Social media is like flash photography: even if you ban it from your event, people will still stubbornly use it. Several times, in fact, just to spite you. Unlike annoying strobe flashes though, tweets and updates are actually something you can turn around to your advantage.
Even though whatever someone posts online about your event is largely out of your control, it’s still just a reflection of how people experience your event. If they really love your event, people will rave about it for days. If it really sucks, prepare for an avalanche of hate. And yes, nobody actually cares to tweet about “meh” events.
One thing is certain though: social media has made a huge impact in the events industry, which is why we have Julius Solaris of Event Manager Blog for this week’s Best Event Talks. He shares a few stats and tips on how to make the most out of social media for your event.
Solaris is a reformed social media consultant turned event technology blogger. And yes, he did write the book on social media for events.
A couple of tidbits we picked up from the video:
- 85% mainly use social media for marketing, BUT 54% don’t even measure their social media efforts.
- 80% have used social media for at least one event, BUT 80% spend less than $1,000 in social media efforts.
I’m sure that like me, you’re seeing the disjoint here in how event managers seem to be using social media for events. Just like SEO before it, social media still seems to have the status of hot-new-thing. Yes, everyone uses it and it’s really great when it works. But most don’t really take it that seriously, which is a shame.
In the video, Solaris shows us how we can use effectively use social media for events you manage. I’ll give you a hint: it starts with a plan. Watch the video to find out more. Enjoy!
