How to leverage events into a content goldmine
Organising an event requires a significant amount of planning, so when it concludes with a ‘job well done’, it’s very easy to move onto the next project. But attending on the big day is more than the ‘full stop’ on all your efforts planning, developing and delivering – it’s just the start of a massive content journey!
In actual fact, it’s easy to turn any event into a content generation goldmine! So, let’s explore some easy ways to squeeze out as much high-value content as possible during events.
Before you attend, define your approach. Are you looking for thought leadership content? Customer testimonials? Industry insights? Having a clear focus ensures you leave with the content you really need. Whether you’re exhibiting, attending, or speaking, there’s ample opportunities for you, but you’ve got to have a plan.
Remember, some events span over several days, so you can have a few bites of the cherry to get some great content.
Striking socials
Post on social media at least one week before the event to announce your attendance and see if any current connections will be there. If you’re exhibiting, don’t forget to tell your customers where they can find you.
On the day of the event, aim to post during peak social media hours so more people see it. Live updates work well, but consider saving standout moments for a well-crafted post after the event too. Social media posts are a great way to tag the connections you’ve made to maintain those new relationships.
In the weeks to come, you can break up your learnings from the event into digestible content for social media – you can even use infographics to display the knowledge in a creative way. Be tag any relevant accounts and contacts on your posts to boost their reach.
Overall, events are a fantastic way to get people-focused content – a rare commodity in a hybrid working world where face-to-face sessions are scarce!
Bold blogs
Blogs are a great way to draw your audience to your website or social media pages long after the event has concluded. At the event, highlight the key takeaways that you could write a blog post on – it can be on a topic covered in a discussion, behind-the-scenes content, or whatever else you can think of.
You can also reuse this content on social media by pulling out different takeaways – blogs don’t have to be a one-hit wonder!
Punchy podcasts
If you love to talk, podcasts are a great way to continue the conversation after an event and deepen your audience’s knowledge. It’s an opportunity to invite guests onto the podcast, such as new connections you made at the event. Podcasts also provide a convenient way for your audience to consume content on-the-go making it easily digestible.
If you don’t have a podcast, consider recording short voice notes or interviews and posting them as audio snippets on LinkedIn or Instagram Stories. Speaking of being in front of the camera…
Vibrant video
When filming video content, you don’t need a whole film crew – just simply use your smartphone and a clip-on mic if you have one. Content is king, and most smartphones come with high-quality cameras anyway.
If you can find a quiet space to film that’s great, but recording on-stand can look good too if you’ve planned out what you want to capture. For filming static shots, a tripod is a smart investment.
As a visitor, you could make a ‘day in the life’ video; a trending format on social media at the moment. As an exhibitor, think about taking footage of your stand and the team throughout the event to showcase your products, special offers or freebies up for grabs.
Another video opportunity is to film ‘vox pops’ with key speakers. Vox pops are 15-30 second snippets on the expert’s topic. This content is easily digestible on social media and can help attract certain audiences if you link into trending themes.
Fresh photography
Photos are great as long as they’re interesting, but what’s ‘interesting’ to your audience? That’s for you to decide… ask yourself, what do your customers want to see? Generally, action shots of speakers, behind-the-scenes moments or attendee interactions tend to perform well.
Additionally, strong photography can give your community or customer base a visual prompt to recognise you with.
Pictures that showcase your attendance at events can promote your brand and create a buzz for future events on social media. Although many of the photos you capture will be event focused, keep in mind that it might be valuable to capture less-specific images for general PR purposes later on.
Captivating collaborators
Events are nothing without interesting people! Being a friendly face at events will help to build your connection community and create more opportunities for content.
Collaborate with your connections on the day of the event and ask them if they’d like to feature in your videos or photos. Following the event, you could even ask them to write a guest blog for your website, or take part in a podcast on a chosen topic.
Most importantly, remember to keep your tech charged and within arm’s reach – you never know when the perfect moment will arise.
Follow these top tips at every event and make the most of every opportunity to capture content for your audience. Next time you attend an event, don’t just take notes – create!
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