Speaking this morning at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre’s masterclass on extending audiences through social media, Woodgate said event organisers need to plan a content and engagement strategy to effectively harness the power of social media at their events.
According to an IOEX report released last week, 86% of the industry plans to increase social media marketing for events in 2012.
Focusing on Twitter, Woodgate said organisers should carefully plan what information to share to encourage retweeting and get audiences talking about you. She said identifying who to connect with is a key element of social media strategy and highlighted the importance of the hashtag in reaching a wider audience.
"Hashtags are very powerful," she said. "The hashtag has become part of everyday language and how we communicate. They are key. Once you’ve got your hashtag, start using it everywhere – on emails, on your website and on other social media platforms."
Woodgate also talked about measuring social media impact and reach, using sites such as Hashtracking, Klout and Socialmention.
Will you be building a formalised social media strategy into your event marketing plan, or do you already have one? To leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
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