Pre-Event Social Media Checklist

Whether you’ve already established a strong digital presence or you just joined Twitter, social media is one of your most important and useful tools for engaging with clients and customers during events. Before your next event, use our checklist to make sure you are prepared to get the most out of your experience.
 

Organize Your Contacts

A little bit of organization can go a long way in streamlining your event experience on social media. For Twitter, find profiles for other event attendees and speakers, follow them, and put them on a new list so you can easily track new posts and activity. At large events where you may be interacting with lots of people, you may consider creating multiple lists based on company affiliation, roles, lead potential or other categorizations. Find a listing method that works best for you.
For Facebook, you may consider creating a group that can act as a centralized hub for event-related posts.
Though Instagram has less powerful organizational tools, adding a geo-tag to your posts is an easy way to track activity from other users in the same location.
 

Know the Hashtag

A hashtag, whether it’s provided by the organizers or you make your own, connects all event-related activity across your preferred social media platforms. Attach it to your own posts to bring them in to the larger conversation, and to interact with posts from other event attendees. There may be multiple sub-hashtags for specific portions of the event, so be sure to have them all on hand before you hit the floor.
 

Keep Links on Hand

As you interact with social media throughout the course of the event, you’ll often be attaching the same text to your posts, whether it’s a hashtag or a link to your landing page. Before you head out, create a simple document on your preferred note-taking app with all your frequently used text so you can quickly copy and paste them into new posts as needed.
 

Update Your Profiles

Presentation always matters, whether it’s online or in the real world. Before you step out into your next event, give your social media profiles a good once-over. Have a new picture that shows your good side? Upload it. Have you gained new experience or endorsements lately? Add them to your LinkedIn profile. Is your feed cluttered with too many posts? Trim it. Make sure your digital presence is up-to-date and accurate before you invite other to connect.
 

Make a Plan

Once you have an idea of the event schedule and layout, you’ll be able to craft a basic plan for uploading your social media posts. It will also help avoid over saturation of content on your networks. Have a few specific post ideas already in mind before you arrive at the event; for example, if there are several noteworthy product demonstrations or guest speakers, choose your top one or two and make sure to post about them. Consider the timing of your posts as well; saving a few thoughtful words or photos for posting in the days after the event could create further engagement following up on the event. Leave some room for spontaneity, but make sure you know how to work efficiently.