Social media plays an important role in the modern day society. It changes the way we interact with other people, the way we search for information, and the way we do business. Also in the event industry, social media has greatly affected the way event organizers promote and market their event to the public. However, Word-of-mouth is still an effective technique in encouraging individuals to attend events, since people will be more likely to come and be convinced when recommendation came from their friends, families, or acquaintances. Nevertheless, word-of-mouth becomes more powerful and persuasive with the aid of social media. Whether it is a Facebook post, a YouTube video, or an Instagram photo, the person can easily express and spread the news about an event to a wider audience in minutes.
There are many benefits of social media that can be utilized in event promotion as event organizers are often looking for the best way to drive attendance, optimize hype and increase the engagement. Did you know that RFID technology is certainly becoming a necessity at events? It has been used and implemented by numerous event professionals to leverage awareness and guest participation on social media.
Gone are the days that an event production team would burn hundreds of dollars just to create and share interesting contents about their event. Instantly, they can set up live streaming (free of charge!) directly on their social media account to update their followers of what’s happening inside. Moreover, you may post countdown teasers, creative reveals of special guests or headliners, highlights of the show, fun activities or even crowd-related topics, to keep the event buzzing without putting so much effort. Also, you may want to execute fun ticket giveaways or pop quizzes in order to motivate these potential event-goers or those fans who are unlikely to attend the event personally have an extreme FOMO or ‘fear of missing out’ feels. They will surely re-share or repost this kind of contents when they strongly feel that they are part of the amazing event experience.
During the event, guests are given RFID wristbands in exchange for their purchased tickets which conveniently acts as their pass and payment method inside. One cool feature of the RFID wristband is it can serve as a mobile social check-in that enables attendees to share their pictures effortlessly on their Facebook profile with just a tap. PouchNATION’s wristband is a perfect example. The feature works when an event photographer takes a photo of guests and taps their wristbands afterward using the NFC-enabled device connected to the camera. The attendees will then receive their pictures placed on a branded photo frame containing the official event logo and event hashtag on either email and/or be uploaded automatically on their Facebook. There are high chances that the content can be spread virally when both event-goers and people who are not present physically interact by means of tagging or mentioning the event, commenting or sharing the post with the event # hashtag.
This kind of social media marketing is not only effective during the event but it can likewise encourage fans to revisit the wonderful moments they had. The buzz does not stop there yet even the event is over. Media coverage whether it is a blog article, an after movie video or Instagram snaps that shows how successful your event was, can be a great tool for keeping your event on top. It is also a way of attracting a new set of crowd to experience your next event and your loyal event-goers will be more excited to purchase tickets ahead of time.
Indeed, social media is proven to help event organizers perform their event marketing easily and effectively. Event professionals should make use of these advantages that social media brings in order to not miss a single opportunity of landing a successful event.
