Utilize Social Media channels for event promotion
Many firms these days are questioning the benefits of using social media in B2B events. At Promedia we believe all events whether B2B or B2C should have some presence on sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and even Facebook to some extent. For example Twitter offers B2B event marketers a diverse network and is used heavily by industry professionals and B2B journalists. Not only can you grow substantial fans on Twitter, but you can take the event experience online, encouraging its debate, networking and direct interaction between your event, industry experts and a wider audience. Twitter attracts users from a wide range of professions, making it ideal for building a broad follower base covering journalists, attendees, analysts, industry experts and other thought leaders. In addition, using the re-tweet function means you not only gain more followers but, you can get your event’s name promoted to specific individuals that you’d like to see at your show.
Maximizing results
Imagine that you have been working and planning hard for an event like launch of a new product. The public relations agency has announced the news, finalized the events details, generated the interviews and you’ve received some great media coverage. But then, just a few weeks later, the coverage stopped, raising the question of whether it can truly be considered a success. So how can you maximize the results and ensure more success? There are few elements that will play a major role and that you should consider as you plan the event: Timing is so important and been able to plan at least 6 months before the event will pay back. Second, to continuously talk about your event through press releases, social media and newsletter will keep the key media alerted and excited. Third, social media is vital, because it gives your community the forum they need to discuss topics and share their ideas before and even after the event.
Media Relations and relevant content
In Turkey as in most other countries, each coming day very few journalists are involved in preparing the publications and it is more challenging for them to find the time to attend events and write stories about it; they are obliged to prioritize their schedule accordingly. At Promedia, we nurture close working relationships with the media, and we can also plant the seeds for potential features in the minds of our journalists. This allows us to create constant flow of media opportunities for our clients. However, good relationship with media and proactive approach are not enough, the importance of a strong customer case study shouldn’t be underestimated when looking for ways to keep the event and promotional campaign in the spotlight.
Success factors for event PR
I would say knowing how to develop and deliver a pitch to target media effectively is one of the strongest elements in an event PR. In addition to pitching which is an art gained over many years of experience, informative content that is carefully written, informed, and accurate, is a starting point that would lead to good PR. This is why it pays for PR agencies to employ former journalists amongst their members.
At the same time, creating quality b2b PR content depends very much on an agency’s sector experience, because knowing the industry, its corresponding media and what its audience really wants to read will have major impact on just how well the content produced is able to engage with and ultimately influence its audience.
Finally, it’s essential to understand the local culture and speak the language of your audience. If you’re launching an event in several countries at the same time, you absolutely must do international PR the right way.
Jack Jacob, Promedia Public Relations, GlobalCom PR agency in Turkey.