Event marketing: Social media strategy
Successful event marketing includes three parts:
Build anticipation and recruit attendees. The preparation phase is all about building excitement.
Live posting during the event. This is where you deliver on the excitement you created. Your goal? Make the people at home feel like they’re missing out, and like they can’t bear to miss your event when it happens next.
Follow-up! This is your chance to highlight amazing details for the people who attended, create more fear of missing out (FOMO), and rewrite the narrative a bit on any missteps or negatives about the live event. Case in point: You never see pictures of the cramped and uncomfortable tables inside the Met gala.
Here’s a quick guide to all three stages. I’ll use a hypothetical event for my company—we’ll call it Tent 151—to illustrate my point. For the purpose of the example, we’ll say that Tent 151 is a client event where we decided to hold the “con” and welcome all of our clients to Tent 151, an afternoon of marketing inspiration followed by dinner and entertainment under the bigtop.
Preparation: Pick a theme and stick to it
At the highest level, you want to pick a hashtag. But this is really about more than a hashtag. For some companies, their big events (conferences, signature dinners, etc.) have their own branding, lore, or even social media accounts. But at a bear minimum, you should have a hashtag. This is something you want to establish early on. Once you start using it, it’s hard to get people to pivot. (Trust me, I’ve tried.)
The best event hashtags are:
Unique. You don’t want to get confused with someone else’s event or a TikTok trend.
Tested. Ask a few people who you want to engage what they think about your hashtag. This is how you avoid an #AskJPMorgan-style disaster.
Time stamped. Consider including the date on any event hashtag that happens more than once so you can distinguish between events.
Short. Longer hashtags invite typos (and confusion) which tends to defeat the purpose.
Remember: Hashtags are a search tool. They are what makes your event discoverable. So you want them to be memorable, intuitive, and useful. For our hypothetical, I’d probably go with #Tent151. If the event goes well, and I have a second annual occurrence, I’ll call it #Tent152. That’s a bit more creative than just adding the date, but it fits with the brand of a creative agency. Plus it saves me having too many numbers (and potential typos or errors or spam flags) in my hashtag.
You can also combine multiple hashtags for events. So, for example, I might have a video station at all of my events called #Cam151. I’d add that to any posts from #Tent151 that are filmed at #Cam151. That way, people can search for the event, but they can add another layer and pull up the videos created at our social cam at the event.
Once you’ve picked a hashtag, start using it in all of your event promotion posts. Use it beyond social media. Add it to the event collateral (fliers, swag, backdrops). You want people to start using this branding element independent of you.
Hey @JohnDoe, will I see you at #Tent151 this year?
Got to step into the #Cam151 spotlight at #Tent151 this year! It was almost as nerve wracking as the fire jugglers.
Lean into the theme:
Make sure you use this hashtag, as well as any other unique branding elements, across platforms and mediums leading up to the event. Essentially, you’re creating sign posts for your events and spreading them far and wide. This helps them stick, and it caters to people’s various preferences. More specifically:
Post across all platforms. You might get the best engagement on LinkedIn, but you might catch someone’s eye, including an influencer or super fan, on Instagram. Surround sound is the best way to get people to remember you. Plus, some platforms are better for live posting, others for long-term credibility. But to truly take advantage of each platform, you want to start early. Don’t just try to go viral on event day—that’s how bloopers happen.
Lean into visuals. You don’t want all of your posts to look the same, but if you’re creating graphics to promote the speakers at your event, for instance, use the same template for all speakers so people recognize it. This not only creates event name and brand recognition, it also helps associate your brands with the names and faces of your speakers in a subliminal way… and presumably, you want to draw that connection (or you wouldn’t have asked them to speak).
Go a step further: Add other senses. Video is powerful when it comes to event marketing. It involves more of your senses—it adds sound to the mix, and moving images engage us differently. The more senses you involve, the more potential for triggering an emotion… like excitement. Pick music and sound effects that fit with the energy you’re hoping to create for the event. Depending on your event and industry, you can go beyond sound. Will your event have a signature scent? What about fabrics or touch? (This is more relevant if you’re sending out physical invitations or goodie bags… but you get the idea. You’re previewing an experience.)
Live post at the event
Here’s the thing: It is impossible to capture the scale and magic of a good event. Take a circus, as an example. There’s an energy that comes from the slow build up of sound, the winding layout of tents before you, the smell of popcorn in the air. Sure, you could try a panoramic photo or a wide angle video to try and capture the full scene, but it will almost certainly fail. A better way of capturing the majesty, and magnitude, would be to focus on the smaller moments:
Snapshots of the crowd walking up, huddled together, chatting in anticipation.
A closeup shot of popcorn, with butter glistening on the edges.
A video of you turning a corner to discover a juggler entertaining a small group.
All three of those individual moments capture the majesty I described in my initial overview far more than any attempt to capture an overview would. They also leave a lot of things out. And that’s the point.
The biggest mistake people make at events
When you try to capture the forest, you tend to end up with a generic and boring stock image. When you focus on the trees, however, you capture the life within. People have an easier time connecting with little moments than big ones. They’re easier to digest. So, when it comes to events: Look for the small moments.
Don’t post a photo of a panel with, Loved hearing from @John Doe, @Jane Doe, and @Barney Rubble about Presentation Title! Great start to #Event2025
Do post a photo of John Doe talking, paired with @Barney Rubble caught me completely off guard with his claim that 100 vikings could kill a brontosaurus without any modern weapons. What a way to kick off #Event2025. Not sure how @Jane Doe and @John Doe can top that but they seem ready to try from the looks of it! Stay tuned.
