Live events are a growing trend, and with good reason. Live events allows for participants to join in an online conversation and create a community of participants online. With apps like Periscope on the rise, which allows for app-users to stream where they are in real-time, live events will continue to gain popularity and evolve over the next few years. It can be daunting for attendees to understand this new marketing channel and make the most of it. Utilizing social media during a live event has its own nuances that you should consider before jumping in live. Here are the top 5 tips for getting the most out of live events.

1. Use the Correct Hashtag

Using the correct hashtag is of utmost importance. Most events these days have a dedicated hashtag. By using the event’s hashtag, you are ensuring that your tweet or post will be part of the conversation, giving you and your company more exposure.  

2. Add Value to the Feed

Before attending the event, it’s a good idea to come up with some talking points that you want to emphasize. That way, you can weave branded messaging into your tweets, which allows you to both support the event and impact your brand.  

As a participant of the event, add your personal insight in tweets and posts about the event. Your unique perspective will be appreciated and also will distinguish you from other event-goers, who are only posting with the purpose of letting others know they are attending. Keep the feed interesting by highlight memorable moments from the event. Ask yourself before posting, whether your followers or other event attendees will find this content engaging, relevant, or interesting.

3. Retweet, Comment, and Follow

Remember that you’re not the only one at the event. Have your phone or Ipad open to a stream of the event’s hashtag on Twitter. Then you’ll get a real-time feed of the event and will easily be able to retweet and comment, engaging with other participants. This is a great way to connect with like-minded individuals at the event and develop interest from prospects. If you like the content posted by another attendee, and think you could have a business relationship,  follow them and even repost their message. This opens the door for you to start further conversations with that person down the line.

4. Share Pictures

Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters each, but as the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Sharing a photo is a very impactful way to get your message across! Take good clear photos and remember to add a branded caption about the picture in your tweet.

5. Don’t Hijack the Hashtag!

Essentially, the term means, “when a hashtag is used for a purpose that was unintended by the creator of the hashtag, negatively impacting your company, event, or brand.” We have a blog on this subject, which gives a more in-depth dialog about hashtag hijacking. During live events, it is possible for people to get carried away and start tweeting about off-topic subjects. It’s important to take a step back and ask yourself if jumping in on those conversations will add value to the feed. The last thing you want is to distract from the event going or annoy potential prospects with your off-topic tweets.