Thursday, February 17, 2011

Social Media

Social media how do we use it?
It now has come fairly mainstream amongst the tradeshow industry. Yet there is still apprehension from the old guard on how to use it. Kind of like fears of all technology this one is a concern for those resistent to change. Also a fear that someone you are involved with online may say something negative.

Now like anybody out there we cannot always control bad impressions about our products or in our case events. However social media gives and opportunity to guage the pulse of our current customers and potential customers.
We are always striving to add new customers and never before have we been given the ability to connect with them in a inexpensive yet personal medium such as social media.

Now the fact is no one really has a great metrics on the ROT "return on time" to get potential attendees to the event. We don't know those results. We can use codes and that is a good start. Yet we need to still work on those metrics and some of that may require social media platforms to give us the opportunity to cross-check data to our registrations.

I do believe that we can reach a bigger group but we also have to be willing to give some type of take-away for them to come to the show.

Enabling Social media to become promoters for you and your event is key.
If we can work not in fear of social media, yet embrace and evangelize we have a great chance to turn it into something positive.

Many of us dabble and as you can see I have neglected my platform for several months. We need to constantly engage as similar to the way people did in the old trade markets.
History does repeat itself in the form of trade and communication. This forum is still in in written language.  It's not an email but an engagement. You are still connecting with a potential customer or someone that can aid your event.

No it's not a f2f and may never become one. But you know what they may still be searching your website for exhibitor products and ideas, education and so forth to improve their business.

So the interaction has been made. Are we satisfied ? No we want them at the event.  But you know what you may never get them. The point is with the online tools now available you need to engage them online and hope that eventually they will see and value the offering that you provide for them to attend.

I have 20 groups and over 5,000 members. Is that a success. I don't know. There is not a metrics. But I can tell you this they have given me many ideas, and put me in position to better understand their needs.

Not all of them attend my show. But social media has helped me with speakers, topics and message.
The medium is here to stay and will evolve to even better applications. We need to embrace and get ready to interact with our potential customers that will make our events thrive.

It's no longer just f2f it's also pixel and bits.

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