How to Market Your Live Event
Social media comes to mind immediately when I think about how to market your live event. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to marketing your event. That is, if you make the most of the tools available. In the photograph on the left I’m a panelist at Ray Edwards’ live event, along with Joel Comm, Robert Plank, and some other popular marketers. Social media was crucial to this event’s success.
Currently, some of the most popular social media sites are:
* YouTube
Each social network is slightly different in terms of the kind of content posted – and more importantly, in the kinds of users that tend to favor these sites
Here are some tips on how to market your live event effectively on each of these sites:
* Facebook is by far the largest. Create a Facebook page for your business if you have not done so already, and also one to market your live event. Link up to these pages from your own personal account. Ask your helpers and customers to do the same. Facebook also has a large number of groups where you can connect for free with those interested in your niche.
* Twitter has a strong user base and best of all, you don’t need to create a lot of free content – 140 characters or less are all that is needed to post a tweet to your followers about exciting news in reference to your local event.
* LinkedIn is the number one social network for professionals. Once you open an account, you can create a detailed profile designed to impress so that others will want to interact with you. You can also post events and write articles which other readers will see if they are in the same niche or industry, positioning you as a thought leader.
LinkedIn also recently acquired SlideShare.net, the number one site for sharing PowerPoint presentations online. This is a great way to also become better known as an expert in your field. We will also discuss this highly visual site in the next email.
YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest are in a class of their own, since they are so visually focused.
* YouTube is considered to be a search engine in its own right, as it is so packed with content. If you want to increase visibility for your local event and company, this is the first place to start.
* Instagram is a popular site for posting images related to your business – in particular, by using their app with your smartphone. Think of it as Twitter for photos, in the same way that Vine is Twitter for videos.
* Pinterest is also heavily graphics based, but has the added advantage of letting people post marketing event info to group boards. Post images and infographics related to the event and get your helpers to re-pin so all their followers will be able to see them. Post pictures after your local event to show what a great time everyone had, and list details of any other upcoming events as you know them.
When posting at any of these sites, try to put keywords into your postings; that is, some of the most common words and phrases that you wish to rank highly in. Content on YouTube, for example, can show up in Google search engine results right on the top page if you take the time to provide detailed descriptions of the content. Don’t forget to add your URL with http:// in front of it so the link will be clickable.
Once you have posted your video on YouTube, copy the link and embed it in any web page. If you have a WordPress blog, paste the URL into a new post or page and save. The video will show in a player on your site with no fancy coding needed. Then all your site visitors have to do click to watch. You can also post the link on your Tumblr account to let your followers view the content without eating up your video content posting per day allowance.
If you are too shy to appear in front of the camera or believe there is no way you could ever create a quality video, think again. Use PowerPoint to create professional-looking presentations to inform, educate and entertain. Use your informational decks not just for local events but also as the basis for your videos. Set times and transitions for your slides, save as a video, and post to your YouTube account.
Make your decks do double duty by posting it on SlideShare as well. You can share your decks on all the major social networks, not just LinkedIn, with just a couple of clicks. I hope you have learned something new about how to market your live event.
I’m Connie Ragen Green, online marketing strategist, bestselling author, and international speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship and inner game mind shifts. Let’s connect to see how I may best serve you in the near future. And please be sure to check out my Internet Marketing Six Pack training course.
If you can come to Los Angeles March 3rd through the 5th, consider attending Weekend Marketer Live, my popular Workshop.
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