Impact of Social Media on meetings & events Need multi-channel image

It used to be that new media was an afterthought in the M&E space

Communications were pretty simple

We were a paper driven society

... And then things changed

and became a bit more complicated

“ The world is in the middle of an ongoing conversation . A marketer’s challenge and job is to enter that conversation and when you do join in, you had better be prepared to add value .” John D Hayes – CMO American Express

Today you will learn how to extend the conversation and leverage the power of social media for your next meeting, event, or experience.

Before you can add value and extend the conversation, there a few things you should know…

Did you know?

Agenda (other things you’ll need to know) Introduction to social media Defining & introducing the tools Impact on meeting & event planning Before During After Measuring Social Media’s impact Pitfalls of social media Top 6 things to remember Questions and new age answers

Introduction to social media

Defining & introducing the tools

Impact on meeting & event planning

Before

During

After

Measuring Social Media’s impact

Pitfalls of social media

Top 6 things to remember

Questions and new age answers

What is social media?

social media In plain english

Translation for M&E People now have more options when it comes to selecting a meeting, event, conference, or experience People now have more ways to find out about your event and more ways to tell others about it Incorporating social media into your planning can increase content relevance, drive participation, make it more measurable, and drive positive ROI

People now have more options when it comes to selecting a meeting, event, conference, or experience

People now have more ways to find out about your event and more ways to tell others about it

Incorporating social media into your planning can increase content relevance, drive participation, make it more measurable, and drive positive ROI

Tools of the trade Facebook Twitter & twemes YouTube Flickr Blogs & Scribble Live RSS LinkedIn Social Bookmarking Social Media Press Release Mobile

Facebook

Twitter & twemes

YouTube

Flickr

Blogs & Scribble Live

RSS

LinkedIn

Social Bookmarking

Social Media Press Release

Mobile

… your new best friend

Canadian Facebook Stats General: 4 th most visited site in the world #1 social media site #1 photo sharing site on the web Demographics: Over 9.5 million users Canada is second largest network in the World! 13.5 billion page views monthly 43% Male 57% Female 19% under 18 34% 18 to 24 26% 25 to 34 21% over 35 Engagement: 75% of users visit at least once a day! 2.6 average visits per visitor per day. 32.9 visits per month. 29.8 minutes per visitor per day. 378.6 minutes per month.

General:

4 th most visited site in the world

#1 social media site

#1 photo sharing site on the web

Demographics:

Over 9.5 million users

Canada is second largest network in the World!

13.5 billion page views monthly

43% Male 57% Female

19% under 18

34% 18 to 24

26% 25 to 34

21% over 35

Engagement:

75% of users visit at least once a day!

2.6 average visits per visitor per day.

32.9 visits per month.

29.8 minutes per visitor per day.

378.6 minutes per month.

Translation for M&E Facebook is a cost effective way to build awareness and advocacy for your meeting or event Once people RSVP to your meeting or event, you can send them updates via facebook email Fans of your meeting or event will automatically publish with link to their entire network… WOM rules! Facebook has replaced the promotional flyer /email for many event planners

Facebook is a cost effective way to build awareness and advocacy for your meeting or event

Once people RSVP to your meeting or event, you can send them updates via facebook email

Fans of your meeting or event will automatically publish with link to their entire network… WOM rules!

Facebook has replaced the promotional flyer /email for many event planners

Creating your own Social Network Create a social network that will facilitate relevant and valuable interactions that will extend beyond physical meeting days

Create a social network that will facilitate relevant and valuable interactions that will extend beyond physical meeting days

Translation for M&E Increase event attendance Give customers the voice they expect Listen better and innovate faster Improve your own products and services based on user feedback Get to know your evangelists and partner with them Increase word of mouth marketing and buzz Tap into the wisdom of your audience Build brand loyalty, because… the more connected your audience is to each other, the more loyal they will be to your brand

