Successful Facebook Marketing for Events

Transcription

1 amiando GmbH Successful Facebook Marketing for Events Contents: Page 2: Introduction Facts and Figures Page 3-5: How The best tools and strategies Page 6: Why What s in it for you? Page 7: Future Prospects Challenges & Opportunities Page 8: References Resources and Contact Europe s leading tool for online event registration amiando GmbH I Sandstr. 33 I Munich I Germany Tel: +49 (89) I en-offers@amiando.com I

2 Introduction Facts and Figures We all have a routine when we go online with around 7 webpages we always visit. At least one of these is bound to be a Social Network page. As the most powerful Social Network, Facebook not only keeps millions of people around the globe connected, it has also become a crucial marketing channel for businesses. If you can target your audience via their routine websites, you re exactly where you need to be. Shares, Likes and Status Updates allow Facebook users to spread the word about their interests and activities. And since events are a social experience, what better way to promote them than via a Social Network? In the following, we show you: How Facebook can help you to gain maximum publicity for your event, Why you should not miss out on using Facebook as a channel for marketing your event and What the future of Event Marketing holds for you, including challenges and opportunities Social Media Facts: How important is Social Media as a marketing tool for event organizers? Facebook Facts: Which social media channels are most used for promoting events? 84% 2 billion internet users 800 million Facebook users 61% 47% 44% 35% 35% 7% Facebook Twitter Xing YouTube LinkedIn Blogs MySpace Significant part of people s lives is now spent online 2 billion online users, meaning a huge potential audience Social Media offers an engaging two-way communication process People are likely to show interest in something their friends have recommended Of the 1000 event organizers we questioned, 72% considered Social Media to be important or very important for event marketing Number 1 social network 2nd most visited website and 2nd largest source of user traffic to other sites 800 million active users of which 50% log on every day Average user has 230 friends and is connected to 80 pages, groups and events 30 billion pieces of content shared each month 2

3 How The Best Tools and Strategies Event Marketing with a Facebook Fan Page / Facebook Event is suitable for: Small, medium and large-scale events Events for which you wish people to RSVP on Facebook Events you wish to promote for free Facebook Fan Page Facebook Event How To 1. Go to 2. Select a category (e.g. company, brand) 3. Choose a profile picture, enter the basic info and get fans by inviting friends or importing contacts How To 1. Go to 2. Select an event name, date, location and image 3. Select guests and post the event on your fan page to let non-friends join Best Practices Build your Network to ensure popularity Be Eye-Catching use a recognizable image and slogan Keep it fresh Update regularly with relevant content Viral Marketing 3 Encourage fans to comment on your page and share it it will then appear in their friends newsfeeds Monitor your popularity, e.g. using Facebook Insights 4 or an external provider such as AllFacebook Stats 5 Best Practices Be Eye-Catching always include a recognizable image Stay Active Update regularly and send a reminder in the run up to your event Viral Marketing Encourage attendees to comment on, RSVP to and share your event this will appear in their friends newsfeeds Post-event marketing Get attendees to post on your page after your event 3

4 How The Best Tools and Strategies Event Marketing with Facebook Social Ticketing is suitable for: Small, medium and large-scale events requiring payment handling Events requiring registration forms (e.g. conferences) or ticket sales (e.g. concerts) Events with an existing Facebook Fan Page Facebook Ticket Shop How To Go to log on and create your amiando event 2. Activate your event, then go to Facebook s amiando Social Ticketing page 6 3. Click on Add to my Page, select the page you wish to integrate, then click on Add to Page 4. Your ticket shop will now be integrated. Log on using your amiando account 5. Almost done! Select your amiando event from the list. Your Facebook Ticket Shop is now ready Best Practices Engage your audience visually and include relevant and interesting information surrounding your event Update regularly and encourage attendees to buy, share and like this will appear in their network s newsfeed For maximum user traffic, post your ticket shop on your Facebook Fan Page or external homepage Use amiando s Viral Tickets 7 and get people to recommend their friends for your event it s a win-win situation as they ll both receive a discount Advertise your Ticket Shop with Facebook Ads to target specific audiences (see next page) 4

