Let’s face it, in today’s crowded marketplace you need to leverage every last tool in your bag of tricks to make your event a success. The days of flyers and mail outs are a thing of the past, and although such methods still have their place we all know that your event needs a strong web presence to maximise attendance and both pre- and post-show buzz.
Although a slick and updated website is key to any online campaign, it’s become apparent to those in the event management trade that social networking platforms are of huge importance in creating a successful event. The problem is that you can’t rely on just one of the big players; you have to hit them all. Today’s punters want to engage with your event in the way they feel most comfortable with. For some, that’s Facebook, for others, it’s Twitter, but increasingly people are using Google plus as another string to their social media bow.
Google plus hasn’t been without its teething problems, but it shouldn’t be overlooked in terms of promoting your event and there are a few reasons why.
Firstly, Google are giving priority to their social networking platform in search results. If your event has a Google plus profile then it will appear higher in the search results, which increases the likelihood of people finding out about it. When these people then share your content it means that you are then more likely to be found by anyone searching for terms related to your event when they are signed into Google.
The second aspect of Google plus that could benefit your event management strategy is its Ripple feature, which allows you to see a visual representation of how content is shared within the network. By using this tool you can quickly get a handle on who is sharing your content and you can efficiently target people who will likely be interested in your event.
Finally, the Hangout facility in Google plus could be a great way to pique people’s interest in your event. If you’ve got an influential speaker at your event, why not offer people the chance to have a Q&A session with them before or after their appearance? Remember that everyone who wants to can’t always make it to your event, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out. By allowing those who can’t attend in person to get a slice of the action you add real value to your event.
Remember, for a huge percentage of people Google is the way they search for information, and with more and more people signing up for Google+ can you afford to leave it off your event management strategy? Find out more about event management companies. (Jason Tucker)
