Planning and Executing Live Event Content For Your Brand

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Assuming you already know that social media is the first way in which people follow live events they can’t attend in person…

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Let’s take a look at some considerations to get your brand ready to cover the gamut of 2017 activities.

Brand events are like weddings: important, exciting, fun, and super busy. There are announcements, celebrations, agendas and a whole lot of the unexpected. Having traveled for social media live events since 2010, I’ve seen some things and want to help you prepare and execute a successful event for your brands and your audiences. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Social media isn’t about what you want to tell people. Social media is about what people want to hear.

It’s easy to say, “Of course they want to see a reveal of the newest model of No. 2 pencil at ScriptaCon. We spent a ton of R&D on this pencil to make sure it’s amazing!” but there’s a possibility that not everyone shares the brand’s idea of what is news. Instead, focus on the audience’s perspective and what is exciting to them. Think about how this new No. 2 pencil will improve the lives of hand-writers everywhere and grow your live event strategy from there.

Envision what you want to achieve and make sure your client is on-board

The client objectives will be straightforward and simple, usually along the lines of “Generate awareness and create some buzz”. So, what does that look like? Impressions, engagement, comments, shares, sentiment? A huge bonus: calculate the anticipated results and use that as your goal and set up social listening. Social Listening will provide insight into if and how audiences are talking about the brand during the event. This step draws the line between getting it done and getting it done well. Also, make sure the client agrees on what success looks like to the agency. At the end of the day, everyone should be happy with what they’ve achieved.

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No matter what, plan ahead

There’s the regular preparation for an upcoming live event: travel plans, equipment, vendors, onsite space, BUT how do you plan if all of the event information isn’t available? For some events, final event details may not be solidified until minutes before the doors open.

  • Prepare Plan B, C, and D that still achieve the event goals. What if the internet fails? What if the neighboring booths are too loud? What if talent catches the flu? Obviously, there are things that are unforeseeable and you shouldn’t be overly paranoid, but, if you can, focus on preparing alternate plans for the content essentials. Remember, if you are prepared, you will have more time to execute a Plan D, if need be, than thinking up a Plan D and executing it on the spot.
  • Make contacts with other event stakeholders. This means facilities/event managers, PR agencies, ad agencies, other marketing teams, and anyone else who also has a stake in the events to come. Everyone can work together to keep each other informed and help success for everyone involved.

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Have a home-base team. Having part of the team stay in the office helps you on multiple levels

  • They can act as the consumer perspective eyes and ears. Psssst. Your fly is down.
  • They can respond to comments when the onsite community managers and content producers are focusing on capturing content.
  • They can help upload content if internet access is an issue.

 

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Get the word out in advance

Make sure the audience is prepared for the upcoming events. If the brand is excited, your audience should also be excited. Countdown, post, remind them of last year’s event, and put targeted paid media behind it to make sure extended audiences can participate in the festivities through social media.

Measure twice and keep measuring

Assuming you have goals for the desired outcome, don’t wait to track progress. Know where you need to be throughout the program and keep optimizing to exceed those goals.

Want to hear more about Live Events? We’re happy to chat. You can also reference some of our other blog content about developing effective content at live events.



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