We all know that social media is a crucial part to any marketing plan. Social media is a very effective way to promote an event. In late September, Pres. Obama was in California to promote his jobs plan. Which in itself would be nothing new for a president to do. What was unique about this situation is that Mr. Obama chose LinkedIn as the venue to promote his jobs plan. This is a very calculated and smart move on the president’s behalf. As his 2008 campaign showed us, his team utilized social media to mobilize his base – and even create a large youth movement.
The Benefits of Using Social Media to Promote an Event
LinkedIn is a very popular social media website. And it’s growing by mind boggling numbers day by day. Is LinkedIn’s success because they are excellent at advertising and marketing themselves? While I don’t want to discount that they are, in fact, probably very good at marketing, the real reason for its success is because of its platform. When built, or used, properly social media is a very effective way to promote an event. The reason is that you are typically connected with like-minded or similar business minded individuals. And when you start promoting an event chances are that the audience you are reaching will be interested in what you are promoting. Also with LinkedIn, their platform allows you to create or join groups where you can invite other LinkedIn members to become a member. And again people will join groups because they have something in common with what that group is offering. So when it’s time to promote an event, turning to your LinkedIn groups as a vehicle often provides successful results. Or at the very least you’re getting the attention of the group members. It’s very targeted marketing.
The Obama Administration Knows How to Promote an Event
I read where the Obama re-election team is expecting to spend close to $1 billion. That figure is just mind boggling. One of the key factors for Obama winning the presidency in 2008 was his grassroots campaign. Unlike other candidates who get a lot of their fundraising dollars through corporate sponsored events, Barack Obama used social media to interact with his supporters. Without going into details we know how successful that campaign was. We’ll see what team Obama has in store for the 2012 election.
If it’s your job to promote an event then using social media is a must. Unlike traditional ways to promote an event, social media can be much more cost-effective. But there is a word of caution. Social media takes time to build followers and to establish a name for yourself. There are many people out there that will offer various shortcuts to build your social media presence. But the fact of the matter is that to use social media properly to promote an event you must take the time to build your social media presence.
Related articles
- Facebook – Beyond Connecting With your Friends (plananevent.org)
- Using Twitter to Promote Your Event (plananevent.org)
- 5 Social Media Channels To Promote Your Event (plananevent.org)
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