Boosting Event Attendance With Instagram Event Posts
Trade shows and events are a great marketing strategy—if you get them right. The more people that turn up for an event, the greater the number of people that your product can influence. Everything that can boost attendance – even Instagram event posts – can only be a good thing.
What is Instagram? Well, it’s a global space that attracts over one billion active users per month.
As a social media platform, Instagram can give your event great exposure. As we said, more than one billion active users use Instagram monthly.
With those kinds of numbers, you need to know how best to use them to reach your target audience. Lots of companies have leveraged the numbers of social media to market their products.
Even better, Instagram event posts can be used to promote an event in advance, to encourage attendance. But it’s better than that.
Events can still be promoted after the show is over. Absolutely. So, if you’re willing to use Instagram event posts to boost your trade show marketing, this piece is for you.
We’ll look at how to use Instagram to promote your tradeshow in three significant ways: before, during, and after.
How to Promote Your Tradeshow Event Before It Starts?
This is where the real work starts. The promotional efforts you put in before the event, form the foundation for the event’s success.
The first thing to settle is knowing your target audience. You need to know the demographic that you wish to attract to your booth, to see your product and hear your pitch.
The promotional efforts that take place before the event are meant to highlight everything you want the attendees to know about the event.
Since you’re trying to convince them to consider attending your tradeshow, you must be persuasive in your approach. Here’s how to use Instagram event posts to promote your event before it begins.
Flashy Engaging Images
As you know, Instagram is all about catchy images. The more attractive, the better. If your images are well produced, they will attract viewers.
So put together some engaging images that highlight your products. Ensure your images contain all the necessary information about the show you are promoting and that viewers can easily catch the message.
Of course, you shouldn’t give away too much information in your images, or you may not sustain interest in it ahead of the show itself. This leads to the next point.
Build Hype
Every marketing strategy involves sustaining interest in the prospects ahead of purchase. That’s why your Instagram event posts must sustain people’s interest. The best way to do this is to build hype around the event.
To achieve this hype, we suggest you use creative personalized hashtags specific to the event. The more the hashtag trends, the more curiosity it generates in the target audience
Instagram Event Ideas: Mention Giveaways and Free Stuff
Who doesn’t love freebies? Smart marketers know that every dime spent on freebies will be recouped in gained customers. Moreover, what’s a trade show without giveaways?
Apart from mentioning the gifts and free stuff that await visitors at the event, you can also smartly drop freebies to those that interact with the post on Instagram. That will draw more people to your message.
Build Your Hashtag
We talked about the power of hashtags as a means of building hype. It’s essential to choose your hashtag carefully. If you’re not deliberate, you may use a hashtag that will draw away from rather than attracting people to your event.
That’s because a hashtag not specific to your event will end up causing a divergence rather than a convergence.
There are four main types of hashtags, which are branded hashtags, industry hashtags, niche hashtags, and content hashtags. It helps if you focus on branded hashtags explicitly designed for your event for your Instagram marketing drive.
As an instagram event post example, once you’ve found a hashtag unique to your event, ensure it is used as often as possible.
Share Behind the Scenes Preparations
This is one secret that will attract lots of people. Social media offers enough already. So, you’ll remain ordinary if you don’t give something that people can’t find elsewhere.
As you’re preparing for the event, you can show exclusive shots of the preparation and the event ground.
Use instagram event reminder posts to show what awaits them so they can know what to expect. Besides whetting your audience’s appetite, behind-the-scenes visuals also give them a unique sense of belonging and bonding that they won’t take for granted.
Build on the FOMO Model
FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, as described on social media, is defined as the anxiety people feel when it seems that others have better experiences.
Anyone who appears to know too little about it feels a sense of inadequacy and tries to catch up for fear of missing out.
Make sure your instagram events are well talked about, because everyone wants to stay with the trend. By building on the FOMO model, you equate your event with success.
Make Sure You Connect it All to Your Event
In your bid to be social media savvy, you may lose focus. It’s simply about your event. Everything must connect to your event, whether it’s giveaways, hashtags, or funny posts.
Target Your Ads With Pinpoint Accuracy; Know Your Audience
You already know that you can’t do it all without ads. Remember, we started by highlighting why you should know your target audience.
