The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing for Events

Take a minute and think about this question. Can you think of any brand that you like/ have interacted with which doesn’t have a social media presence? 

Chances are, you haven’t. Today, having a social media presence is integral to building a great brand presence. And, using your social media handle to promote your brand event is simply an extension of the presence you have already built. 

In an earlier blog, we had spoken about how critical email marketing is for event planning. We even said that despite the availability of multiple online and offline marketing channels, email marketing continues to dominate all marketing strategies and promises to deliver higher ROI at lesser costs. While all this is still true, did you know that closely following email marketing in event effectiveness, is social media marketing? 

A report by Sweap, a global event software provider, reveals that social media marketing is one of the most used event marketing channels, and nearly 60% of virtual event planners use social media to get event registrations. 

But, for any brand trying to create a social buzz for their event, these questions often come to mind; 

• Where should we start in building a social presence for the event? 
• Where should we invest in paid promotions and where should we invest in organic reach? 
• Is there a reference we can turn towards? 

Well, we’ve got answers to all these questions and more.  

In this blog, we do a low-down on social media event marketing 101, starting from how to build a social presence for your event, to sharing best practices to make your social campaigns and eventual event registrations successful. 

Building a Social Media Presence for an Event from Scratch 

A Merit expert says, “When it comes to building a social media presence for your event, it’s important to begin by defining your goals and objectives. Determine what you want to achieve through your social media efforts. Whether it’s increasing event registrations, building brand awareness, or generating user-generated content.” 

Next, research which social media platforms are most popular among your target audience. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok, understanding where your target attendees are most active will allow you to effectively reach and engage with them. 

Once you have identified the platforms, create a consistent brand image across all your social media channels. Develop a cohesive brand identity that aligns with your event’s theme, logo, colours, and messaging. Consistency in branding helps establish recognition and build trust amongst your audience. 

With a solid foundation in place, it’s time to plan your content strategy. Create engaging and relevant content that will resonate with your target audience. Consider a mix of promotional content, behind-the-scenes glimpses, speaker or performer highlights, interactive polls or contests, and user-generated content to keep your social media channels active and interesting. 

Remember to interact with your audience by responding to comments, questions, and direct messages promptly. Engage in conversations, encourage attendees to share their excitement and experiences, and create a sense of community around your event. 

Paid Promotions vs Organic Reach 

The decision to use paid promotions or organic reach in social media event marketing depends on your budget, timeline, and goals.  

If you have a limited budget, focusing on organic strategies initially can maximise resources. With ample time before the event, building organic reach through consistent content creation and engagement can be beneficial for your brand.  

However, if your event is approaching or you want to achieve specific promotional milestones, paid promotions can reach a larger audience quickly. Paid promotions offer advanced targeting options to reach a specific audience segment based on demographics, interests, location, and behaviour. Organic reach relies on the algorithm and existing follower engagement, which may not guarantee targeted exposure.  

Ultimately, a balanced approach that combines both paid promotions and organic reach can yield the best results for your event. 

7 Metrics Your Brand Must Track During Social Media Event Marketing 

Tracking metrics is crucial to measuring the success and impact of your social media campaigns. Here are key metrics you must watch out for to make your campaign a success; 

Reach and Impressions 

Measure the number of unique users who have been exposed to your event content (reach) and the total number of times your content has been seen (impressions). These metrics give you an idea of the potential audience size and the overall visibility of your event. 

Engagement 

Track metrics such as likes, comments, shares, retweets, and mentions. These indicate the level of interaction and interest generated by your event content.  

Click-through Rate (CTR) 

Measure the percentage of users who clicked on a link or call-to-action in your social media posts. CTR helps evaluate the effectiveness of your content and its ability to drive traffic to your event website or registration page. 

Conversion Rate 

Analyse the percentage of users who completed a desired action, such as registering for the event, purchasing tickets, or signing up for a newsletter. Conversion rate directly ties to the success of your event marketing efforts in driving meaningful actions. 

Hashtag Performance 

If you are utilising event-specific hashtags, monitor their usage and reach. Track the number of posts using the hashtag and analyse the engagement and reach associated with those posts. This provides insights into the conversation and community surrounding your event. 

Sentiment Analysis 

Monitor the sentiment of social media mentions related to your event. Assess whether the overall sentiment is positive, negative, or neutral. Sentiment analysis helps gauge the perception and satisfaction levels of attendees and the general public. 

Return on Investment (ROI) 

Evaluate the financial impact of your event social media marketing efforts. Measure metrics such as cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), or return on ad spend (ROAS) to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of your paid advertising campaigns.  

Increasing ROI 

Although crafting an audience to target in social media can be effective, you py for the competition which can decrease your ROI. To improve your targetting, building or purchasing your own list can vastly increase your ROI. This can be done organically through inbound marketing or by purchasing a bespoke contact list from a professional email database.  

Merit’s Expertise in Marketing Data Intelligence 

Using our proprietary technology, we source, filter and qualify marketing data from thousands of online sources. We further enrich the data with expert research to deliver accurate contact lists that yield maximum conversion rates. Merit’s marketing data has proven to: 

• Multiply your event RoI with the best target data possible  
• Drive attendance at niche events and conferences 
• Be accurate, up-to-date and tailored for your exact audience  
• Be fully compliant (GDPR in particular), transparent and audit-friendly  

We are more than just a list broker; with a proven 10-year track record in building and validating over 100 million global contacts a year, our clients can rely on us to target relevant and engaging audience groups. 

To know more about Merit’s marketing expertise, visit https://www.meritdata-tech.com/service/data/marketing-data/