In the world of social media, Instagram is quickly becoming king, author Natasha Ponomaroff suggests in a guest blog post for Corbin Ball & Co. Not only do 500 million people use the photo-centric social network every day, she points out, but images posted there are also 23 percent more likely to get "likes" than images posted on Facebook.
"Instagram's potential for interaction (content shares, 'likes' and purchases) is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest and 84 times higher than Twitter," Ponomaroff says.
With numbers like that, Instagram is an ideal platform not only for marketing businesses in general, but for marketing meetings and events in particular.
Although there are infinite strategies one can use to promote meetings on Instagram, one of Ponomaroff's favorites is to leverage the meeting venue.
"Post a sneak peak of the event space, an exclusive look at what ticket buyers can look forward to. Showing pics of the interior and exterior is an excellent way to give an impression of the atmosphere they can expect," she advises. "But it can be hard to select the perfect venue. Why not get the audience involved?"
Letting your audience vote on a venue via an Instagram poll can be a great way to engage them, according to Ponomaroff.
"Upload photos of each potential location on Instagram and let your followers vote on which one is best. Remember: you can upload videos. Walk through the space, record it and post it. Add a fun description while noting the architecture or outdoor areas," she continues, pointing out that you could go even further and turn the ballot into a contest by entering each voter to win a prize, like a backstage pass, free drinks and/or food, a discount admission or VIP swag.
If you don't want to give your audience the power to choose your venue, consider another type of contest, like a user-generated content challenge.
"Ask your users to show themselves using your product, and/or post photos that are related to your product (i.e., travel for a travel brand) for a chance to win," Ponomaroff concludes. "An Instagram contest is a fun way to collect content from followers that you can share across your social channels."
More Tips:
https://www.corbinball.com/article/36-mobile-and-wireless-technology/257-how-to-use-instagram-to-promote-your-event-and-sell-it-out
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