5 How The Best Tools and Strategies Event Marketing via Facebook Ads suitable for: Medium to large-scale events Events whose marketing you are willing to pay for Events with an external webpage or Facebook Ticket Shop you wish to promote Facebook Ads People living in France Aged Interested in IT & Social Media How To 1. Go to 2. Enter your event s URL 3. Define your target 4. Set your daily budget advertising and click on Create and select a title, text body audience (by location, for the ad; Fb will suggest an Advert and image age, gender, likes ) a bid amount Best Practices 77% Identify your goals and tailor your strategy: are you trying to drive ticket sales or create awareness of your event/brand? Keep your ad text short, catchy and relevant Stand out by using an ad image which people will recognize and remember 66% 60% 59% 44% 40% 51% 45% 37% 22% 28% 17% 6% 3% Change and rotate your event ads regularly don t display the same ad again and again Monitor your ad campaign s success and make continuous adjustments to gain the maximum ROI use Fb s guidelines 8 for this Use a Facebook Social Plug-In 9 for your external event page allowing attendees to post on your event website and via their own Facebook account increase awareness new communication medium lead generation increase customer loyalty new support channels Comparison: Defined social media goals vs. realized goals increase ticket sales other 5

6 A Network of Marketing Tools Why The Benefits of Facebook Marketing = Promontion facebook Ads External Event Website event registration & ticketing facebook Ticket Shop via event registration & ticketing facebook Event Page / Fan Page Free interaction for both you and your attendees (with the exception of Facebook Ads) Fast Shares, likes and status updates can help you go viral within minutes Flexible Update and adjust any time at no additional cost Specific Target your audience (e.g. with Facebook Ads) Exposure Reach a huge audience and increase the potential for qualified leads Measurable Track how many people are sharing your event and measure the generated value Network Effect the more people use FB, the more valuable it becomes to both users and businesses 6

7 Prospects Challenges and Opportunities Mobile Ads million people now use a mobile device to access FB and Mobile Ads are becoming increasingly important consider Mobile Ads for marketing your event! Facebook is not for Businesses? Many businesses are still opposed to the idea of marketing via a social media platform. FB s fan base is growing, however, and even your conference guests are likely to have an account. The rapidly increasing number of business pages is a testimony to this development. Check into an Event Facebook is innovating its features every day. Now, people can check into events (not just official locations) with their phones this way, participants promote your event while it s happening, creating a real-time marketing effect. The Loyalty Factor FB s two-way communication channel allows you to build close and lasting relationships with your customers. Consider a loyalty program which rewards fans who visit or comment on your page regularly, e.g. through FB credits Growing Competition Social Media Networks represent an increasingly competitive landscape for businesses. Money is no longer the most important factor for successful marketing. Anybody can build their brand at no or little cost by using the right strategy. Make your event a true success by posting regular and relevant content and engaging your audience! 7

8 References & Resources References: 1 amiando Social Media Report: 2 Facebook Fan Page: Promote your brand/event; get ideas on: 3 Viral Marketing: A marketing technique which uses social networks to increase brand awareness through a self-replicating viral process, i.e. word of mouth promotion 4 Facebook Insights: 5 AllFacebook Stats: 6 Facebook Social Ticketing Page: 7 amiando Viral Tickets: 8 Facebook Ads Guidelines: 9 Social Plug-In: 10 Mobile Ads: 11 Facebook Credits: For further information visit: amiando: amiando features: amiando press: amiando blog: amiando facebook: About event registration & ticketing amiando is a pioneer in online event registration and ticketing. Since its foundation in 2006, amiando has become a leading software-as-aservice platform for professional events. amiando s products help event organizers to reach a professional level of event organization which, until now, was only reserved for large corporations and event agencies. All tools are online-based and immediately available for use, without the need for software installation. Over 100,000 event organizers worldwide use amiando, including prestigious names such as Facebook, BMW, UNESCO, and Telefónica O2. amiando has been awarded numerous prizes for its innovative products, among them the Technology Pioneer of 2010 at the World Economic Forum, and the eco Internet Award as the best business client portal. amiando has been part of XING AG since December 2010, an operator of the business network XING. Or call us on We ll show you how it works or do it for you. Contact amiando Germany Dennis von Ferenczy Sandstraße 33, Munich Phone: dennis.ferenczy@amiando.com Contact amiando UK Spencer Cohen 1 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1BR Phone: spencer.cohen@amiando.com Contact amiando France Verena Gladiator Le Tank, 50 Rue de la Montreuil, Paris Phone: verena.gladiator@amiando.com Contact amiando Asia Pacific Boris Barreck Silver Fortune Plaza, 19/F, 1 Wellington Street Central Hong Kong Phone: boris.barreck@amiando.com 8