How do we as marketers make events more social? How do we tap into the large audiences and retain them and make them brand advocates?
For as long as I have been working in social, two things come to mind, awareness and retention. As a marketer, I try to build and increase awareness of brand and products, while retaining the online consumer using social media. However, with the increased use of mobile devices and the connectivity with social media platforms, locations are becoming a new way of targeting and communicating with an audience.
Location based services, such as Foursquare, Facebook Places, Gowalla, etc., are being utilized more by the consumer, especially those who use smartphones. 17% of smartphone owners have used a check-in service, according to eMarketer. Users are broadcasting their locations to their friends, discussing what is happening and being incentivized by brands to continue to “check-in.” Where the amount of adults using location based services is relatively low, around 4%, the sheer volume of check-ins on these services should not be ignored. According to Dennis Crowley, Foursquare’s CEO, there now are over three million check-ins a day and Facebook Places reports they are experiencing above 750,000 check-ins a day.
With this volume of check-ins, how do marketers tap into this action by the consumer? How do we move beyond the simple, one-off check-in and apply some sort of value to the consumer, some level of conversation and incentive, and ultimately retain these users who are interacting with a brand, in real time, on-site at an event? That is is what my SxSW panel is exploring; that is the conversation we need to have.
Using check-in services, new technologies and on-site content, how do we tap that consumer who is reaching out to the experience they are living, at that moment? We are starting to see a shift already in these networks. Most recently, Foursquare announced they are offering an “Event” based check-in to go along with location. Which will allow users an easier route to broadcast to their friends what they are doing, not just where they are at. While that is happening, they are also mentioning the brands. Free and uninterrupted promotion of a brand with relatively little effort by the brand to spark that conversation. So, the question is, how do we leverage that conversation? How do we engage that consumer, in real time? And, how do we retain them?
It goes without saying, that some moderation of events is required for engagement with the consumers who are checking in, as well as some sort of incentive. But, creating valuable relationships and to retaining these consumers, we need to engage creatively and with the long-term relationship in mind.
Some questions come to mind that I think all of us need to consider.
1. How do we leverage mobile, real-time content to engage a consumer who is checking in?
2. Are there new and innovative technologies, such as projection mapping, tweet-to-screen, live sentiment measurement, that we can tap to create that “wow” factor in the eyes of the consumer?
3. How do we as marketers take those onsite tactics and marry them with online channels and create relationships?
4. Think beyond the incentive and think more inline with valuable relationships. How do we create a relationship and brand advocacy without incentives.
5. And finally, how do we move away from the one-off cool factor of events and continue the advocacy?
Do you have thoughts on the matter? I would love to hear them! Critical Mass and I are hosting a Twitter chat today at 2pm CST. Just follow the #socialevents hashtag and we’ll have a conversation about this new, burgeoning field.
Additionally, check out our SxSW panel topic and vote for it! We have some pretty smart people lined up, from Critical Mass, GMR and Foursquare, to help navigate and find a solution to this goldmine of opportunity!
