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Make Facebook TimelineWork for Your Business

With Doug Motel of Site Optimized

Welcome to

Using the Web and Social Media to Promote Your Live Events

With Doug Motel of Site Optimized

Our Agenda

Google +

Event Calendars

Press & PR

Images

Questions?

The Old Way

The New Way

Your Landing Page

Ticket Selling Sites

Facebook

Twitter

The old way of promoting...

The old way of promoting...

1) Write a Press Release2) Send it to the newspapers3) Buy ads in the newspapers4) Hope for the best....

The new ways of promoting...

Facebook

• Daily active users have reached 665 million• Monthly active users have passed 1.1 billion

Twitter

• 44% growth from June 2012 to March 2013• 288 million monthly active users• 21% of the world’s internet population are using it monthly!• Over 500 million registered accounts• Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55 to 64 year olds, registering an increase in active users of 79%

Let's look at the latest statistics on this social media stuff...

YouTube

• 6 billion hours of videos are watched every month• 1 billion unique monthly visitors• 50% more hours of video were watched in March 2013 compared to last August when it was 4 billion May when it was 3 billion.•YouTube reaches more U.S. adults ages 18-34 than any cable network

Google+

• Now the second largest social network• 359 million monthly active users • Its active users base grew by 33% from June 2012 through to March 2013

Why Bother?

Marketing is Storytelling

Events are Great Storytelling Opportunities!

Step #1:Create your landing page.

Landing Page Tips

The cornerstone of your marketing efforts is your event landing page. Could be a web page specific to the event, or your ticket buying page.

• Create a compelling description: Clearly indicate the topic, time, place and who should attend. The description should include specific benefits for each type of attendee

• Try not to use oblique or outdated references, local in-jokes or family members to title your events. People don’t have the patience to find out what you are trying to say

• Use third-party endorsements when possible, such as a quote from a previous event

Landing Page Tips

• Use Google Search Keywords: include phrases that are commonly used when people are searching for what you do. Example: “Adventureland’s Carson City Log Flume Day” is better than “Water Park Fun Day”. Use these keywords in your descriptions as well.

Landing Page Tips

•Speaker or featured vendor pictures and bios: The event page should show their faces and list their credentials.

•Event image: The image will appear when the page is shared in the social networks. It could be the event logo, a picture of a room full of people, or just a genuine smiling face.

•Event-related videos: Create simple video and post them here. These can be produced quickly using still images Google Hangouts or Skype.

•Prominent “register now” button: You need a clearly visible call-to-action.

Step #2:Create your advance registration system.

Registration Page Tips

These days, people expect to be able to register for events online. There are a lot of tools out there to help.

Ask yourself if you need a quick, inexpensive, and easy way to collect credit-card payments or something more complex where you can accept other forms of payment as well and integrate data?

No-Frills• PayPal and Paypal Pro• Google Checkout• Google Forms & Freeback Forms (just data collection no payment)

Registration Page Tips

Frills

Eventbrite.com

• Lets you cap the number of attendees• Give simple surveys• Easily post your events to other sites like Eventful or Google Calendar• Discount codes and ticket levels• Can create free events• Great Facebook app

Registration Page Tips

Frills

BrownPaperTickets.com

• A “fair-trade ticketing service”• Specializes in performance-type events with assigned seats• Multiple pricing levels• 24-hour phone registration line• Multiple dates for the same event• Can create free events

Also check out ezregister.com

Registration Page Tips

Very FrillyA number of tools combine event registration with the ability to track and report on all the details of a complex event. For example, these tools can help registrants to sign up for specific tracks or workshops within a session, support complex discounts such as early-bird pricing or discount codes, offer sophisticated reporting to automatically generate attendance lists by session—or print name-tags for attendees or allow one person to pay for someone else’s registration.

• 123signup.com• regonline.com• cvent.com• etouches.com• regpacks.com

Ahhh “the Facebook”

Facebook

Pre-Event – Facebook Events

• Add the events app if you have not already

• Create a Facebook event and post it on your wall

• Choose a great title and description

• Design 3 photos including a new cover image

• Make sure the page settings allow people to post comments and pictures

• Make sure your event is set as public and that people invited can invite other friends

Facebook

Pre-Event – Facebook Events

• Add a video - even a web cam message is fine

• Comment on the event wall periodically: when people RSVP and write on your event wall, thank them personally. Comment on any added photos/videos/links. these go into the feeds • Have everyone in your organization RSVP and invite their “friends.”

