Packaging Your Conference’s Brand
In the post “If Pre-Conference Engagement Were a Marathon,” we discussed ways to engage your attendees on social media before conferences and meetings. For those who plan to engage with their attendees (and it is a good idea), you must know several things that come with the role of engagement. In most cases, companies hosting training for their employees already know who their audience is, but should take several things into consideration:
- What is the strategy? Know your strategy or purpose in promoting engagement among your attendees and possibly creating separate Twitter and Facebook accounts for the conference. You should also have realistic goals and situations in place for the pre-conference engagement! The strategy is most likely determined by what you hope to achieve.
- What social media platforms relate best to the brand? Pin-point your attendees for the conference and know where they’re hanging out. The key to engagement is to be where they are. Once you’ve determined their hang-out, you can begin promoting your presence to them. You won’t reach your audience if you’re anywhere else but where they are, instead you’ll find that you’re just “shouting” which never brings results. It’s also great to promote these efforts offline on print materials, promotional products before the conference or in non-traditional social media such as an e-newsletter.
- Who will handle all social media for pre-conference engagement? And, what’s the voice/personality of the conference?These questions go hand-in-hand. Never leave social media to an intern – it’s your brand on-the-line, even if it’s just a platform for the conference. Decide who all will control the social media accounts and the personality of the conference. Is the conference for an IT company or a healthcare provider? Each have a different message, audience, personality, and voice.
- Don’t forget to be engaging, witty, fun, and informative. All of these play a role in maintaining a following that keeps coming back for more. It also coincides with the personality of your conference. As mentioned in If Pre-Conference Engagement Were a Marathon, give attendees full reign to control the brand. Notice what blogs and links receive the most attention – and write more on the subject. Steer away from articles that don’t receive much attention from your audience. Go as far as letting the attendees choose your brand photo.
