How to build social media hype for your upcoming event
Do you have an event coming up for your brand? We’ve got all the tips to help construct a social media strategy as you gear up for your event.
12 minute read
Imagine yourself in the following situation: you have been working for months, non-stop on the venue, sponsors, entertainment, speakers or special guests. Now you’re ready to share your event with the world, but how do you capture your audience’s attention, and keep it before the event? Building and maintaining pre-event hype is an important part of the formula for a successful event. Content creation is a big part of that, and we’ve got several tips and ideas for you so that you can build anticipation for your event.
Social media plays an extremely important part in building hype for your upcoming events. In 2023, there are estimated to be 4.89 billion total social media users worldwide. With that in mind, you should understand the importance of social media. 96% of attendees look for information about an event online prior to attending, so it’s vital to create content for educational as well as marketing purposes. Online content marketing makes event promotion easier. Let’s look at all the ways you can build social media hype for your upcoming event, regardless of the industry. Let’s get into it! Before you keep reading, you can watch our social media marketing showreel to see some of the clients we regularly work with.
In this article, we include:
1. The importance of social media for an event
2. Preparing for events: tips for social media strategies
3. The Met Gala: a marketing masterclass
The importance of social media for an event
Social media can be used in more ways than one, and that’s why it’s so great for any events, regardless of the industry your brand comes from. Social media provides the ideal opportunity to engage with your audience because people spend the vast majority of their online time on social networks. Before we tell you the importance of social media for an event, let’s take a look at some statistics about social media in 2023.
2023 social media statistics:
- There are estimated to be 4.89 billion total social media users worldwide.
- The amount of time internet users spend on social media is now higher than ever — 151 minutes per day.
- Total spend on social media advertising is projected to reach $268 billion in 2023.
Publicizing an event through social media
Hopefully these statistics show that social media platforms are worth your while. Now let’s look at why social media is great for platforms. The main objective of using social networks in events is to showcase the event to such an extent that someone who is not physically present in the place, can enjoy it just the same. Hence the importance of good communication and knowing what strategies to follow.
Publicizing an event through social networks or ‘dynamizing’ it is a practical and effective way to increase recognition that also allows to establish a direct relationship with potential users, attendees or target audience. Here are some advantages:
- You can gain new customers.
- You can spread awareness about your brand.
- You can directly interact with your target audience.
Preparing for events: tips for social media strategies
Whether you are promoting a virtual meeting with a writer, an outdoor festival or a professional congress, social media can help you communicate your message. Here are some social media strategies to promote your next event.
1. Optimize your social media profiles
The first step to promoting your event on social media is to optimize your social media profiles. If you want to attract the right audience and sell tickets to your event, your social media profile has to be up to par.
If you want your event to have a maximum chance of success, we recommend that you redesign your profile completely. This way, you make sure you update your images, redesign headers, write new descriptions and make sure your contact information is up to date.
2. Create a hashtag for your event
Hashtags are the new business cards. They should be short, easy to spell, and unique, so other unrelated content doesn’t end up there. Plus, it’s a great way to keep the conversation going long after the event.
Creating a hashtag for your event is a good way to amplify the promotion of your event and at the same time make sure that all relevant information, images and conversations are saved under your hashtag.
3. Generate engaging content
The best way to promote your event on social media is by creating interesting content that has the ability to attract a new audience.
To maximize interaction on your social media profiles, you have to offer content in different formats. Different people respond to different types of stimuli. Therefore, we recommend to content creators that their publications are varied: from live videos to posts with many images, through articles and infographics.
4. Launch contests on social networks
Social media users love to participate in contests. This interactive form of content attracts large audiences, boosting your brand’s reach and promoting your event very broadly. Social media contests have become a very common strategy to help promote events, sell products, generate brand attachment and launch new business.
5. Create a countdown to the event.
Use Instagram Stories to create a countdown to your event. Customize the sticker with the event name, date and time, and your brand colors. When someone views your story, they can click ‘Remind me’ to be notified when the countdown ends.
6. Post teasers of the event or look back at last year’s event.
Post sneak previews of the event’s lineup to build hype and spark interest. Use Snapchat, Instagram Stories, or TikTok to create short, engaging videos your audience can quickly view and share. You could post behind-the-scenes preparations or quotes from speakers and panelists. You can look at this example of a teaser video for an event, created by The World Economic Forum, showing the types of people who are going to be presenting and the subjects they are going to cover.
The Met Gala: a marketing masterclass
The Met Gala or Met Ball, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Every year, the Met Gala happens. This year’s theme was in honor of controversial designer, Karl Lagerfeld. However, as this event took place this past Monday and its marketing strategies were successful, we’re going to showcase this event’s promotion. Looking at the strategies we just gave you above, we can see here how the Met Gala also implemented these strategies.
1. Post videos surrounding your event.
As mentioned, it’s always good to post video content about the event. Here’s an example of a video Vogue posted before the Met Gala, where Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief at Vogue, goes through several looks by the designer, Karl Lagerfeld. Why is this a good idea? For viewers and audiences, it makes them excited about what kinds of looks they are going to see at the event.
2. Social interactions.
Social media interaction has made the Met Gala what it is today. The event receives media coverage from most media outlets, so whether or not your brand is linked to the Met Gala, getting involved in the online discourse will help to boost your brand awareness, especially if you’re a fashion or beauty brand.
3. Brand awareness through countdowns.
Unlike the Academy Awards or the Grammys, the Met Gala is not televised; meaning visibility is dependent on social media content, live streaming and teasingly seeded photography. This is a very smart marketing move. Because of its restricted access appeal, it means that viewers more likely want to know what is happening inside. Social media is the fastest way for them to get that restricted information. The full live stream had a countdown on Vogue’s YouTube. After the event, the full video is available.
In summary
As we have seen, there are a variety of social media strategies you can use to promote your next event. We hope this article has inspired you. There are a number of tools you can use to promote your next event, but social media is by far the most powerful. If you feel you require more guidance for social media strategies for your upcoming events, feel free to contact us. We can schedule you a free consultation with us or you can come visit us in our Bussigny office.