Social Media Marketing is Your Toolbox for Business and Event Success

With the dawn and development of the Internet more entrepreneurs and small business owners have turned to promoting, publicizing and advertising their company’s services, products, new developments, programs and events online. Known as a passionate marketer of my own events, I have rejoiced in the dawn of social media marketing sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+ to market my programs to a larger audience. Gone are the days when printed flyers stuffed in sealed envelopes mailed at the post office were the key delivery method of event news.

Even though entrepreneurs know they can use social media to promote anything they are selling, most seem to use it a majority of the time to share pet photos, post inspirational sayings, highlight the weather or talk about recent events like last night’s Grammy’s, I have found great success using social media marketing focused mostly on promotion and publicity of my companies or events significantly more beneficial for my business which distributes news to my “friends” which are mostly current and potential customers.

Today I wanted to share some of the ways I have implemented social media marketing to gain exposure for my company, increase event attendance, gain new followers and share my corporate brand in order to help my readers. Here are some of my social media marketing tips:

* If you are promoting an upcoming event, make sure you list it as a public event on Facebook so you can invite all your friends and they can share the event with theirs. It is very simple to create any event using copy, photos, speaker photos or sponsors logos. Continue to add sharp photos, tips or knowledge the audience will learn at your program throughout the promotion time – not just the first time you post the event. You should be posting something new about the program every 3 days at least.

* Once the event is on Facebook ask your friends to share the event with their friends or to share the event on their wall. You can encourage others to distribute event news by giving anyone who shares the event with their network promotion on your website or in the Facebook event page. You will reach many new people by having others share your news. The free PR given to friends who share your events will build loyalty and good will too.

* Most people have their Facebook account connected to their Twitter account. Events posted and shared on Facebook are automatically distributed to your Twitter page where you have different followers. After an event is automatically shared on your Twitter page, go to your Twitter page and use specific hashtags to share the event further with a larger audience. For example, I have a great sales event in Albany on 2/26/16 I am promoting so I make sure to hashtag my event information on Twitter with tags like #Albany #Saratoga #Business #WomenEntrepreneurs #Sales to land on those Twitter pages and the feeds of people who might be interested but don’t know of my company Women TIES. Make sure you return to Tweet the same information multiple times a day or program it on Hoot Suite.

* Every morning think of a quote, success strategy or an educational point that will be shared at the event, connect a photo with it and post it on all your social media marketing pages. People respond to photos differently than plain text. A beautiful image might grab the attention of someone who has missed the event news. If they like the image, they will share it too giving you and your event more views.