Turn Twitter into your event ally

One of the biggest and most common mistakes event organisers make is only using social media during the event itself, and ignoring the opportunities it offers for generating pre-event hype, and maintaining it long after the event has come and gone.

Twitter, the micro-blogging platform that is widely considered the best social platform for event marketing and communication, should be an integral part of event planning right from the start. Of course the success of an event can't solely rely on social media, but the following are some key tips for effectively using Twitter to create engagement and conversation before, during and after an event.

Before the event

To use Twitter as part of your event communication strategy, it is vital to have the necessary resources in place. This includes having an established Twitter account as well as a dedicated social media manager and content curator.

Twitter is a great tool for reaching out to online influencers (including celebrities or speakers who will be attending or actively participating in the event) to help create a buzz. To achieve this, you will need:

• A clear idea of who your online influencers are on Twitter and how to reach out to them
  
• A great Twitter profile with a complete bio and custom imagery
  
• A carefully chosen event hashtag that is short and easy to spell
  
• A posting plan including the messaging you intend to convey around the event and the information you need to share.

During the event

Tweeting during the event allows you to engage in conversations with those who are attending, share with those who aren't and get people to share their experience of the event. Make sure your hashtag is highly visible so attendees know exactly where to find the conversation online. While tweeting at the event:

• Keep the tweets relevant and conversational
  
• Post photos of the venue, the celebs, speakers and guests and tag them when possible
  
• Monitor your hashtag, retweet and reply to posts from attendees.

After the event

Twitter can be a great platform for receiving feedback on an event. Tweet about the successes of the event and pose questions to your followers who attended.

You can also use storify.com to curate the tweets from the event and the buzz around it. It is crucial to keep the conversation flowing on your Twitter account after the event to keep your followers engaged. To keep up engagement you need to:

• Be consistently active on your Twitter account (not only around events)
  
• Share relevant, useful information
  
• Engage in conversations relevant to your brand
  
• Reply to followers' tweets and retweet them
  
• Post rich-media such as images and videos when possible.