- Enplug - What theMarketingblog had to report
Using Live Social Media Feeds to Increase Brand Engagement at Events
Social media is an essential part of any conference, charity, wedding or commercial event’s marketing campaign. Planners are using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more to drive awareness and get more guests through the door come showtime.
But what about during the event?
Social media has become just as important of a live event as the event itself. Attendees expect organizers to provide them with a social media savvy platform to share thoughts and photos (look no further than Topshop’s hashtag campaign at London Fashion Week). But how do you incentivize the average social media user – aside from the ‘social media enthusiasts’ – to engage with your brand during the event?
Enplug live social media walls have become one of the most effective marketing tools for event coordinators looking to increase engagement around their brand on social. By promoting the event’s username and custom hashtags from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more – live social feeds are informing guests of where the conversation is happening (and how they can participate).
Live social feeds provide guests with the instant gratification of seeing their posts appear on the screen in real-time, and persuades even the most casual social media user to share their experience. It acts as a live social hub for your event, promoting your hashtag campaigns and showcasing the live stream of posts.
How does an increase in social media activity help my event?
Every event has an end goal in mind – charities want to raise the most money possible for their cause, conferences want guests to network and learn, weddings want more media coverage to remember the big day, etc. Live social feeds increase the scope for doing so.
“Enplug social feeds are a fun, creative, and effective way to incorporate social media into your wedding reception. Guests who otherwise wouldn’t post on social are now getting in on the action. After the reception, the bride and groom can go through the photos that were posted and use them to storify the wedding. They love it.”
-Lara Morgenson Burnap, California Wedding Day
Live social feeds help increase awareness and in-turn your event’s reach both inside and outside of your venue. More attendees are encouraged to post on social, while their followers are exposed to your message. They allow you to increase awareness through the following:
- Promote your username and hashtag
- Display an entertaining live feed of the conversation
- Inform outsiders of what they’re missing out on
- Collect content including quotes, photos and videos post-event
- Follow the conversation and engage back with it during and/or after the event
By further engaging with your audience on social, you’ll be able to build a stronger relationship that lasts long after the event is over. The best part? Live social walls are extremely easy to use and inexpensive. There’s no labor required during the actual event, and the feeds essentially work for themselves.
Results Driven
Equinox fitness – named the best gym in America – recently celebrated their 23rd anniversary by throwing a party in all 69 of their locations throughout the United States and Europe. Enplug live social feeds were used in 4 of the 69 locations to generate engagement and increase buzz around the Equinox brand.
The 4 locations using Enplug generated 65% of the total social media activity during the event, and generated 78,000 more impressions than the remaining 65 locations not using Enplug.
Not only did the Enplug sponsored locations get more guests to share on social, they were able to leverage the Equinox brand name in front of 78,000 more consumers, making the anniversary celebration a truly viral event.
View the entire case study here.
Additional Tools For Event Success
Enplug’s software allows you to showcase more than just a live social feed. There are tons of great apps and features available for you to customize and control your Enplug powered display including:
Image & Video: Provide more value for sponsors by showcasing your event promotions on your digital display.
Live Blog Feed: Display a live feed of posts from your favorite blogs, including your own.
Color Themes: Customize the color of your live social media feed to perfectly match your brand or venue.
Enplug offers unlimited possibilities for transforming the displays at your next event. Using a live social feed will increase engagement surrounding your brand and help you reach a larger audience for achieving your goals. In 2014, attendees are expecting a completely social experience, so give it to them!
Click here to try Enplug software FREE for 7 days!