience what is happening in real-time. Other attendees may also enjoy the content you’re sharing, making them more likely to interact with you.
After:
Summarize your social experience at events with sites like Storify. Write a blog post discussing what you did at the event, what you learned and who you met. This allows you to continue interacting with those you met and keeps the discussion going.
These connections could lead to serious business opportunities. So make sure you make it easy for others to reach out to you on social media.