Exhibitions are useful venues for businesses to advertise their products and services, engage with key industry figures, and build a relationship with their target market. However, in today’s fast-paced digital world, the success of an exhibition is no longer confined to the event itself. Social media channels are becoming indispensable resources for building excitement, drawing people in, and expanding the visibility of your show.
At Acoustic, we understand the importance of maximising your exhibition presence, and in this article, we’ll explore how to leverage social media for exhibition success. Learn how to use social media to maximise your exhibition experience, from pre-event advertisements to post-event tactics and real-time participation.
- Clearly define your campaign’s goals on social media.
Establishing your goals is crucial before you start posting on social media. Are you trying to get people to come to your booth, build brand awareness, get leads, or interact with attendees? You can make sure that your social media actions and content are in line with your intended results by establishing clear goals.
Advice: To measure the effectiveness of your efforts, use quantifiable KPIs like booth visits, interaction analytics, or hashtag performance.
- Promote the Event in Advance
Your exhibition’s success begins even before the event. Encourage anticipation and buzz in the weeks preceding the event by posting promotional content on all of your social media platforms. Don’t forget to provide important information like the date, venue, and booth number of the event.
- Countdown posts: Create daily or weekly countdown posts to build anticipation.
- Provide behind-the-scenes: photos of your booth setup or upcoming new products in your “sneak peek” content.
- Announcements of Events: Offer incentives to your fans, like freebies or competitions, to entice them to stop by your booth.
Bonus Tip: To improve visibility, identify the actual event organisers and make use of their official hashtags.
- Make an Exhibition-Related Hashtag
Your audience will find and interact with your material more readily if you use a custom hashtag. It also facilitates the tracking of engagement and remarks pertaining to the show. Make sure the hashtag is brief, easy to comprehend, and memorable.
For example, if your business is participating in “Expo 2024,” a branded hashtag like #AcousticAtExpo2024 could do the trick.
- Engage with Attendees in Real-Time
It’s critical to maintain social media activity throughout the event. Having real-time interaction with your audience generates enthusiasm and draws more people to your booth.
Here’s how you can engage live:
- Live streaming: To broadcast important events like product demos or booth activities, use Facebook Live, Instagram Live, or LinkedIn Live.
- Stories: Share Instagram or Facebook stories throughout the event to give followers an inside look.
- Interactive Content: Run polls, quizzes, or contests to keep attendees and online followers engaged. For instance, you may encourage visitors to snap pictures at your booth and share them on social media with your custom hashtag to be entered to win prizes.
Tip: Assign a dedicated social media team to handle live updates, respond to comments, and engage with event attendees.
- Collaborate with Influencers and Industry Leaders
Partnering with influencers or industry experts attending the exhibition can greatly expand your reach. Influencers often have a loyal following that trusts their recommendations, making them ideal partners to promote your booth or products.
- Influencer Takeovers: Allow an influencer to take over your social media for the day and share their exhibition experience.
- Cross-Promotion: Work together to cross-promote each other’s booths by forming alliances with other exhibitors or business experts.
- Share User-Generated Content (UGC)
Encourage visitors and attendees to share their experiences at your booth and tag your brand in their posts. User-generated content not only builds trust but also extends your reach to new audiences. On your social media channels, highlight user-generated content to foster a feeling of community.
Example: Post photos of visitors engaging with your booth, trying out your products, or participating in giveaways.
- Run Social Media Ads for Targeted Promotion
Social media advertising allows you to reach a specific audience interested in the event. Consider running targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to promote your participation.
- Geo-targeting: Aim for attendees of the city or event location.
- Interest-Based Targeting: Focus on individuals interested in the event’s industry or niche.
- Lead Generation Ads: Use ads to capture leads before or during the event by offering exclusive incentives.
- Monitor Conversations and Engage with Event Hashtags
Stay on top of event conversations by monitoring the official event hashtags. Engage with attendees, respond to questions, and participate in relevant discussions to increase your brand’s visibility and credibility.
Tip: Use social listening tools to track mentions, hashtags, and conversations happening around the event in real time.
- Host Post-Event Follow-Ups
Your social media strategy shouldn’t end when the exhibition does. Share the exhibition’s highlights and most important lessons with leads and guests after the event.
- Thank You Posts: Show appreciation to those who visited your booth by posting thank-you messages.
- Event Highlights: Share videos or photo albums showcasing your booth and activities during the exhibition.
- Follow-Up Campaigns: Use social media to promote post-event offers, discounts, or new product launches.
- Analyse Your Performance
After the event, it’s essential to measure the impact of your social media efforts. Track metrics like engagement, reach, clicks, and conversions to evaluate what worked well and identify areas for improvement.
Tip: Use analytics tools provided by social platforms to get detailed insights into your posts’ performance and audience behaviour.
- Repurpose Content for Future Campaigns
Exhibitions provide a wealth of content opportunities. Repurpose the content generated during the event—such as photos, videos, and customer testimonials—for future campaigns. You can also create blog posts or case studies based on your exhibition experience to keep your audience engaged long after the event.
Conclusion
Social media is a powerful tool that can significantly boost your exhibition success by driving engagement, increasing visibility, and fostering connections with attendees. From pre-event promotions to real-time engagement and post-event follow-ups, leveraging social media effectively can ensure that your brand stands out at any exhibition.
At Acoustic, we understand the value of creating meaningful connections through exhibitions and events. With the right social media strategy in place, your business can maximise its reach, generate quality leads, and make a lasting impression. Whether it’s partnering with influencers, running targeted ads, or sharing user-generated content, social media provides endless opportunities to enhance your exhibition presence.