Once that is settled, you should target your ads for maximum impact. Ads that reach the wrong audience are pure waste.
How To Promote Your Tradeshow Event While It’s Going On
So, you’ve done well so far. Now you have a sizable number of attendees at your tradeshow. It is now time to sit back and soak in all the rewards.
No? Not yet! There’s still so much you can do to promote the show while it’s ongoing. Indeed, this is where FOMO can be effective. You’d be surprised at how much impact your live posts can make. Let’s see how.
Share Hashtag Posts and Attendees Images
Some sincerely wish to be there but can’t make it due to unavoidable circumstances. Remember, tradeshows are meant to give established and potential customers the avenues to meet you in a personalized way.
Using your hashtag to share posts, attendees’ images, and snippets of the live event, means that you carry your customers along and create customized experiences for potential customers.
You should have CTAs for online viewers who may want to make purchases. You should also have a standby representative online who is willing to answer viewers’ questions in real time.
If you do this effectively, your online attendees may soon impact your business more positively than the physical ones.
Share the Behind the Scenes
Don’t forget to include behind the scene footage of your events. Arrivals of special guests, fun moments, and up close and personal information about the organizers.
Share the Interesting Parts of the Event
You should use Instagram to boost your trade show booth experience. The exclusive moments of your event should be offered to your followers.
This will encourage those who can still make it to hurry. Those who can’t, stay glued. This also helps to build a better relationship with potential clients.
Build FOMO
As your event is ongoing, you can use Instagram to create the FOMO feeling in people. No one wants to miss out on the latest great thing.
Those who haven’t given it a thought will think twice and consider the event, with creative Instagram use.
How To Promote Your Tradeshow Event Post Event
You must have now seen the results if you promoted your show before and during the event. But it’s not yet time to rest.
No matter how great it was, you can make it even greater by showing those that missed it what they stand to gain next time the event holds.
Share Hashtag Posts and Attendees’ Images
After the event, you can retain the event hashtag or create a post-event one. Use it to share highlights of the event.
Show people who missed it entirely, what they missed out on. Show all the fun parts and ensure that there’s a CTA for those who may still be interested.
Mention Interesting Events/Happenings People Missed
You can create a post that summarizes the entire event. Highlight the essential parts of the event.
Give those that genuinely missed the tradeshow something they can watch and enjoy for a sense of belonging.
Even those that attended the event may want to see a recap and parts of the event that they may have missed. Use the post-event promotion to keep your brand in the minds of people who attended the tradeshow.
Show Your Post Event Activity
You can also share your post-event activity. This involves any behind-the-scenes action during the end of the event. Show activities that will encourage interaction with your followers and keep them informed about how the event may have helped your firm.
Show How You’re Recovering From a Successful Event
It’s not easy to host events. It’s time-consuming and capital-intensive. Do you know that you can use the occasion to offer tutorials on hosting events for any of your followers that may need the advice?
Also, be open about how you’re recovering from the event, especially if it has been stressful and if you made some mistakes. Share valuable lessons you learned as you recover from the event.
Show That You’re on a Nice Dinner With Your Staff
It’s time to unwind after the event. Share excellent information about what you’re doing after the event. Share pictures of how you’re relaxing with your very hardworking team.
Let your followers know what you’re up to. Let your followers know that you are not just about work and that you also relax after putting in the effort.
Mention Your Success
The event must have been a success. Share your successes. Share the important lessons that you learned and how the event has helped your business. Don’t forget to keep using your hashtag all the while.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is a sure way to reach the most people at the best cost. Apart from offering an excellent return on investment, it is also a fundamental way of connecting with your clients.
Organizers of trade shows know how effective digital promotion is and you’re missing out on a lot if you’ve not used Instagram to market your event before.
You should also ensure that customers are well represented in your posts. Their feedback, in words and videos, should be well captured, especially post-event.
Also, remember that creativity is critical. You want something that will draw attention, from the posts to the stories and even the hashtags.
Know your audience, be creative in your approach, and watch your next tradeshow make an incredible impact. Never settle for less when you can impress.
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