How to Effectively Use Social Media to Promote Your Event

Never underestimate the power of social media. Planning ahead to create a multi-platform strategy surrounding your event will ensure that you're telling the right story of your brand and maximizing publicity.

TIP 1: DELEGATE

Begin to slowly build a social media promotion schedule a couple of weeks ahead, increasing frequency in the last week. Along with press release and flyers, show some behind-the-scenes preparation. Decide who is going to be responsible for posting on Instagram and Twitter at the event, and how often they will post in real time.

TIP 2: PROMOTE A HASHTAG

Create a dedicated hashtag for the event that guests can use in their social media, making sure it's prominently displayed in all promotional materials and on location. This will populate into a feed that will create buzz and also allow for easy tracking of photos and comments post-event when you want to measure analytics.

TIP 3: FOLLOW UP ON THE EXCITEMENT

Post professional photos from the step-and-repeat and top event highlights within the first 24 hours, when people are still excited and checking in. If you have a lot of media you don't know what to do with, try using Storify (http://storify.com/) to collect Tweets, videos, and photos and embed them in your website or share them through social media. Send a follow-up email news blast to attendees with a "thank-you" and a hyperlink to the photo gallery.