How Speakers can Use Social Media to Promote Events

Promoting an event is hard work, and social media has created many new opportunities for event planners and conference organizers to use social media.

One of the most powerful sources of promotion for any event or conference is the speakers.  Leveraging the social networks of your speakers can help build visibility for your event, convention or conference and drive buzz and registrations.  When I speak at an event I usually promote the event in advance to help raise awareness, and I often get good feedback from meeting planners and organizers.

Why Speakers are Great Promoters for Events

• They are experts and thought leaders – most of the speakers at conferences, corporate events and conventions are thought leaders and experts in their field.  This means that people look to them for advice.
• The usually have big social networks – as a speaker I am in front of many thousands of people each year.  This means that I have large social networks (12,000+ on Twitter and 3,000+ on LinkedIn).  Speakers have large reach.
• They are connected to the right people – most speakers have an audience that is interested in their topic, which can overlap with the audience for your event.
• They have multiple social media accounts – I have 3+ blogs, 2 Twitter accounts, 2 Facebook pages and I guest write for a number of publications.  The reach that speakers who are experts have can be leveraged for your event.

How To Leverage Speakers to Promote Your Event

• Include it in their contract – so that they know that you expect them to help promote the event.
• Give them special coupon codes – so they can provide their audience with a unique discount.
• Send them Tweets and Updates to post  – leading up to the event so they know what you want them to say.
• Suggest when to post where – so that they know how they can best help you.
• Create badges and widgets for their blogs and websites – which link back to your event.
• Give them something to write about – ask them to post about the topic in advance
• Offer to Interview them – on your site prior to the event so they can promote the interview (and your event) on social networks.
• Give them a press kit – so they have all of the resources to promote the event.
• Don’t be afraid to ask – them to help promote the event.

As a professional speaker, how have you promoted events to your audience?

As a meeting planner or conference organizer, how have speakers helped promote your event?