Don’t post a photo of a bunch of smiling people in name tags with, Great times with great colleagues!
Do post a selfie with your old boss saying He taught me how to write engaging headlines back in the single-digit iPhone days… now I get to teach him proper selfie technique. Thank you for the full circle moment, #Event2025. Does anyone else remember @Boss Man’s rules around alliteration? Miss you @tag a friend, @tag a friend.
So, in summary: Lean into candid moments and behind-the-scenes snaps. This is even more important if there’s an official event photographer there. What would you tell your friend or coworker about the event (versus your boss). That’s the casual energy that does best on social media. (Just remember, casual doesn’t mean unprofessional. These are still work events.)
Tag other people
Yes, you should tag people at the event, since they’ll be inclined to engage, amplify, and promote. Plus, this is a way to form new connections (both for yourself and among attendees). But, it’s also a good idea to tag people NOT at the event. This boosts the algorithm, gets people interested, and creates that “I wish I were there” vibe that gets you more attendees next year, more engagement this year, and ultimately helps you market your business beyond the event itself.
Don’t stop at tagging. While you should always engage with other peoples’ content as part of good marketing, it’s even more important around events. These engagement metrics are what trigger the algorithm. This is also the one time you don’t need to worry about over posting. People expect you to over post; they want you to over post. Plus, the more you post, the more insights you get into what resonates. (Do comments perform better than reposting for you? This is a perfect testing ground.)
Be strategic about video
Let me be clear: I love an event video station. But you need to have a plan in place. Ideally, you’ve spent some time building an event ‘vibe’ that includes video leading up to the event. You want the videos from your event to continue, and even amplify, that same energy. That means you’ll want to edit any videos you share. I repeat: Do not just post raw videos if you are an event organizer. These should be produced. They don’t have to be perfect or highly polished, especially for social media, but they should feel professional. They’re part of your brand.
The second half of that is: Video production takes time. Even with apps and a “quick and dirty” social media approach, you will be focused on editing videos for at least a few hours a day, and that’s time that you aren’t spending finding other moments to take photos, find content, network, or otherwise engage with the event.
That said: I still think you should do it. But make life easy on yourself.
Set up one station so you don’t have to worry about adjusting the shot or post production lighting/audio as much.
Have all of the production elements ready in advance: Graphics, music, animations, and so on.
Limit yourself to a handful of deliverables a day… for instance 3 “attendee spotlight” videos and a “daily recap” that includes b-roll (background video) of the conference mixed with still photos. That doesn’t mean those are the only things you film that day, but it means you aren’t pressuring yourself to edit more than that (unless you have enough help).
Use a formula, and have a plan.
Stick with a few set questions, try to record them “as live” to minimize editing. (Tip: Tell your guests you’ll be editing them; it helps with the nerves.)
This is also where having a set list of deliverables helps.
Once you’ve recorded your 3 “attendee spotlight” videos, you might switch your questions to something more evergreen… “What do you like most about htis event” or “What do you like about working with ____.”
You can post evergreen responses for weeks or even months following the event in a way that still feels relevant. This extends your event life cycle without feeling like you’re just slow to post or trying to relive the past.
Rehash the past, then pay it forward
Be ready to start promoting your next event before the current one is finished. If you did your job well, and the event delivered, people—including the people who’ve been following along remotely—are going to want to know how to get involved next year. Or sooner. So make sure you tell them how.
Have a call to action ready. This can be as simple as next year’s hashtag… but it can also be sign up now for early bird registration, you don’t have to wait to next year to work with us, donate now, or some variation on that theme.
Tell people how to stay engaged, and then deliver. Continue using your event hashtag after the event. Here are a few organic ways to do that:
Still unpacking everything I learned at #Tent151 and trying to figure out what to try first. I think it might be @Jane Doe’s “Try marketing the trees, instead of the forest. In fact, you might win customers if you start by marketing the leaves.” What were your favorite tips?
The WBNA just unveiled a new, viral ad campaign today shot by Malia Obama and it has me thinking about what @John Doe told #Cam151 at #Tent151 last month about how to think about risk in your marketing. I wonder if the Nike execs went through the same pros and cons he outlines here? [paired with video]
You can also alter your followups for platform. For instance:
Been wondering what happened to my #Tent151 swag… just discovered my daughter’s been using it as an integral part of her dress up games with our golden retriever. #WhoWoreItBetter … @Content151_ are you in the market for a new mascot? [paired with video]
Try to reward the people who were engaged with your content from the beginning. In a sense, they’re acting as micro influencers for your event. This might be giving them an early-bird discount for next year, recognizing them via promotional materials, or something unique to your business.
At the end of the day, events are about building community. So is social media. And they key to community is always to be authentic. Most of what we’ve included here are just tools to help you tap into your authenticity… because it’s never harder to act natural than when somebody tells you to “act natural.”
One note before we go:
Some of the examples we’ve included in here will vary based on whether you are posting from a company account or a personal account. But here’s the thing: You should be posting from both. The company (or event) account should be active, and should feel a bit more approachable than normal—your brand should have personality.
It’s also OK to drop the fourth wall a bit so people know who’s posting for the company, or to amplify individuals—employees and attendees alike—via comments, reposts, quote posts, story shares and so on.
The “lines of engagement” can blur a bit at these events in the name of community.
Did I miss anything? Let me know or share your best event-posting tips in the comments!