This session will explore how to effectively harness social media to drive traffic and attendance for your nonprofit event. Dawn will share clear strategies, tactics, and resources for using social media to ensure maximum engagement from the community you serve using Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

1. Leveraging Social Media for
Nonprofit Events

2. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
event engagement
Tying it all together with data
2

3. Defining Event & Social Media
ROI
ROI = Increasing donations
+ Raising awareness +
Maximizing ticket sales
3

4. Ticketing Lifecycle
On average, fundraiser tickets go on sale 4-6
weeks before the event.
4

5. Ticket Lifecycle
At what point has an event sold ½ its tickets?
2 weeks prior
In the week to the event
prior to the
event 29%
38%
1 week prior to the
event
33%
5

6. Events are Inherently Social
Increase your reach
Relatively low cost
Viral effect: Reach friends of
friends | Networks
6

7. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
event engagement
Tying it all together with data
7

8. Open Communication
Create a communication plan
• Work backwards from the date of the event until the
first invite goes out
• 88% of fundraisers sent invites when tickets go on
sale, but too many fall silent until the event thereafter
What are the strategic times to email people?
• 9-11am, Tuesday-Thursday
Where to post information?
• Your website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, local
community calendars
8

9. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
event engagement
Tying it all together with data
9

10. Create your Registration Page
10

11. Create a Facebook Event
11

12. Create a LinkedIn Event
12

13. Promote
1. Post regular updates: Pictures, performers, VIPs,
auction items, partners and even attendee stories
2. Post more pictures & videos (cute stuff helps!)
3. Invite attendees to RSVP as they register
4. Be sure to tag attendees, VIPs, partners, and others
13

14. More Social, More Revenue
On average, 1 Facebook share generates $2.52 in future sales and 11 page
views back to your event page; however…
Prompt attendees to share event information with a powerful call to action
Ticket sales per share
Event type
14

15. Facebook Shares
pre-
purchase
post- 40%
purchase
60%
The motivation to share is
higher once the purchase has
been made.
15

16. Promote
Create a hashtag for your event (“SM4NP”)
www.twubs.com
www.tagal.us
16

17. Hashtag =
• A word preceded by a #sign
– Used to unify tweets from multiple people on the same subject
• Easy to search and catalogs your event
• Keep it short!
• Brand all posts about your event with the same hashtag
• Encourage attendee participation!
17

18. Keep the Conversation Going
During the event:
• Provide a twitter wall
• Prominently display the #hashtag
• Display the conversation
• Use free services like tweetchat.com
or twitterfall.com
18

19. The Conversation Lives On
After the event:
• Ask for feedback, share a
survey
• Create and share recaps
• Post event pictures
• Use platforms like Storify to
summarize event experience
• Review your tracking and
analytics to know which social
channels were most effective
19

20. Capture the Experience:
Build social stories into a coherent narrative
20

21. The Agenda
Understanding the event ticketing lifecycle
Social media tips, tricks and time savers to maximize
event engagement
Tying it all together with data
21

22. Track your Sales Sources
1 2 3
22

23. Productivity Tools:
Hootsuite
Automatic scheduling
Mass tweeting (Only when appropriate)
Mass direct messaging (Be very selective)
Do not use for Facebook!
23

24. Productivity Tools:
Sprout Social
Manage conversations with one tool
Publish and schedule update across multiple social channels
Measure efforts with reporting and analytics
24

25. Wrap Up
• Decide which channels are right for you and your organization
• Incent early ticket purchasing to get the wheel in motion
• Collect donations from those who can’t attend
• Encourage post-purchase sharing – it is most powerful
• Give attendees reason to engage before, during and after your event
• Analyze which social media efforts are most effective
25

26. Questions?
Dawn Andreas
Marketing Program Manager
dawn@eventbrite.com
Eventbrite
@eventbrite
@britedawn
Eventbrite.com/npo
26