• “Pin” the event to the top of the wall

• Add reservation app

720 x 266

851 x 315

395 x 352

Facebook

Event – Live

• Update your status telling fans the event is finally here, and let them know how they can follow on Twitter

• Use your custom #hashtag like #HVWineFest

• If anyone else has updated their status about your event “Like” it. This will push it to the top of people’s news feeds and let your Facebook friends know that you’re ready to engage

• Have banners or posters with your fb.com/address

• Offer prizes for new Likes and for people who post on your wall

Facebook

Post Event

• Thank people for coming! Post an update/thank you on your wall and the event wall for making the event a success

• Encourage the Facebook event RSVPs to post their pictures

Tweeeeeet!

Twitter

Pre Event • Before even starting your marketing, come up with a hashtag for your event. Hashtags automatically create a link in Twitter that compiles all the tweets mentioning the topic. You don’t have to register a hashtag with Twitter; just start tweeting it

• Hashtags count toward the 140-character limit on Twitter, so keep it short and obvious. For eg., in promoting the event “Zen meditation in Albany,” you could use the hashtag #ZenMed

• Announce your hashtag at the same time you announce your event and in any promotion of your event following

• Encourage people to follow (and use!) the hashtag to keep up-to-date on any developments

Twitter

Pre Event • Use the hashtag yourself. The best way to promote a hashtag is to post relevant information incorporating it. For instance, any new speakers or vendors being added, fun tidbits about the kinds of things people will experience there, pictures from last year’s event, important reminders, etc.

• Encourage discussion and feedback by asking questions, such as, “Weather says 60 degrees on Sunday: too cold for outdoor #ZenMed?”

• Leading up to the event, your hashtag page will provide you with insights about what people are talking about and what they hope to get out of your event-so make sure you’re following it regularly

Twitter

Pre Event • Use www.search.twitter.com/search-advanced

• Change your Twitter background image & bio to temporarily promote your event

• Follow all of the Vendors or Speakers or Performers who have a Twitter account

Things to start tweeting about:

• Starting about 2 weeks before the event, tweet about: the event’s highlights, mention some of the speakers or vendors

• Offer a countdown to the day

• Upload an image of a map (with your domain name)

• Latest interesting info

• Ask a question, like “What are you doing on ____?” (fill in the date of the event) and link back to a website with all of the details

•Tweet a link to your press release directly to reporters and editors

•Upload the art you created for the Facebook cover

•Link to YouTube video

Things to start tweeting about:

• Registration opens• Early-bird registration is ending soon• Reminder of time and location• “Just tasted Jane’s newest ice cream. Wow!” (mention vendors)• “See you at the event!” (direct tweet and mention registrants)• Thanks for sharing, posting and re-tweeting (mention anyone who shared)• Tweets with a testimonial quotes about a speaker or vendor (find these on their LinkedIn, Google Places, Yelp or TripAdvisor accounts)• Ask for people to share your event with the simple phrase, “Please RT!” • “Thanks for registering! See you there!” (mention registrants, especially social media influencers) • Follow people who may be interested in your topic. When you follow someone, they may notice the event. It’s best to follow people when you have a compelling event promotion tweet at the top of your stream

Live Event Tweeting:

• Tweet quotes: Listen for juicy nuggets in conversations and in presentations. Mention the person who said it and use the hashtag.

• Share pictures: Make sure to take pictures of people, speakers and attendees, as things are happening and share them on Twitter. Smartphones make this easy. Mention people and use the hashtag

• Hold a contest or drawing: Even if you’re giving away something small, like a book or a gift from a sponsor, use this as an opportunity to gather email addresses (with permission of course) and then share a picture of the winner holding the gift on the social networks

Post Event: After the event, re-cap with photos, videos and thank you's and tweet links to your mailing list sign up

Rome Case Study!

Rome Case Study!

Rome Case Study!

Online Calendars

Online Event Calendars

Nowadays, people go to their computer (and their phones!) when trying to find something to do for the weekend. These online calendars are often search-able by date, month, event and type of event – music festival, live performance, poetry reading, etc. This makes sure that your calendar event is online 24/7/365 and links both your organization name and the event for search engines all over the web.

• Decide who will get the contact person to field any calls and emails

• Have your press release handy • Prepare for both a short (one sentence) descriptions and a long one.

• Have a small (about 400 x 400 pixel) image ready to upload

Finding Local Events Calendars: Allintitle Search

Finding Local Events Calendars: Allintitle Search

Finding Local Events Calendars: Allintitle Search

Online Event Calendars

Make a list of all of the local newspapers and check out their online versions to see if they have a event calendar submission.

Online Event Calendars

Check out the website of all of the chambers of commerce near and far..

Google +

Google +

Google is crazy about it's child Google + and now you have to pretend you love it too!

What is Google+?A social media website that incorporates aspects of Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.

The main difference between Google+ and the rest is the privacy option. Google+ allows you to control exactly what is being put onto your page and who can see it.

