Twitter walls have become an indispensable addition to business events. This unique social media technology enhancement is an important method for:

• Facilitating business connections
• Creating interest and buzz
• Promoting the event and its sessions, both internally to guests and externally (to FUTURE guests and exhibitors)
• Providing a valuable opportunity for attendees, exhibitors, and—of course!—sponsors to promote themselves

Twitter is More Respected than You Think!

According to a July 2015 study conducted by Pew Research Center, Twitter is quickly becoming a preferred channel for news updates, such as political issues, national events, or to fill specific informational needs. Of the 2,000 participants in the study, 63% are now depending on Twitter as their preferred source for journalism. Furthermore, 59% of participants said that Twitter was their preferred source for breaking news, as well as for following up on developing stories.

Indeed, journalists were one of the first groups to realize Twitter’s potential for reaching a targeted audience. According to Cision’s State of the Media 2015 Report, 80% of journalists use Twitter for marketing and promoting their work.

How does this information affect your business event? Twitter can boost your event by offering your guests, exhibitors, speakers, and sponsors a chance to promote themselves!

Promotion is a Powerful Motivating Tool at All Levels

Every event participant has a story to tell—or sales goal to meet, ROI to boost, and networking requirements to achieve. Twitter is an ideal platform for sharing ideas, actions, and conversations in real time! If you view your event’s Twitter feed as an open mic, the following five suggestions can help you set the stage for a business gathering that facilitates promotional success for all the businesses and individuals involved!

1.  Social media, popularity, and the “me” factor – at the very least, guests want their social circles to know that they’re participating in a vibrant work experience that is advancing their knowledge, expanding their opportunities, and accelerating their career. It’s exciting to let people know that you’ve been asked to represent your company! Provide a unique (sponsored) photo opportunity—one that’s easy to tweet and lets guests show off what a great time they’re having.

2.  Use Twitter to extend the event’s promotional capabilities – pre-, during, and post event commentary is all useful and appropriate.

• Before the event, establish the event hashtag as soon as the venue and dates are set: starting a conversation, letting people know what the event is about, giving information on how to get involved, and—naturally—letting businesses, exhibitors, sponsors, and individuals spread the NEWS that they’re participating!
• During the event, Tweet compelling content from every angle, perspective, and corner of the event floor. Distribute schedule reminders and teaseqrs. Include strong calls to action. Always encourage guest participation in the Twitter chatter.
• After the event, continue promoting your hashtags, and ask people to share their event experiences. Unlike radio or TV (where you wouldn’t pay for ads about an event that’s already occurred), Twitter is an excellent way to continue post-event discussion amongst participants—also letting potential guests, exhibitors, and sponsors know what they missed!

3. Use live event tweeting to make the customer experience more fun! – A business appears more active, involved, engaging, and INTERESTING when it has a life outside of the office. Tweeting from the trade show floor or from a conference session is an excellent way of showing your clients and customers that your business has a lively social side!

4.  Offer behind-the-scenes and unlimited access information through Twitter Interviews – maybe your event does have a camera crew and reporter offering video coverage—if not, you can easily substitute Twitter interviews as a simple method to achieve a similar result. (If you do have a video feed, you can promote that through Twitter as well.) Simply select a staff member to do the interviews, create a list of compelling questions, and instantly distribute the interviewees’ responses to your guests.

5.  Create a deeper level of engagement with TweetChats – as an alternative to interviewing a single “thought leader” or speaker, TweetChats are a way to prearrange a panel discussion that’s published in real time. Select some exhibitors, speakers, or representatives with compelling ideas, and choose a time when these participants can promote their views to the preferred audience.

A Twitter feed is quickly becoming a necessity for any successful business event. SmartSource Rentals has all the technology that can make the most of this opportunity, including digital signage and video walls to display the feed itself, and WiFi boosters that ensure excellent wireless connections within the venue. Contact us for a quote today!