5 Musts of Social Media Events

Interviews with 5 Professionals, 5 Questions, Resulting in 5 Musts (and must NOTs) for Most Social

Media Events

By Mallard HollidayFollow me on twitter @mallardholliday

Graduate StudentS.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

Syracuse University

5 Musts of Social Media Events

1. Must have great content2. Must have great technical delivery3. Must promote early and after4. Must have great talent5. Must measure

1. Must have Great Content

Content Counts: You must have most of the these 5 key content elements: Great info, great talent, great food, great location or great entertainment

“Gone are the days when people would just show up because twitter was the newest thing. People don’t go to the movie just to see what a movie is, they go for great content—the same applies to Tweet Ups.”- Danica Kombol @danicakombol

Example: Cox Partners with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to survey Tweens and their Internet habits; Holds #CoxTakeCharge Tweet Up to share results, provides tips to keep kids safer online.

2. Must have great Technical Delivery

It Must Work: Great events go nowhere fast when the technology doesn’t work. Use reliable vendors at reliable venues.

“It’s got to work. You have to manage technical needs well, especially at a field location.”-Amani Channel @amanichannel

Example: Cox’s event was held at the National Press Club using their state of the art production and broadcasting facility.

3. Must Promote Early and After

Promote Early: Create a hashtag early and a url to include in all promotions. Invitation should be social, like your event. Find creative ways to promote the event and the content shared.

Example: Cox’s event included original research findings to get the conversation started. Cox created a social media animation and an infographic and multi-media news release to explain the survey results. The Cox web site provided more information for parents and caregivers.

Promote After: Record the event, make it available online; Use stats from survey to drive traffic to view the recorded event.

4. Must have great TalentTalent can carry

the event: Choose talent who have a built-in following in the social media space and understand how to use the medium.

Example: Cox chose former CNN correspondent Jeanne Meserve (left) to moderate the Tweet Up; John Walsh (center), Children’s Advocate and Host of America’s Most Wanted on LifeTime and Leticia Barr (right), well-respected blogger to moms known as TechSavvyMama.

Amy (Burton) Storey “One of the biggest errors I see clients making is forgetting to include social media rights in their contracts with talent.”

5. Must MeasureUse measurement tools to determine if your event is

successful. Example Measurement report

from Cox Event:

7.1 million social media impressions

11 Washington, DC parent bloggers attended the event in person

5.2 million Twitter impressions to-date from pre-promotion to post-promotion

451 people contributed to the Twitter conversation

1,600 tweets (using hashtag #CoxTakeCharge)

5 posts from bloggers, including a pre-event post by panelist Leticia Barr on Parents.com that generated more than 1.8 million impressions

5 Must NOTs

1. Must not over market your product2. Must not over market your product3. Must not over market your product4. Must not over market your product5. Must not over market your product

The ExpertsDanica Kombol @danicakombol: www.beEVERYWHERE.tv“Gone are the days when people would just show up because twitter was the newest thing. People don’t go to the movie just to see what a movie is, they go for great content—the same applies to Tweet Ups.”

Amani Channel @amanichannel www.amanichannel.com “It’s got to work. You have to manage technical needs well, especially at a field location.”

Amy (Burton) Storey, Vice President, KEF Media www.kefmedia.com “One of the biggest errors I see clients making is forgetting to include social media rights in their contracts with talent.”

Todd Smith @toddpr, Cox Communications, Media Relations Director, www.cox.com “Don’t forget to invite traditional media to cover your social media event.”

Stephanie Davis, @therealsteph Cox Communications, Corporate Communications Manager, www.cox.com “Original research acts as a 3rd party endorsement. It adds credibility and extends the life of the event.