Some features: Circles, Hangout, Streaming Feeds, Huddle (group messages), Google Talk, EVENTS, Hashtags, Photos, Videos, Reports, E-Books, “1+” Feature recommendations, Integration into Google docs.

Google +

Step #1: Set up Google + personal then decide if you want a business page. Business pages have the advantage of separating out from personal use but Google seems to give an advantage to people over businesses.

• Fill in everything

• Create a cover image

• Create some circles • Start adding people to your circles

Google +

Step #2: Create an event and invite people to it. Be sure to click on “Public” in the “To” field so it will be available to everyone and get in Google's index.

Email Marketing

Email Marketing

•Timing - It depends on your resources and the event

• Larger events start early promoting and selling tickets

• Big conferences start sending out invitations almost a year before the actual event to use the large time span prior to the event to start and keep running their large PR machinery

• Send during the weekend: Open and click-through rates are higher for personal email accounts

• People don’t like being spammed, send out updates but don’t overdo it.

Email Marketing

Timing

• General rule: email a “save the date” months in advance to announce the speakers or vendors and and early-bird registration discount, just before this discount ends, and again as the event approaches. Finally, send an email a few days before with reminders of time, place for registrants and a final pitch for new registration.

Email Marketing

Segment your Lists

• The people who have already registered might want to know more about the sessions, speakers, and the venue • Send out different emails to people who visited your event last year • Send out a different one for people who are new contacts

Email Marketing

Misc. Tips

• Mention your Sponsors

• Show them that they can find you on Twitter and Facebook, too and explain what they can expect when following you

• Ask partners, speakers, or friends to mention the event in their email blasts

• Subject line: Subject lines that inspire awe, anger, or anxiety lead to higher open rates. Try a subject line such as “10 things you'll miss if you aren’t at this event”

Email Marketing

Misc. Tips

• Video thumbnail: Show a clickable image of a video in the email. Video thumbnails in emails have high clickthrough rates

• Social proof: If you have positive feedback from previous events or your speakers or presenters, use them as a quotes in your emails

Press and P.R.

P.R.

The Press Release

1)Company Name:2)Telephone Number:3)Fax Number:4)Contact email Address (will be used for publication):5)Web Site Address:6)City, State:7)Date of events:8)Who:9)What:10)When:11)Where:12)Why:13)Contact Person:14)How much:15)Any relevant information of event, service or product and its benefits16)Quotes or quotes from the “biggest name”17)For additional information contact:18)Company History (one short paragraph)

P.R.

The Press Release

• For local newspapers, write it like a magazine story, for online distribution write it like a New Your Times article

• Put it on your website FIRST(no PDF's please)

• Use keywords phrases (especially in your title) because Google is indexing them

• Use press release distribution sites like PrLeap.com, PrWeb.com and MyPrGenie.com

P.R.

Pitching to The Media

If you want a featured article written about your event or a profile on your company, you may need to craft a pitch letter. • A short, powerfully written, personal message to an editor or a reporter explaining why you think something should be covered• Make the reader want to know more • Short opening sentence that makes someone sit up and say “No kidding? I never knew that”, followed by about 3 bullet points that focus on more reasons why their readers in particular would find this newsworthy • End with short sentence that affirms the undeniable value of having this story covered along with a specific plan for follow up such as “I will follow up with a phone call in 2 days”. It is important that your writing style shows that you understand the publications readership.

P.R.

Pitching to The Media

• Research the media outlets in your area

• Be prepared to explain why your event is newsworthy and how it's different from topics or events the media outlet has covered in the past

• Send them the press release

• Give the reporter your contact information and assure him that he can contact you any time

P.R.

Pitching to The Media

•Don't call when you know a paper is "on deadline"

•Call in the morning, when most reporters have more free time

•If you can supply the media with your own awesome, eye catching photo, they will love you and be more likely to run the story

Images

Photos

Every event has a beginning, middle and end. You want your photos to tell that story. From the crew arriving to erect the tent, through the quartet all the way to your event planner kicking up her feet and having a glass of champagne at the end of the day.

• Pin your images on Pinterest and Twit Pic them

• Upload to Facebook, Flickr and Google +

• Give the files names with keywords in them (not 2001.jpg)

• Use the Alt Img code

• Hire a pro if you can

• Use your stills for a video on Animoto or Windows movie maker

• Use Google + editor

Our Agenda

Google +

Event Calendars

Press & PR

Images

Questions?

The Old Way

The New Way

Your Landing Page

Ticket Selling Sites

Facebook

Twitter

Questions?

Internet Marketing Consulting and Coaching

(845) 363 - 4728dmotel@siteoptimized.com

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