Increase event attendance

Give customers the voice they expect

Listen better and innovate faster

Improve your own products and services based on user feedback

Get to know your evangelists and partner with them

Increase word of mouth marketing and buzz

Tap into the wisdom of your audience

Build brand loyalty, because… the more connected your audience is to each other, the more loyal they will be to your brand

Translation for M&E Great way to extend experience beyond physical meeting day Builds link love & awareness from search engines Film is dead – embrace digital

Great way to extend experience beyond physical meeting day

Builds link love & awareness from search engines

Film is dead – embrace digital

YouTube

Video Blogging Example:

Translation for M&E Blogs and video blogs are a cost effective way to build awareness and engagement before, during, or after your meeting & event You don’t need high production values to be effective Makes your meeting or event more “findable” through search and other social media

Blogs and video blogs are a cost effective way to build awareness and engagement before, during, or after your meeting & event

You don’t need high production values to be effective

Makes your meeting or event more “findable” through search and other social media

is micro-blogging your friend or foe?

Translation for M&E What are you doing right now becomes – what is happening right now at your meeting or event People who aren’t physically attending your meeting or event can now follow content, participant reaction and get other insights

What are you doing right now becomes – what is happening right now at your meeting or event

People who aren’t physically attending your meeting or event can now follow content, participant reaction and get other insights

Example: 2008 South by Southwest Conference ( www.sxsw.com )

The Audience is in control Interview with 23-year old billionaire Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Neither he nor the person interviewing him were prepared. As the unfocussed topics meandered for 45 minutes, the audience grew increasingly restless Tweets about how “lame” the session was started flying in the hall (via mobile) “ Zuck you suck.” As the social media took over, the crowd started shouting out questions on their own. The session went off the rails from there

Interview with 23-year old billionaire Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Neither he nor the person interviewing him were prepared.

As the unfocussed topics meandered for 45 minutes, the audience grew increasingly restless

Tweets about how “lame” the session was started flying in the hall (via mobile)

“ Zuck you suck.”

As the social media took over, the crowd started shouting out questions on their own.

The session went off the rails from there

What did we learn? Social media is shifting the balance of power to the audience Audiences will increasingly demand a say at meetings and events Speakers and meeting professionals should recognize this trend and prepare for it Smart planners will embrace social media to their benefit

Social media is shifting the balance of power to the audience

Audiences will increasingly demand a say at meetings and events

Speakers and meeting professionals should recognize this trend and prepare for it

Smart planners will embrace social media to their benefit

Translation to M&E You can syndicate / broadcast content on the web separate from your own website It’s like having a call to action to come back to a site every time a feed is updated Planners can track hundreds of sites easily with an aggregator

You can syndicate / broadcast content on the web separate from your own website

It’s like having a call to action to come back to a site every time a feed is updated

Planners can track hundreds of sites easily with an aggregator

Get yourself a feed aggregator

Social bookmarking

Social Bookmarking in Plain English

Translation for M&E Easy to add to any web property you own or control Great way to amplify word of mouth on your meeting or event Becoming more important that search for many

Easy to add to any web property you own or control

Great way to amplify word of mouth on your meeting or event

Becoming more important that search for many

The Social media press release

Linkedin

Translation for M&E It’s no longer just about the business card Build your professional network to increase meeting or event participation Build your professional network to find ideal keynote speakers Validate meeting content by getting input from the experts

It’s no longer just about the business card

Build your professional network to increase meeting or event participation

Build your professional network to find ideal keynote speakers

Validate meeting content by getting input from the experts

Don’t forget about mobile…

Canadians currently use more than 21 million wireless devices daily 10.1 Billion text messages sent in 2007 1.4 billion sent in March 2008 alone Uniques have grown to 41% 20 billion in 2008 within reach Adoption exceeds 80% in urban markets Source : CWTA Canadian Mobile Landscape

Canadians currently use more than 21 million wireless devices daily

10.1 Billion text messages sent in 2007

1.4 billion sent in March 2008 alone

Uniques have grown to 41%

20 billion in 2008 within reach

Adoption exceeds 80% in urban markets

Source : CWTA

Mobile Trends that will impact consumer adoption:

