You are here: Home » Social Media » Social Media Tip Sheet March 18, 2010

Social Media Tip Sheet

Oct 8, 2009 3:49 PM, By Sue Pelletier

Highlights

Some tips from meetings professionals on how to use social media

Listen, listen, listen. “You need to know what’s being said about you everywhere on the Internet, and what’s being said about you on Twitter,” says KiKi L’Italien, membership and education services manager, Optical Society of America, Washington, D.C. Set up Google alerts for your organization’s name, your annual meeting’s name, any secondary meetings you have, your primary competitors, and keywords for your industry, to pick up news articles, blog posts, photos, and anything else related to your alert topics. Because Twitter isn’t tracked on Google, you also need to set up a separate-but-similar keyword search on Twitter.

Find internal champions on your staff. If you have a staff member who loves Facebook, put her in charge of your Facebook fan page, says Jeff Hurt, director of education and events with the National Association of Dental Plans, Dallas. Twitter might be a natural for your techies. You’ll find your staff much more interested and involved if the media they head up is one they love anyway.

Encourage exhibitors to use Twitter. L’Italien says that exhibitors who pay attention to tweets from attendees can develop relationships before the event and get them to stop by the booth, as long as they truly respond to the needs the attendee expresses and do it in a friendly, nonmarketing way. While a similar pitch via e-mail would have been ignored at best, L’Italien says Twitter interactions with exhibitors at ASAE and The Center’s annual meeting not only got her to their booths, but helped develop real friendships.

Make it easy for your members to let people know they’ll be at your meeting. Give them a “Meet us at the Meeting” image they can display on their home page, with a link back to your event Web site.

Remember that your goal is not to drive people to use Twitter or Facebook or another social media, but to reach out to people who are using those media, says Peter Hutchins, vice president of knowledge initiatives with ASAE and The Center, Washington, D.C. “We don’t want you to think Facebook or LinkedIn are the home place for what ASAE and The Center has to offer. We are careful to create those accounts to be a funnel to bring members back to the core ASAE site, because that’s the place we can monetize and learn from the relationship and interactions.”

Related Articles: Social Media: What Meeting Planners Need to Know

How Associations Use Social Media for Meetings: Survey results

Social Media: Are Meetings the Killer App?

Redefining “Social”

Social Media Case Study: National Association of Dental Plans

Social Media Case Study: American Geophysical Union

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2010 Penton Media Inc.

Acceptable Use Policy

blog comments powered by Disqus

Search for Meeting Space

Find Event Suppliers, Request Quotes

Search 75,000 Venues

Advanced Search

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Social Media

Meetings Collaborative

Rate your experience with meeting venues and suppliers.

Facility / Hotel

	Powered by: Meetings Collaborative

Apex Webinars

Demonstrating Leadership in Turbulent Times

Join MeetingsNet, the Convention Industry Council, and two meeting professionals to learn how seeking out professional development and volunteer opportunities can enhance your career advancement. Click here for free registration.
View it Now! | View APEX Archives

Webinars

Association Day: How to Plan a Winning International Meeting

Join MeetingsNet for two webinars for association professionals taking meetings outside the U.S., featuring expert panelists covering topics from launching your first international meeting to budgeting, sponsorship, and negotiations.
View on Demand | View Archived Webinars