Social Media Marketing Tips-5 Steps To Turning Events Into Social Media Gold

As Social Media Strategists, when we were present at a grand opening event yesterday and watching all the effort put into a traditional marketing and media blitz, we were thinking the whole time about how many opportunities to create social media content there are for a business in an average day. With content being king in social media, and so many companies straining to come up with regular quality content, we decided to come up with a list of all the ways the grand opening could have been used in a social media campaign to further the company message and build on the TV, Radio, Newspaper, etc. exposure that the PR firm had setup as part of an exceptional traditional media blitz for the event. While I’m sure we didn’t catch every opportunity, this list gives you a good idea of how many times a day you probably miss an opportunity to promote your business through social media just by not documenting what you are already doing and utilizing it in your social media marketing program.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A GRAND OPENING AND/OR A LUNCH AND LEARN SESSION, AND END UP WITH TONS OF USABLE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT FOR THE DAY OF THE EVENT AND MANY FUTURE DIGITAL MARKETING EFFORTS.

1. Live tweet/Instagram set-up pictures and notes: not only does this create value for people who had to miss your event, it also helps people relate to your company and employees on a personal level, and creates added value for anyone looking to hold a similar event as they get to learn through your experience. #ProTip: there are many photo editing apps you can add to your smartphone to turn an average picture into an exceptional picture on the fly for immediate publication to social media. You can also use these same pictures later for a Facebook, website, LinkedIn, Google+ post, etc. Get in the habit of recording even mundane events, if reality tv has taught us nothing, it’s that snapshots of real life are popular no matter how boring they seem to you.
2. Live tweet/Instagram pictures of important moments: This event brought photo-ops with important businessmen, politicians, and press, all with a backdrop of the brand, creating excellent brand recognition pictures and moments that are easy to share. Similarly to the setup pictures, these can also be used later for websites, Facebook pages, or any social media posts that would benefit from social proof or a personal note.
3. Use the opportunity of a public event to get site, staff, and team pictures: If you are in a business that operates remotely or has multiple locations, never miss an opportunity to get some pictures of a client’s office, the client themselves if they will allow it, or of your other locations and their employees. These are great to have on hand for future posting and will save you time and expense on stock photos or sending a photographer out to get pictures later when you need them, and eventually you will.
4. Have your lunch and learn/Q&A video broken down into short informative videos useable for websites and social media content:  Posts like: Top ten ways to save money with “our brand”, or top 5 reasons to switch to “our brand” would do very well from an internet marketing standpoint, and the lunch and learn, which was recorded, provided a perfect way to create this content. It’s no secret that video is becoming dominant in the world of social media, so take advantage of any opportunity you can to get some quality video that you can use in the future, or upload to YouTube right now.
5. Get customer and employee testimonials on video: An event like this brings together customers, prospective customers, salespeople, and key employees. There is no better time to get 30 seconds of a customer review, customer impressions after their questions have been answered, or to have key employees introduce themselves or answer common questions on video while you already have a videographer on hand. Store the footage away for your website, facebook page, PPC campaigns, etc.or even possible video tutorial programs that could create additional revenue depending on your industry.

KEEP THESE REAL WORLD EXAMPLES IN MIND THE NEXT TIME YOUR COMPANY HOLDS AN EVENT, AND REAP THE REWARDS FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.