10 Instagram Strategies to Build Buzz Around Your Event

Skift

15 hours ago

With some planning and creativity, planners can turn Instagram into a powerful marketing tool for events of all kinds.
With some planning and creativity, planners can turn Instagram into a powerful marketing tool for events of all kinds.
Whether you're organizing a 250-person incentive trip or a 10,000-person convention, you can use Instagram to amplify the event highlights before, during, and after.
These 10 strategies will help you make the most of Instagram at every stage of planning.
1. Create a Hashtag
The event hashtag needs to be short, clear, obvious, and reinforced often, or people will end up guessing at what it is and there will be three or four different variations. It can be as simple as using your event name and the year. Most important: Whatever you decide on, it should be easy for your attendees to remember.
2. Follow Other Events' Instagrams
Do a regular scan of how other companies and events are structuring their Instagrams, and how they use various images, such as behind-the-scenes shots, crowds, signage, entertainers, speakers, decor, close-ups, and attendee shots. A great example is the Burning Man Instagram, which has 1.6 million followers and more than 1,700 posts.
3. Create a Calendar
A well-planned content calendar ensures consistent posting and keeps the audience engaged leading up to the event. Vary your use of video, posts, and stories, starting months before the event and building to a crescendo of posts on site. Post-event, carousel posts or a recap video can be used to announce the next year's event.
4. Post Guest Videos
The more voices promoting the event, the better. Slot in videos from the rockstars of your event, from the emcee, to the speakers, to your top exec. Have them discuss how they're getting ready for the big day and look forward to seeing everyone there.
5. Add Boosted/Paid Posts
Putting a few paid dollars behind an Instagram post turns it into an ad, allowing you to reach a wider audience and achieve specific goals like more profile visits, website clicks, or messages. You can boost posts directly through the Instagram app if you have a business account.
6. Build Excitement
Use sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes videos and photos to grow excitement in the days leading up to the event. Subjects could range from travel shots and airport welcome signage on the way to the event, to setup, to celebrity or speaker arrivals.
7. Create Instagram Touchpoints
Consider having a social media wall — a display at the entrance to the event. This is where you will reach the maximum number of people and generate the most excitement. Include your event hashtag to get attendees into the mindset of sharing posts throughout the event. Also, take advantage of bare walls and room entrances to display the event hashtag and remind people to post on Instagram and other channels.
8. Pay Attention to the Backchannel
Evening parties are where the Instagram vibe is the strongest and attendees shoot the most video. Capture that social media energy by tracking attendee videos and stories, then sharing them. This is also where an easy-to-remember event hashtag is extremely important, since everyone is focused on having fun and can easily get it wrong.
9. Hold a Contest
Ask followers to take specific actions, such as liking and sharing posts, following your Instagram account, or tagging your account in a story. Choose a specific number of fun prizes, such as logoed t-shirts or baseball caps, and pick the winners randomly. You can announce the winners on the final day of the meeting, and DM them through Instagram with details about where to pick up their prizes. Post the winners on Instagram and your social media wall.
10. Make Instagram Part of Your Feedback Loop
Use Instagram to post your event survey and help reach the largest number of attendees for their feedback. Also review all social media metrics, including Instagram, to see what types of posts created the most engagement during the event, and use that to plan your strategy moving forward.