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20 Mar 2014
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Gain Followers On Twitter

Every social media platform is crowded, making it difficult to be noticed, but Twitter carries challenges all its own. Throughout the airing of the Oscars, more than 14.7 million tweets went live. 24.9 million tweets lit up screens during the Superbowl. And on any other ordinary day, an average of 500 million tweets go out. Needless to say, the world loves to tweet and any occasion is fitting to shoot off 140 characters.

gain followers on twitter
Image Courtesy of WeAreBrandSocial.com

So, in the midst of this overly-populated environment, where you practically have to be famous to get heard, what’s the best way to go about promoting your events? And not just promoting them – promoting them so that they get seen.

It begins with planning your strategy months before your event has crossed anyone’s radar. How will you announce it? Will you include giveaways? How will you increase the word-of-mouth about the event? All these questions are vital to an airtight Twitter strategy. Here are a few tips to get you started on the path to successful event marketing.

When Choosing That Hashtag, Choose Well

Hashtag, hashtag, wherefore art thou hashtag? A good hashtag can feel elusive and impossible. It’s certainly not everything to your event, but a poorly chosen one won’t do anything for you, either. Above all, make it memorable – short, sweet, and to the point. You want people to be able to remember it before and during your event.

Some other things to consider are the conversationality and uniqueness of your hashtag. Dunkin Donuts, who capitalized on the hashtag “#mydunkin”, exemplifies how important it is to be engaging. When audiences use this hashtag, they feel like they are a part of something universal!

If you are not the only one promoting the event, such as a conference, it might be worthwhile to jump in on a hashtag that is already being used. There is less to compete with and greater opportunities for engagement.

From A-Z

Though often neglected, Twitter lists have the potential to take event promotions to the next level. Spend some time coming up with influencers within your industry and add them to your list. When added, each person receives a notification. Bingo! You’ve just drawn attention to yourself and therefore, your event. And sometimes, a little attention is all you need.

Use your list as a starting point to actively engage with influencers. Get it out of your head that “a big name like them will never take notice of a little no name like me.” It’s Twitter and engagement paves the way to success. With a little persistence, these influencers will in most cases be happy to mention your event to their following, thus creating substantial noise that would be difficult to achieve on your own.

Give Them Something to Talk About

One of the most tried-and-true methods of getting heard on Twitter is through giveaways and incentives. Sharing with your audience that by retweeting your or liking your page, they’ll receive an extra raffle ticket or a free pass for a friend are ideal methods of gaining traction, but the more creative you get, the more people will take notice and get involved.

Over the years, brands have gotten increasingly interactive and clever with their contests. JetBlue Airlines gave away 1,000 free airline tickets by organizing a city-wide scavenger hunt and promoted it all on Twitter. Expedia engaged their audience by hosting a travel photo contest. The best photo submitted won a $250 voucher and fans interacted with the contest using the hashtag “ExpediaPic.” And Warby Parker, the eyeglass company, promotes its brand by encouraging customers to post pictures in their frames, with the incentive of ending up in the company catalogue.

gain followers on twitter
Image Courtesy of MaximizeSocialBusiness.com

There are lots of ways to go about contests and promotions on Twitter. However you do it, timing is everything. Begin tweeting about incentives a few months prior to your event – not so far ahead that nobody cares and not so soon before that it’s too late.

Be Persistent

At the end of the day, Twitter is about being persistent. Set daily goals for yourself, such as tweeting to five new influencers, or posting at least seven updates about your event. If this is your first time using Twitter for promoting an event, just be patient. It might not be a complete success, but you’ll learn something and grow for next time.

If anything, using Twitter to market an event shows just how creative you can be with 140 characters.

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Search engine marketing expert with 15 years of experience in the industry, working with small mom and pop shops as well as large corporate websites. I have experience with all aspects of inbound marketing, including SEO, Link Building, Social Shares, Usability, Conversions, PPC, Email Marketing, and more.