Integrate Social Networks & Traditional Media for Maximum Event Promotion

1. DEFINE CORE MARKET: What demographic age/income/marital status/psychographics dominate your current customer base. Be specific on age, income, psychographics, geographic (zip codes of residence), habits, and media preferences. Know their frequency of attendance and how much they spend.

 

2. DEFINE SECONDARY MARKET: The fringe market – older and younger age group. The older is the age group that will produce the most attrition, the younger age group you should woo into your event through specific venues and programs. 

• a. DETERMINE THE CURRENT MOST EFFECTIVE MEDIA/PROMOTIONS/PUBLICITY venues to use in promoting your event:
• b. Radio – match demographics/age/psychographics of radio station to your entertainment and venue offers.
• c. Television – Cable is most cost effective with many having broadband bundled packages that extend outside your geographic market on super networks or cross/market networks. If you can afford major networks go for it.
• d. Print – Magazines, Newspapers, Travel Sections, Food/Wine or Family editors that match your event market profile.
• e. Direct Mail 
• f. Billboard/Outdoor

 

3. DETERMINE WHICH SOCIAL NETWORKS HAVE THE MOST OF YOUR DEMOGRAPHIC: You don’t have to use everything, just the most effective for your market.  

• a. In the 35-54 age brackets currently Facebook is kicking every social network’s booty with a 276% growth in that age bracket for 2009.
• b. 75% of all global consumers actually “check-in” to a social network weekly.
• c. And remember that fringe market – 25-34 year olds using Facebook are doubling every six months, and the 55+ is growing at a 194.3% rate.
• d. Best Day to “share” on Facebook – Saturday. And since social networks are fluid and change rapidly, now you know this fact, it will most likely change within six months.
• e. Twitter 2009 median age 31, 47% are 18-34 year olds, 311% 35-49 year-olds
• f. Best Days to Tweet and be retweeted – Friday and Monday – but now that you know that – this too will change.
• g. Myspace media age 27
• h. Linkedin Median age 40
• i. This year 42% people 50 and older are posting status updates, 47% of the people between 50-64 are using social networks.

 

4. ESTABLISH A STRATEGY: It isn’t good enough to just “communicate” via Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and blogs – you have to become involved, “engage” as Brian Solis says, and create a relationship. The day of mass broadcasting a repetitive message and seeing results are fading with declining audiences, ratings, and readership. Today’s audience is more informed, more capable of digging to the bottom of an claim, and more willing to go the extra mile to uncover the truth. I keep telling my clients DON’T SHOUT at your fans and followers. Involve, engage, enrapt, inform, and interact. Your entire marketing campaign will require this technique. And it is a talent, a technique, and an acquired skill belonging to someone who knows how to communicate without shouting. Here are some tips:

 

• a. Ask for feedback:
• “What bands would you like to see on stage at our next Festival 
• “Would you like workshops and what kind at the next event?
•  “Would you be willing to spend more money for catered drinks and reserved seats or less money for Festival seating?”
• b. Ask for volunteers:
•  To work the event, form an advisory committee; help with office or social media communications.
• c. Create a contest or Sweepstakes:
• Be sure to follow rules of the social media – Twitter and Facebook will disable you for violating their rules.
• d. Create albums for photo and video uploads
• e. Offer information only available through Social Media:
• Ticket discounts
• Ticket bundles
• Special Incentives at sponsors
•  Traffic and Event Info during event
• Latest concert information

5. Tie the Social Media Strategy to your Traditional Media campaign:

•  Insist on links with other media to your social media pages and websites
• Involve the media in your contest or incentives
• Offer incentives for interactivity with the media’s social networks – this can increase your fans, “likes” or followers.

6. Assign a Team to monitor, communicate and oversee your Social Networks. This is a 24-hour operation requiring more than one person with Social Networking skills.

7. Give yourself plenty of time to plan, launch and integrate. This is not a Shoot, Ready, Aim media campaign. Errors made in social networks can go viral. Failure to communicate, or communicate poorly and you’ve done more harm to your event image than missing the Social Media boat completely.