Going Live: How to Use Real-Time Social Media to Steal the Show at Your Next Waste Expo

Level up your exhibition game by being present on all the social channels like a boss.

Don't just lurk around, but engage with your followers and exhibition attendees in real-time to make sure your brand stays top of mind.

Using social media in real-time at a trade exhibition can be manageable. With our handy tips below and platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you can easily create a buzz around your booth, showcase your latest products, and share exciting updates from the event floor.

Here are some tips for effective real-time social media engagement during an exhibition:

If all you do is follow this first tip, you'll be ahead of 90% of the other exhibitors. It's all about planning and preparation.

Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead, Plan Ahead!

• Before the exhibition, create a social media plan that outlines your goals, the content you'll be sharing, and the platforms you'll be using.
• Planning your content will help you stay organised and deliver the right messages to your target audience.
• It can be as simple as a Google Doc / Word document or a spreadsheet. Whatever floats your boat, just note it all down.
• Figure out which speakers and panels are on and which of those you have time to attend.

Get A Side Kick & Back It All Up

• Ideally, if you have a team attending the exhibition, in that case, you can assign one person to post and monitor the social media accounts while others are taking photos/videos.
• Make sure you have all the relevant social media apps on your mobiles and access on your laptops and all the device chargers.
• Make sure you know who is assigned to do which task.
• If you're attending solo, you can still take photos and selfies and live stream your experience. A handy tip would be to ask one of the event staff to help you. Also remember to have other social posts about your business created and scheduled in already.
• Have a couple of social posts ready to go if you know, for instance, that you are going to listen to an industry leader speaking about a specific topic, have something drafted with relevant hashtags already and keep it saved on your mobile device in Notes for example so you can copy and paste in and amend if needed.

What To Post?

• Have brand posts created ahead of time and schedule one each day so that even if you end up not posting anything else during the day, those will still go live.
• Depending on your resources and team, there are lots of engaging ways to showcase your brand on social media in real-time.

Here are a few ideas.

1. Behind-the-scenes photos and videos of your booth setup and preparations
2. Live streaming of product demonstrations, talks or interviews with attendees, or other exciting moments from the exhibition
3. Contests or giveaways that require attendees to follow your social media accounts or share your posts
4. Highlighting any special guests or industry influencers who visit your booth or speak at the event
5. Posting about any announcements or launches that you make during the exhibition
6. Sharing relevant industry news or research that ties into your company or product
7. Asking attendees to share their experiences or photos of your booth on their own social media channels using a specific hashtag
8. Showing your company culture by sharing photos or stories of your team members at the exhibition
9. Creating engaging polls or surveys that tie into your company or the event theme
10. Thanking attendees for visiting your booth and sharing any follow-up information or resources.

3. How To Make It Look Pretty?

There are a million apps you could use to make the content look pretty on the fly, including popular apps like Canva, with a mobile app available and preexisting filters and stickers on Instagram.

Don't worry about making it all look overly polished; being authentic counts.

Canva has over 6,000 templates that using an Environmental theme like these or you can easily create one of your own.

4. How Many Social Posts Should You Post?

There's no hard and fast rule regarding the number of posts you should publish on social media during a trade exhibition. It depends on your goals, your audience, and the resources you have available.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least one post per day on your social media channels to keep your audience engaged and informed.

If you have a larger team or more resources available, consider posting multiple times per day, with different types of content to keep your audience interested.

Just ensure you're not overwhelming your followers with too much content at a time, and monitor the response to see what types of posts resonate with your audience the most.

5. Use Event Hashtags

Many trade exhibitions have an official hashtag that attendees and exhibitors can use to connect on social media. Use these hashtags in your posts to make them more discoverable and increase your reach.

6. Engage with attendees: Use LinkedIn to connect with attendees and follow other company pages. Respond to comments and messages promptly, and use social media to schedule meetings and follow-up conversations after the exhibition.

After The Party - Post-Exhibition Follow-Up

Remember to continue the conversation with attendees and prospects on social media after the event.

By resharing post-event content, such as photos, videos, and blog posts or articles, your brand can stay top of mind.

Finally, conducting a post-event social media analysis is vital to measure your success and identify areas for improvement for next time.

The key to social media is to be creative, engaging, and interactive. Don't just promote your business, but also add value to the conversation.

By using social media to engage with attendees in real time, you can create a buzz around your waste business at the exhibition, increase your brand awareness, and generate leads that could turn into valuable customers.