The Best Social Media Tools To Grow Your Audience
Having a social presence is essential for event professionals, helping market yourselves, plan an event and encourage engagement. But with so many platforms available, and new ones being constantly launched, it’s hard to stay on top of everything. Plus social media algorithms can mean that it’s hard to get your content shown in feeds, making you question whether your social media management is time well spent.
Many event companies are small businesses and it can be hard to stay on top of everything whilst focusing on your clients but if you want to reach new audiences and connect with your clients you have then social media is essential.
Luckily there are a raft of great social media tools available to help you succeed and ensure that you’re using your time effectively.
From content curation, design, publishing and analytics there is a choice of tools to help you save time and money. But with so many available it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve tried and tested a few over the years and have shortlisted some of our favourites.
Essential Social Media Apps
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]Most event companies use Pinterest as a great inspiration resource, helping research event ideas and trends and creating moodboards. But did you realise that it’s also a great tool for driving traffic to your website? If you haven’t used Pinterest strategically before we’ve got some tips on how to use Pinterest to reach your audience. It’s often overlooked as a social media platform but if you start to think about as a search engine and a platform where your clients are looking for ideas then you can tap into it’s potential. Creating content that solves problems your clients need help with and posting it on Pinterest will help you be found by your target audience as well as position you as an events expert.
Tailwind
Just like any social media platform if you want to grow your reach on Pinterest then you’ll then to be posting regularly. Our favourite tool for scheduling content on Pinterest is Tailwind. Use it to ensure you have pins going out regularly (we love to plan by season) and make use of its SmartLoop feature which you can use to automatically repost your most popular pins. This works really well for Evergreen content. Tailwind also have loads of tutorials and analysis apps to help you understand the optimal time to schedule content, how to make the most of Pinterest and improve your performance. There’s also a management tool for Instagram which we haven’t tested yet but does have lots of great features including hashtag suggestions.
Feedly
Short of content ideas? Feedly has been around for a while but it’s still a brilliant tool for collecting content. Simply set up RSS feeds of all your favourite blogs, podcasts, magazines and news so you can read them all in one neatly organised feed. We sort ours by category, so we keep an eye on the latest trends in events, weddings, food, styling etc. The platform can be integrated with other platforms so you can share directly onto Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook.
Google Trends
Keeping on top of trends is important to event professionals as our clients are always looking for us to be ahead of the curve so they can impressive their guests. Google Trends is a completely free tool that Google created to help anyone search for trending topics online. Brands use it to monitor what’s happening in the world and it’s a great way to discover and share information related to what’s most popular right now. We like to use it to monitor keywords in the events industry and see if they are trending and how their current volume compares to previous months and years.
Canva
It’s the one that most of us have heard of and use for creating beautiful graphics. If you’re not confident in creating your own designs there are hundreds of templates to choose from and the sizing is done for you so you know it will be formatted in the right dimensions for each platform. There’s a lot you can do with the free version but we recommend going for an upgrade to Canva Pro as it enables you to have a Brand folder where you can upload all your colours & fonts so you can easily apply to your designs are ensure they are easily recognisable as you. The paid for version also enables you to easily resize designs so if you’ve created a great graphic for use on Instagram you can simply resize it to fit another platform with just one click.
Unsplash
Most event professionals have an amazing library of their own images which you can draw on but if you’re in need of additional images try Unsplash, which has a massive collection of (FREE) images you can choose from. A bit like Pinterest, you can lose hours on this site looking at all the beautiful images so we recommend finding a few creators whose content or style you love and follow them so can keep up to date with their latest work. Unsplash also recommends similar images and enables you to save pictures you love in folders.
By the way, if you have CanvaPro there is a good library of stock images that you can easily incorporate into your designs.
PLANN
A beautiful Instagram feed needs some element of curation. There are plenty of scheduling tools out there but PLANN is one that we recommend. You can use it to layout your future feed and move around posts that don’t sit naturally next to each other, giving you an overview of your whole feed. There are also some great extra features including hashtag research which enables you to see what hashtags are working well in the events industry (or other sectors) and there is also the ability to pull in ‘inspirational images’ from other accounts into your conceptual feed.
Lightroom
Ever wondered how some people create an Instagram feed with a consistent colour tone? Lightroom is an editing app that enables you to organise, store and enhance your photos. Add a preset palette based on 2-3 colours or tones that you would like to dominate across your feed. It works a bit like a filter but has a much more professional result. Lightroom offers a series of presets made up of different tones or you can integrate presets from other apps that are compatible. A preset such as Bright White is a great way to fresh up your images. Alternatively you can create your own preset by choose the filters that are right for your brand and get some consistency across your feed.
Unfold
If you want engagement on your Instagram account it isn’t enough just to post on your feed as more users interact with the stories feature. The stories that do best are the ones that are curated which is where Unfold comes into play. Providing a series of templates, it’s easy to upload your images and create a professional modern aesthetic. Try also using apps such as Ripl or Typorama to add in different fonts to differentiate your fonts from everyone else.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]For more tips on how event professionals can use social media click here.
[/fusion_text][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]With experience in producing award winning events, a string of happy clients and a team of individually talented professionals, Evolve Events is the perfect event agency for delivering high standards. Our team have over twenty one years’ experience in producing events and team is headed up by Gary Peters who has been voted as one of the most influential people in the events industry. Our event services including venue finding, set design, styling and build, AV and lighting, stage management and sourcing entertainment and quality catering.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you produce and style your event then please get in touch and we can chat through your requirements.
To get more event ideas you can visit our blog here or follow us on social media at @evolveevents.
TEL : 020 7610 2808 – EMAIL : info@evolve-events.com
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