According to the Content Marketing Institute, in-person events are the most effective content marketing strategy for B2B businesses. From generating new leads, connecting with potential customers, selling on-the-spot, and increasing brand exposure, live events are heavily beneficial to brands and their business goals.

Yet there’s one element to event marketing that most marketers fail to capitalize on that will accelerate their positioning online: using events to gather fresh content for their digital marketing. You see, every event poses an opportunity to build a vault of rich, valuable content that can be leveraged for any online campaign. It adds credibility, authenticity, and creativity . . . all ultimately improving your bottom-line.

Fully utilize each business event to your advantage by collecting content for your inbound marketing. The following are four unique ways on how you can use event marketing to build an amazing presence online.

#1 Broadcast on Live-Streaming Video

People spend 3 times longer watching live video versus ones that have been pre-recorded (Source: Social Media Today). Live-streaming does an incredible job in capturing attention and increasing engagement from your social followers. With platforms like Facebook Live, Periscope, and Instagram Stories, events that were once private are made accessible by all through their mobile or computer device. You can take your followers behind-the-scenes, invite them to your table, showcase your products, highlight your team and more simply by broadcasting live.

Be sure to promote to your list and on your social pages the times that you’ll be live-streaming to boost viewership. Be excited and always give a valuable tip that your audience will gain simply by tuning in.

#2 Post Images on Social Media Sites

Images ROCK on social media! Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without images. Additionally, tweets that have them receive 150% more retweets than those lacking. Including images in your social media content is a sure way to stand out in newsfeeds.

Events offer a plethora of opportunities to snap photos and post them on your pages. Let your followers know that your brand is actively involved in its industry. Sharing images while at the event allows you to use the hashtag (bringing more engagement and exposure to your brand) and tag the location of the event, creating even much more responsiveness from users.

Besides, when you use the event hashtag, you can later utilize your social monitoring tool like Intouch Insight to see the conversations and buzz generated around your brand.

#3 Interview Influencers and/or Event Host

Another solid way to better your content strategy at events is by interviewing any influencers and the brand hosting the event. This is a killer technique in separating your company from the others represented. It shows that you respect their expertise enough to perform an interview and that you appreciate the value they bring to the industry. Your interview could be the start of a new business relationship . . . and there’s nothing more powerful than influencer marketing!

The key is having your question(s) ready prior to so they are prepared to give a great answer for your video. Share this piece with your list, on social media, and in a blog post to maximize reach.

#4 Collect Testimonials

User-generated content, or content derived from your customers, is extremely effective in building trust with prospects and generating sales for your business. People actually trust online reviews just as much as a personal recommendation. At any chance you get, you want to be collecting real testimonies from your customers…preferably directly from them.

So, while you have customers live, why not shoot a quick 15 second commercial of them sharing their experiences and/or positive feedback of your product? Or have guests write it down on an index card for you to post on your blog or share with your email list later. Gather as much as you can to leverage in your content strategy.

Conclusion:

In-person events are excellent platforms that can be used to better your content. Use this guide as a checklist for your event marketing strategy. Not only will you leverage the many benefits to event marketing, you will also take full advantage of the day by building a vault of content that will enrich and bolster your online marketing.

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