Social Media: Finding Its Place at Events

Whose a better social target? Someone who wants to win an iPad, or someone actively searching for user reviews of your product?    

About six years ago the tradeshow and event industry went ‘gaga’ over social media.  Everybody knew it was going to change the game somehow, yet there was confusion about how to use it. This was worsened by all the books and companies that burst on the scene ready to sell the answers.

Social media is now finding its place in and and around tradeshows and events, just as it is in overall marketing programs. While its use is common, its may not be as widespread as people would have predicted a few years ago. That’s because some people are still unsure of how to use it, but also because smart exhibitors have realized that it is not the “be all and end all” of marketing tactics, it’s another important tool that may or may not be appropriate depending on marketing goals and strategies.

Here’s some examples of how thinking is shifting.

A few years ago most companies measured social success by the number of followers they could collect, attendees they could draw or social shares they could drive, with little regard for who they were reaching.  And companies pumped out content and offers without always considering what their real target audience was interested in, and what would really differentiate their brand and company.

Today, smart marketers focus only on core target audience members (for instance purchasing decision makers for hospital lab equipment), and on offering them unique and valuable information and offers tailored precisely to their needs and interests which, by the way, can still cover a wide range of topics from the latest advancement in industry technology to the best local whiskey bar.

For some deeper insight into how social media can be used more successfully to support your tradeshow and event goals, check out a new book by Traci Browne called “The Social Trade Show.”