2 more factors…

Applying your social media kung fu to M&E (before, during and after)

Before your meeting or event: Create or leverage a social network Setup mobile alerts & reminders Define social media tags for flickr, twitter etc.. (#incent08) Social Media Press release Promote through RSS, Blogs, social bookmarking and other social media

Create or leverage a social network

Setup mobile alerts & reminders

Define social media tags for flickr, twitter etc.. (#incent08)

Social Media Press release

Promote through RSS, Blogs, social bookmarking and other social media

During your meeting or event: Ensure Wifi access Bluetooth Text to screen for vote /survey Incorporate social media tags on name tags SMS alerts / reminders Mobile event assistant (web based) Moderate live blogging

Ensure Wifi access

Bluetooth

Text to screen for vote /survey

Incorporate social media tags on name tags

SMS alerts / reminders

Mobile event assistant (web based)

Moderate live blogging

After your meeting or event: Share everything Post video of what was missed Continue to social network Follow the conversation and take note Add crowdsourcing to add or replace post-event surveys

Share everything

Post video of what was missed

Continue to social network

Follow the conversation and take note

Add crowdsourcing to add or replace post-event surveys

Measuring social media’s impact

What and how to measure Start by creating a baseline – use last years participation numbers Measure community engagement: # of people or blogs who create event-related content # of people or who read event-related content (your site and others) # of blog reactions to your meeting or event (technorati.com) Search ranking in Google, Yahoo, and MSN # of fans in your facebook page # of followers on Twitter # of images posted to Flickr # of new contacts made through Linkedin # of diggs, stumble upons, and delicious references

Start by creating a baseline – use last years participation numbers

Measure community engagement:

# of people or blogs who create event-related content

# of people or who read event-related content (your site and others)

# of blog reactions to your meeting or event (technorati.com)

Search ranking in Google, Yahoo, and MSN

# of fans in your facebook page

# of followers on Twitter

# of images posted to Flickr

# of new contacts made through Linkedin

# of diggs, stumble upons, and delicious references

More things to measure: Incorporate engagement and advocacy stats into your overall cost per acquisition costs for your meeting or event Compare this year’s participation numbers from last year to gage impact of social media

Incorporate engagement and advocacy stats into your overall cost per acquisition costs for your meeting or event

Compare this year’s participation numbers from last year to gage impact of social media

Segment your prospects and participants for your next meeting or event: Awareness Reactivated Active participant Advocate (promoting your meeting or event through social media) Lapsed

Awareness

Reactivated

Active participant

Advocate (promoting your meeting or event through social media)

Lapsed

Pitfalls of social media The cold start You can’t control everything Negative feedback No hard selling Rumours and speculation The interweb never forgets

The cold start

You can’t control everything

Negative feedback

No hard selling

Rumours and speculation

The interweb never forgets

6 things to remember about the impact of social media on M&E How you promote you meeting or event has evolved Content is no longer distributed by paper alone Feedback from participants is instant… and social. And mobile. And public.

How you promote you meeting or event has evolved

Content is no longer distributed by paper alone

Feedback from participants is instant… and social. And mobile. And public.

Interactivity is happening now at your meeting or event, shouldn’t you be joining the conversation? The conversation continues well beyond your meeting or event Going beyond the business card with social networking

Interactivity is happening now at your meeting or event, shouldn’t you be joining the conversation?

The conversation continues well beyond your meeting or event

Going beyond the business card with social networking

Questions and new age answers…

How to reach me: Email: [email_address] Voice or SMS to 416-729-4268 LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/phryl Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/phryl Follow my Mobile & Interactive marketing blog: http://www.burningthebacon.com http://m.burningthebacon.com (mobile version) Check out other contributions at: http://www.onedegree.ca http://www.canadianmarketingblog.com/ Phil Barrett (.mobi) Senior Director, Mobile & Interactive Carlson Marketing