Is your hashtag game on point? Building a sense of community for your events creates increased excitement and commitment around each engagement. It also fosters greater recall in potential attendees by reinforcing your event in their memory. It can increase your attendance by creating a sense of longing in those who may not otherwise have attended. And the key to creating that vibrant "event community" every time is a brilliant hashtag strategy. Using a custom hashtag does all of the above and creates a valuable bank of user-generated content that you can use in event marketing in the future. Check out these insights to elevate your hashtag prowess and your events every time.
Pre-Event
Building a community begins before the event. This builds anticipation and excitement for the engagement to come, encouraging more people to attend. Depending on the type of event you are planning, you will want to begin your hashtag campaign weeks or months in advance.
Hashtag Creation
The first step is to create your event hashtag. It should be something relatively short and memorable. Make it too long, and you increase the risk of people misspelling it or getting it wrong. Try choosing a hashtag relevant to the event name, theme, location, or other details.
Once you have a short list of possible event hashtags, research them on social media. Check to confirm that your hashtag is not already being used for something else. You don’t want to create confusion when someone searches the hashtag or looks at all tagged posts. This is also when you’ll discover any potential alternate meanings. In addition, take a step back and look at your hashtag; you don’t want it to spell anything offensive unintentionally.
If you struggle to choose just one hashtag, you could use a mix of hashtags. Try using something branded for your event planning business and some for the event. Or you could use different hashtags for different demographics of your target audience. This will help you create smaller micro-communities within your larger group of attendees. Try to keep your hashtag style and format consistent when using this strategy. That way, there is segmentation, but you retain branding continuity.
Promotion & Awareness
Once you create your custom event hashtags, you need to promote them. Include the hashtag on all of your event marketing materials and content. Use the hashtag on social media posts. Consider including it in the post's copy description and as a graphic in some of your pictures and videos. Mention it in your articles, blog posts, and press releases. If you have a website or web page dedicated to the event, include the hashtag here. Have it on invitations, RSVPs, and other materials sent to attendees. If working with influencers is a part of your event promotion strategy, make them aware of your event’s hashtag. Collaborate with them to promote and use the event hashtag.
Monitor the use of your hashtag. While you did your research, the unexpected can happen, and your hashtag could bring potential negativity. If this happens, address it immediately. This could mean changing your chosen hashtag or directly addressing someone who is making negative comments.
Community Building
To build an engaged community, you need to actively participate in it. When people use your hashtag, comment and/or like their post. If they have a unique take or high quality post, ask if you can share it on your socials. This fosters interaction and encourages more people to use your hashtag. Create a sense of excitement by hosting contests or giveaways. Encourage people to use the hashtag to gain entry.
During the Event
Once your event starts, continue to use and promote your hashtag. You can include your custom hashtag in the decor or materials at the event. This puts the hashtag physically in front of the attendees. That way, attendees who have not seen your social media campaign will become aware of your hashtag. You bring the digital and physical worlds together.
Active Participation
If you have performers, entertainers, or guest speakers, encourage them to use your event hashtag. They will likely promote their activity on their social media, so using the hashtag will make their followers aware of your event. If your event has interactive activities, encourage attendees to use a hashtag when participating. This creates a serious sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) by viewers on social media who didn’t attend. It can also encourage other attendees to participate who may not have otherwise.
Post-Event
Continue encouraging the use of your event hashtag after the event. People will often take pictures at the event and not post them immediately. Continuing to monitor your hashtag use can capture valuable user-generated content for the event. Continue the conversation by encouraging attendees to share their memories and experiences at the event. This keeps your event in their mind, strengthens their emotional connection to the event, and serves as research.
Collect the feedback and insights you receive from people sharing. This tells you what was good and bad about the event to improve for the next one. It can also signal confusion or missing information that attendees need assistance with. Perhaps the next time, you can make more of an effort to educate attendees to eliminate misunderstandings. Save high-quality content to repurpose it for use on your social media. Always ask for permission and credit any original creators. This content comes across as more authentic to your target audience.
Track the analytics of your hashtag performance. Determine its impact on your event’s reach, performance, and effectiveness. This will help you identify your success as creation and promotion. It will also help you modify your strategy for future events.
Build Your Event Community
The most effective approach is to use multiple strategies to promote your events and create a community. You should use a hashtag strategy. Not only does it brand your event, but it also increases awareness of your event planning business. Start your hashtag early to give yourself ample time to build a community and awareness. Then, continue your hashtag promotion throughout the event and afterward.
Another useful strategy is attending industry events like The Event Planner Expo 2024. You can grow your event planner business to new heights by networking and connecting with other industry professionals. Reserve your booth at The Event Planner Expo 2024 and be an exhibitor while there’s still space available!
