5 tips to excel in social media marketing events in Singapore

The use of social media marketing in Singapore otherwise known as 'word of mouth marketing' has proliferated in recent years due to a change in the media landscape.

Consumers have started using networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to socialize and stay in touch with their friends and even their favourite brands in real time.

The existence of these social networks as mobile applications and as an instant real time word of mouth tool, is one reason why these platforms play an important role in events marketing.

As in every campaign, we need to be clear about the objective. Most companies' ROI for events is increasing awareness and acquisition.

Here are some pointers that will set you in the right direction.

1. Use Facebook to spread awareness and motivate signups if your company has already a Facebook page with a substantial fan base, use them to you advantage.

After months of painstakingly growing and building a relationship with your followers, this is the time to activate them. Tell them about the event coming up, get them interested and motivated to spread the word. One good idea to spread awareness will be to create a Facebook contest.

Create a Facebook contest that is fun; that will highlight the fun and purpose of the event. Try having the mechanics linked back to the event day.

For example if it is a children's event, go visual and asked them to submit photos of their kids for a cutest kid campaign, and have the final results judged by celebrity judges at the event.

This will help drive not only awareness, but traffic to the event. Make sure the contest drives buzz to your news feeds.

Create a Facebook event invite, so that users can RSVP online, on Facebook and spread the word organically for you.

Don't just create an invite and leave it aside expecting it to do the job. Create it as a page tab and remind Facebook users periodically on your wall to RSVP, and use it to invite their friends.

Post event information and teasers as the day draws near. Set up event photo galleries that you can also post out on the wall. Pictures of the venue and any event behind the scenes tend to act like teasers and can drive some excitement that is important for buzz.

2. Go Mobile with Instagram or Twitter.

Both platforms are fast moving in nature, one more visual than the other. Both networks use hashtags to aggregate content, and spark off a buzz.

Which network do you use then? The answer is obvious. If you have an event that feeds on exciting visuals; and there could be alot of action and opportunity for exciting picture shooting, use Instagram.

For example a sports or kids event will tend to work best on Instagram rather than twitter. Use of either platforms needs to be integrated with facebook.

If you are on a budget, there are free solutions like stat.gram that will be able to create a tab, as well as a Facebook cover.

Remember to post some of your tweets or instagram pictures through the platforms on facebook to seed. Start doing these early, slowly leading up to the event to gain traction for the event itself.

On event day, practice the 30-70 rule; 70 percent of postings need to be from the public. Do not overseed.

3. Advertise your social communication on collaterals & an event social board.

Make sure that the hashtag that you are using is highlighted in all your collaterals including posters.

Post and remind your followers on the social platforms time and again before event day to use the hashtag. On event day, set up a screen to show your twitter or instagram postings, or have the emcees announce and encourage its use.

Instagram now has web pages so it will be easy to do this. If you are aggregating using #hashtags, you could do RSS feeds or just use free dashboards like hootsuite.

If there is a need, run a contest to drive the postings.

4. Engage bloggers to seed about event.

Decide if you will like to invite or pay to use influential bloggers to help drive your twitter or instagram postings. Mixing the two may not be ideal; bloggers talk and it may not be good to hear from a disgruntled blogger in the social space that you are paying influencers.

Use bloggers to drive certain stages of your whole campaign. Inviting bloggers down on that day will help to create buzz and chatter.

Their blog stories posted after the event will also be good if it isn’t a one-time event.

5. Drive using Facebook’s sponsored stories.

Sponsored stories can help drive your campaigns. Use it to drive your facebook event check-ins, your event picture posts or interactions with your facebook applications.

Drive activities that have a viral nature. The easiest way to spread word of mouth has always been good content. Thus posting and seeding interesting content that others love to share is the underlying fundamentals to all the above points.