Social media expert Lisa Colton shares tips and strategies for using social media for your next nonprofit event — building participation, capturing special moments, and keeping momentum going after everyone heads home. Topics covered include: hashtags, live tweeting and Twitter walls, ideas for live coverage, and more. Learn more about the @home documentary and social media boot camps at: www.athomedocumentary.org FB: https://www.facebook.com/athomecampaign TW: @home_campaign

1. Social Media For Events
Lisa Colton
See3 Communications
lisa@see3.com @lisacolton
WHAT’S YOUR NEXT UPCOMING EVENT
WHERE YOU MIGHT USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO
PROMOTE, AMPLIFY OR ENGAGE PEOPLE?
POST IN THE CHAT!

2. Agenda
1. GOALS: why use social media at events
2. BEFORE: marketing, recruitment, engagement
3. DURING: conversation, deepening, amplifying
4. AFTER: applying, disseminating, curating

4. Focus on the Goal
• Get more people to the
event
• Increase people talking
about the issue
• Increase action
• Amplify a meme
• Tell stories about the
organization
• Play an active role at
the event

5. What and How Do You Influence?

6. What Tools
Do You Use?
• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Text Messaging
• Livestreaming
• Hashtags

7. Measurement
• Growth of network
• Activity
• Peer to peer connection
• Longevity
• Opt in
• Donations
• Long term retention
• Curation
• Amplification

8. What Do You Need to Scaffold?

9. BEFORE
THE
EVENT:
Create a
gravitational
center, &
exert force.

10. Pre: Get Organized For Event
• Hashtag & include in materials
• Live tweeting & Twitter wall plans
• Live blogging & guest bloggers plans
• Live stream broadcast
• Staffing video
interviews and clips
• Listen to early chatter

11. Centralized & Decentralized Use = Momentum
Use Hashtags!

13. Build Momentum
Facebook shares are
highest after someone has
committed to the event.
Create opportunities and
content that’s worth
sharing!

14. DURING• Break down the
walls
• Bridge on site /
online
• Create sharable
content
• Encourage
engagement
• Create
connections in
the room

15. First, Make It Easy:
Anticipate Needs!
• Display hashtag
& handles of key
people
• Include in
introductions
• Include in
signage and
materials

17. Design It In
What can you design to get people actively
engaged in the content & community
during an event?
– Tweet in questions! Have presenters take questions from
Twitter as well as verbal (great if livestreaming too!)
– Ask for input or reflections by Twitter or text, and read
aloud to surface new ideas and voices
– Like our Facebook page and post a photo (contest?)
– What’s one follow up action you’ll take following this
event? Get people to commit to action, and share it.
– Text opt in / donations in the moment

18. Twitter Walls

19. Text Message Participation

20. I Unplug To… Photo Booth
Tag people! Let them take pics of each
other and post themselves! Make
hashtag easily visible.

21. Share Your
SunriseWALKS Ex perience!
@Sunrise Day Cam p
@SunriseDayCam p
@SunriseDayCam p
#SunriseWALKS

22. Capturing the Moment
• Mini-video interviews
• Vine/Instagram videos
• “Roving Reporter”
• Photos
• Listening for insights ->
guest blogger invites
• Live tweeting

23. AFTER
• Provide assets to support
decentralized reporting, blogging
• Keep conversation going
• Penetrate deeper, impact
• Keep people engaging with each
other
• LISTEN! LISTEN! LISTEN!

24. Listening
• Who’s tweeting? Who’s blogging?
• Who is carrying forward the issues, not just
the event
• What memes maintained momentum? How
can you build on that?
• Who are nodes for next time?

25. Continue Conversation
Ask questions & share
resources in gathering
spaces:
•FB event
•FB group or page
populated by attendees
•Hashtag
•Even on your own
profile

26. Continue Action
Once you’ve earned attention, how to leverage it?
Use the spike to make long term connections.
- Follow key people
- RT action options
- Encourage use of #

27. Final Thoughts
• Play! Try things personally
• Think about logistics, implications
• Get your staff personally connected
• Be purposeful, don’t just fill space
• Integrate channels
• Curate & converse

28. Questions?
Examples to share?