Are you using in-person events to build awareness about your company? If you are, then you know that events like fundraisers or conferences are instrumental in helping your company get noticed. The strategic use of social media before, during and after your in-person event gives your company multiple opportunities to engage with potential customers.

So what do you get when you weave social media into your event marketing activities?

More People – Targeted social media activities for an in-person event give your company the potential to increase attendance by reaching more people. Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have enormous reach and are easy to use. Through the broadcasting power of your company’s brand advocates, your message has the potential to be passed on to a set of people that exist beyond your initial invite list.

More Participation – Social media strengthens your message by encouraging participation. People who are tweeting or posting on Facebook about your in-person event are not only thinking about your event, they’re actively participating in conversations about it. Even better, people who aren’t physically attending the event can still participate in the conversation. Customers who are actively engaged with your event and by extension, your company, are more likely to become bona fide customers in the future.

What kinds of things can you do to promote your event?

• Write blog posts about your upcoming event. You’re letting people know what to expect from your event and you’re creating buzz about it.
• Chronicle your event. Be sure to collect stories during your event in the form of pictures, videos, and audio interviews.
• Extend the impact of your event. Using the information you’ve collected from your event, recap the proceedings in blog posts, Facebook posts and tweets.
• Give attendees opportunities to connect with your company after your event by asking them to subscribe to your company’s email news or give feedback with an online survey.

Get more attention by incorporating social media in the promotion of your next event. What do you do to make your event more relevant and far reaching?