Why Social Media May Be Your Best Friend at a Music Event

Advertising for an event is unlike ongoing marketing for a product or service; the one-time event makes promoters scramble for attention within a particular timeframe (usually months before the event). However, with the power of social media at a promoter's side, the actual event itself becomes a haven for advertising, aiding the marketing team and promotion squad.

As necessitated, promoters assemble plans using social media, billboards, and radio ads for initial advertising, but here, learn ways to promote while the event is taking place.

Hash Tags

Hash Tags (#) categorize or define social media information, relating to a specific team, event, cause, inside joke, etc. Assign a hash tag to your festival (example: MountEphraimMusicFest or #MEMF), providing information about bands on stage, food, and other news (Don't forget to ask others to use the hash tag.) If enough people use the tag, Twitter begins 'trending' it, presenting free advertising to a larger number of users. Though the event is taking place, it raises curiosity, making people want to go to the next event, or learn about an aligned cause, charity, etc.

Pictures

Instagram allows immediate uploads to social media friends, who then share pictures on other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Align your event with a contest - (example: Who can upload the funniest picture at the event?) Winners get announced on the official website along with their picture. It's a way to keep fans involved at the show while crossing over into other social media spheres (where others are not in attendance but curious).

Videos

Any smart phone is a high-definition video camera, making it easy to interview, record shorts of bands and reactions of fans. How are people reacting to the music? What foods are available? Did performers get good reactions? These get answered with a simple flick of a camera phone. Highlight people, the ambiance, and most importantly, reactions of the crowd. Create a YouTube channel specifically for the event, uploading interviews, performances, and real-time emotions of the people.

Live Stream

Live-stream technology allows promoters to introduce the event to anyone around the world. Once upon a time, avid fans could only catch glimpses of 'live' versions of shows via audio tape. Now, people attend shows from living rooms, bedrooms, porches, cafés, wherever Wi-Fi connections available. Provide a free or paid version of the stream (Even free versions build advocacy and awareness of further shows).

Reviews

Direct attention to crowd-sourced review sites (like Yelp). Encourage concert-goers rate unique experiences, becoming advocates for future events and celebrating the promoters' abilities to produce a good show.

More than self-aggrandizement, consumers trust user-sourced sites like Yelp. Promoters and hosts are expected to sing praises of their own events, but people trust actual reactions of real-time consumers. Encourage concert-goers review the experience.

It's been a long road leading to the event, but a promoter, such as sonicbids, exacts social media opportunities during events as well, facilitating better awareness, curiosity, and excitement. During the next event, consider:

Inventing and implementing Twitter hash tags, relating info, pictures, dates, testimonials and more

Uploading pictures from the event, encouraging others do the same via contests, themes, etc.

Record real-time events, displaying bands, crowd reactions, interviews, and all-around ambiance

Take the video idea a step further, supplying web viewers with a live-stream option Encourage reviews and unique descriptions of the music event, directing attendants to social review sites Rick Joyce is a marketing manager. He loves writing about the latest marketing tips on small business websites.