As part of an exhibition-related segment produced for Meetings Podcast, VP of Communications, Dana Freker Doody has been invited to share her thoughts on the event industry on a monthly basis. To listen to the latest podcast in full, please visit http://grassshackroad.com/category/meetings-podcast.
To hear just Dana’s segment click here: LemmeTakeASelfie.mp3
Here is the transcript of the segment:
Whether you personally make duck faces into your own cell phone camera and post them online for all your friends doesn’t matter. What does matter is that other people DO. So take advantage of this trend to broadcast your brand out online. The fun thing about social media selfie activations at conferences and exhibitions is that they don’t take up a lot of space. You can choose to run these yourself, guerilla style, or hire a firm that specializes in these types of activities like Pixe Social or SocialPoint.
Here are some tips for running one on your own.
1. Know that people will share online things that make them look Smart , Interesting or Sexy. This was a great point made by Mike Walsh at PCMA Convening Leaders 2014. Think about it. No one wants to make a comment online and sound dumb. No one posts bad photos of themselves.
2. Communicate as simply as possible what you want people to do and what’s in it for them. If the instructions on how to take an image in your booth and post and tag this, and @ that are confusing then fewer people will do it. And if there is not a compelling reason for them to do it, well, would you? There’s got to be a prize, or at least a chance of one, to get people to take a photo of themselves with your brand or product in the background and post it to their network.
3. Have a great background, and consider fun props. Personally I’ve had a lot of success with photo booth style props on dowels that people can hold up and even signs with fun sayings. Lots of attendees at a recent show where I ran a social media photo activation loved holding up our “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” sign. And guess what – it all has to tie into your messaging and brand scheme. The “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” sign emphasized the company’s commitment to service while capturing on some a fun slang phrase.
4. Be clear where people can find you online, and be sure those online outlets have recent postings! If you run a social media activation, you’re attracting attendees and customers who are on social media, so they are going to want to find and interact with you there. Finally, have fun! When your team is having fun, other people are going to have fun too.
How are you taking advantage of the Selfie trend? Tweet us your Selfie on the #RETHINK101 hashtag and some TEG swag might just end up in your mailbox!
What would you like to hear more about on our blog? What other topics specific to the expo floor could be discussed for the Meetings Podcast audience?