All my daily readers know that I have been one of the biggest supporters of event and entertainment marketing going digital, social, and non-traditional. I have been trying to figure out a way to get more event markets onboard with this. Today, I read an article on AdAge.com by Phil Johnson that gave me an answer.
The article which I encourage you to read, discusses how the author’s agency is using social marketing not only for its clients but for itself. They mention how two years ago it was difficult to win clients approval to spend budget in the social space. However, in the last six months many clients and potential clients have been requesting it. They mention publicity of Twitter as a major factor.
Now they need to explain what they are going to do and how they are going to do it. They are using social media to market their own agency as part of this. As the author said “it was impossible to understand social media if you don’t experience it firsthand”.
The biggest issue facing this new media marketing tool is experiencing it. You can learn about it from articles and blogs, but if you don’t experience it firsthand you cannot fully understand it. I agree with this assessment 100%. This may be the big obstacle why many event marketers are still not “owning” the social marketing space.
Here is my suggestion to you. If you don’t want to use your company as a guinea pig, try doing it for yourself. Sign up for a Twitter and Facebook account. Get involved in the sites. You don’t have to tell people what you are doing right that second. No one really cares that you just brushed your teeth. Talk about things of interest. Find people you know. Look for groups or people that are of interest to you. If you saw a great concert, talk about it online. If you have an opinion on a top water cooler issue, use the social sites to express it. By using the sites, you will realize how they can help you with your business. You will find yourself using your personal sites to promote your company’s events. Once you get it, bring in the social tool as part of the event marketing plan.
Try it, you might like it.
Tags: adage.com, digital marketing, Facebook, firsthand experience, Phil Johnson, social marketing, Twitter, web 2.0
