Integrate social media to promote yourself and/or your company before, during and after the expo.

By KIMBERLY SCOTT, The Marketing Doer

Now more than ever, creating authentic and engaging content to brand your company is easier than most think. Social media is a place to interact with your audience, connect with them on a personal level and it is a powerful way to enhance your company’s presence before, during and after the 2021 Houston Apartment Association Education Conference and Expo.

The HAA expo offers fantastic marketing opportunities –if you seek them out, of course. (Get it?) There’s a lot to do to prepare for the show and pre-show promotion is one of the things that doesn’t land high on the priority list. This year, make it a priority. Being active on social media allows you to get more out the expo experience because it expands your audience reach far beyond those who are at the expo.

If you aren’t already on social media or if your current social media presence needs a lot of work, you should establish a presence on all social media platforms. If you don’t know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, stop what you’re doing and go watch his YouTube videos. He is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company and the active CEO of VaynerMedia. He is the internet’s social media guru, who has built his social media presence over the course of 10 years.

He pushes people to create a lot of content, all the time, on every platform. And that is my suggestion to you: experiment with every platform. Cross post content on all platforms, and eventually, you will find which platforms are the best fit for your company.

There are a number of different social media platforms, and remember, each social media platform reaches a different audience. According to Search Engine Journal, here are the top 10 social media apps in 2021 based on monthly active users: 1. Facebook: 2.7 billion 2. YouTube: 2 billion 3. WhatsApp: 2 billion 4. Instagram: 1.16 billion 5. TikTok: 689 million 6. Snapchat: 433 million 7. Reddit: 430 million 8. Pinterest: 416 million 9. Twitter: 353 million 10. LinkedIn: 310 million

An entirely separate article could be written on the differences of these platforms. Luckily for you, there are tons of articles that offer a breakdown of each platform. A Google search would serve you well in determining the best three platforms for your company.

Before the Expo

It should go without saying, but you will want to create a social media strategy before the expo. Setting a social media strategy that includes your goals for the tradeshw, what you will post and when you will post will help you balance promoting your company on social media and staying engaged with your potential clients at the expo.

Posting before the expo should build awareness and interest before the show by letting people know that you’ll be there, what they can expect from you and why they should come to your booth. If you are doing a giveaway, promoting it before the expo will get people excited to visit your booth.

Here are tips that will help you get you started on your social media strategy: • Gather content 24/7. • Post when your audience is online. • Use a unique and/or company hashtag. Pro tip: Never use #apartment(s). There are millions of accounts already using that hashtag. • Focus on providing value and relevant content over promoting your products or services. • Have clear goals in mind for every post and consider how you will share it on each different platform (don’t blanket). • Always engage with your audience and followers. That means thank them and always reply to whatever comment is given (good or bad). • Change up copy and ask questions whenever possible. • Try sharing more user-generated content, featuring behind the scenes, employees, staff, clients as the focus in your stories and posts. • Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and mix up call to action. • Stop over thinking it and just post!

During the Expo

According to Go-Globe, Facebook Lives are watched three times longer than pre-recorded videos. So, this means a more organic reach for your company while gathering valuable content that can be used later. Not to mention, according to Livestream, 80% of consumers prefer to watch live videos from a company than read a blog and 82% of people prefer to watch a livestream than read a post on social media.

Going live during the expo is a way to create authentic, engaging content that grabs the attention of your audience before, during and after the expo. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and LinkedIn have the feature to record live video, which remains online for your audience to watch the replay at their leisure. Whichever platform you use to go live, once recorded, the video can be saved, downloaded and edited with your branding to share on the other platforms you use.

Remember, many people are using social media in public places or at work. They are likely to have their audio off on their devices and may not appreciate a loud video when they visit your page. Make sure your video gets the message across with no audio at all by using subtitles or text graphics if needed. Audio on your video, if present at all, should add to the experience, but should not be necessary.

There are ways other than going live or posting videos to promote your company at the expo. You will essentially want to keep your social media updated throughout the day. The HAA expo is a great opportunity for people to get to know the people behind the brand, so don’t shy away from posting team selfies or behind the scenes looks.

Don’t forget to use social media as an opportunity to drive visitors to your both. Ask attendees to take a photo or a video in your booth by tagging your company and using hashtags relevant to the expo. Integrate social media into your giveaway by having visitors follow and tag your company as the entry to your give away. Promote your company’s social media handles and hashtags along with your booth number on all your expo materials.

After the Expo:

You will want to keep the momentum going after the expo, of course. Make sure your social media strategy for expo includes a follow-up action plan for those who engaged with your brand at the show.

You could follow up with the people you met by following them on social media. LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with your new contacts after the show. Don’t forget to say thank you to your team, expo attendees, the organizers and any other support staff or businesses.

Once you find the combination of tools that are the right fit for your company’s needs, you’ll be on the road to creating your expo content strategy. There are new marketing tools, apps and social media platforms popping up monthly if not weekly. The key is to keep trying and educating yourself.

If you have any questions, reach out to Kimberly Scott Kimberly@maretingdoer.com or connect, follow @thatKimberly on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Snapchat for more ideas and insights into marketing in the multifamily housing industry and beyond.