Tools for Social Media

It was a beautiful August afternoon at the University of the District of Columbia Student Center, as the decorations went up in preparation to kick off “When the Press Link Up” social media conference presented by PR WIZ, LLC.  The purpose of “When the Press Link Up” is for social media enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to gather, network, and learn through educational workshops taught by top industry professionals with the goal to enhance current skills awhile embracing new ways to creating compelling content.

“When the Press Link Up” special guest presenter included the US Office of Copyright providing vital information for social media enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to aide with securing content through copyright along with fair use of content.

Tools and Tips for planning a conference using social media

• Brainstorm: think about what type of conference you want to plan (music, social media, sports, festival) Why are you planning this conference?  Who will attend this conference?  How does the guest speaker’s & presenters align with the conference theme, purpose, or goal?  What type of venue should be used? Who will attend this conference?  Will you need volunteers?  Will you serve food? Will you have promotional material? What does your budget look like?
• Create: a conference title & make sure it’s catchy, attention grabber.
• Develop:  a logo which could be used interchangeably, something which will generate a buzz, comments can later be used for testimony. Along with creating any videos or pictures to enhance viewership of event post and attract potential attendees.
• Engage: others in the conference by gathering email listings, consider Facebook friends objective is to inform the public that the event exist.
• Gather: invitation listing with prospective event attendees in mind. Start in your gmail account then work your way to your Instagram, Twitter, business cards, ig.

The tough decision comes in as to which tool is most cost effective for promoting your conference.  Using your personal or business social media platform to promote your event is standard, moreover maximizing the medium is key.  Since “When the Press Link Up” is a social media conference it was best to utilize a social media advertising company.  Now the benefit to using this method for your social media profiles gain followers and event interest instantly which is great for your event.  The downside to using social media advertising companies is that in the event a protest suddenly erupts chances are it will overshadow your promotion, such as what “When the Press Link Up” encountered during the Alton Sterling protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Now it’s time to integrate all of your final plans & strategies along with social network platforms to execute the action plan.  Planning 150 days prior to your proposed scheduled event helps ease anxiety and allows flexibility.   Leveraging social media is key and finding the perfect balance of content will help keep your social media platforms balanced and help manage content.

Plan with Purpose

Proceeds from “When the Press Link Up” will be donated to a deserving Arts and Humanities student attending the University of the District of Columbia, along with Teach for Madagascar education nonprofit organization.  Here is a recap of this amazing social media conference “When the Press Link Up.”