Maximizing Impact: How to Leverage Social Media for Your Event

Are you taking advantage of one of the most powerful tools for promoting your event? Social media amplifies your reach, turning a single-day conference into months of meaningful conversations. When used effectively, it creates exposure going far beyond word-of-mouth, making a lasting impact that’s hard to achieve through attendee conversations alone.

Not sure where to begin? The team at Conversion-omics is here to help. Whether you’re hosting a conference, workshop, or keynote series, these strategies will help you maximize social media before, during, and after your event—expanding your reach and amplifying its impact.

Before the Event: Build Anticipation

One of the most important times to leverage social media is before an event. This is your chance to build excitement and turn your event into a can’t-miss occasion that attendees are eager to be a part of.

Here are some ways to gain traction on social media and get attendees to engage with you before the event begins.

1. Create a Hashtag that Sticks

First, craft a catchy, memorable event hashtag. Once created, use it consistently across all of your social media platforms and encourage others to use it, too, including any speakers, sponsors, and partners. A great hashtag builds community and makes it easy to follow conversations about your event.

2. Hype Your Speakers

Show attendees (and those thinking about registering) what they will see at the event. Spotlighting your speakers with teaser videos, quick interviews, or “5 Questions with…” posts can help audiences connect with the speakers and get them excited to see them in person. Tag speakers in your posts, and ask them to share across their networks to broaden the reach of your social media post and your event.

3. Tease with Behind-the-Scenes Content

Keep your attendees in the know about the event’s happenings and build excitement by showing behind-the-scenes peaks at the event setup, swag previews, speaker arrivals, and more. All of these ideas make great Instagram stories!

4. Run Polls and Q&A Sessions

Get your attendees engaged before they even enter the event space. Use Instagram Stories, LinkedIn polls, or FB Reels to let your audience vote on panel topics or submit questions for speakers. This will make attendees feel engaged before they event step foot in the door.

During the Event: Drive Real-Time Engagement

1. Go Live

Show live footage to show what’s happening in real-time. Stream keynotes or breakout sessions on LinkedIn Live, YouTube, or Instagram. You can also include live captions to make the videos more accessible.

2. Share Live Takeaways

Share hot takes or memorable moments as they happen. Post a quote from a keynote or remarkable takeaways on your social accounts to showcase the valuable information being shared. A great way to do this is a graphic with the speaker’s image and their quote.

3. Feature Attendee-Generated Content

Creating content takes time, and you have A LOT to do during the event. Ease the workload by getting some help from your attendees. Encourage them to share their experiences at the event using your hashtag, then repost their content to your stories or event page. This not only helps lighten your workload but also allows for more diverse content to be shared.

4. Use Interactive Stories

Ask your attendees questions in your posts to keep them engaged. You can share real-time polls on Instagram Stories to get attendees to interact between sessions or during breaks. Some common questions are “Which session did you love the most?” or “What’s the best tip you learned today?”

After the Event: Keep the Momentum Going

When your extra swag is packed up and the brochures are put away, it doesn’t mean you’re done posting on social media. Now it’s time for the post-event content.

1. Recap with Highlights

Remind your attendees what happened during the event – and show those who didn’t attend what they missed. You can post video highlights, blog recaps, and slides from the event. Don’t forget to tag speakers and attendees to get your posts in front of their followers and keep the conversation going.

2. Post Testimonials

When you collect surveys and feedback, share the top anecdotes on social. Ideas include sharing feedback on specific speakers and quotes from attendees about the event, sessions, or speakers. This will help build credibility for future events.

3. Start the Countdown for the Next Time

It’s never too early to start promoting the next event! Right after this event ends, share the dates for the next one and registration information. Already have speakers booked for upcoming events? Make sure to tease them and their topics.

Pro Tip: Empower Your Speakers to Amplify Your Event

When promoting your event on social media, don’t neglect to tap into a major resource – your speakers! To make it easy on them – and you – consider the following ways to get them to promote your event on their social media accounts:

• Provide your speakers with branded social graphics and sample posts.
• Create a speaker toolkit with key event links and hashtags.
• Encourage them to go live before their sessions to preview their topics.

Conclusion: Social Media Can Give Your Event a Boost

Ready to make your next event unforgettable? Start planning your social strategy now.

These platforms are a valuable tool to engage your audience before, during, and after the event.

Looking for more event planning tips or need help finding the right professional speaker or strategist for your event? Contact the team at Conversion-omics! We are the premier source for industry leading speakers.