Marketing is a vital part of event planning. You have to get the word out about what you’re planning and make sure the right people see your messages and advertisements. You also have to make that advertising compelling enough that they’ll want to attend. Incorporating elements of social proof in events marketing can help you do it all. Here’s how.
What Is Social Proof?
The concept of social proof originated in the field of psychology. It describes how people behave in social situations where they feel unsure of themselves. In those situations, people look at what others around them are doing to get an idea of how they should behave. They mirror the behaviors they see, which helps them feel more secure in unfamiliar situations.
Why does this matter for events?
It also describes how people behave when they’re considering making a purchase. This is especially so when it’s an item (or a service, or an event) that’s new to them. When purchasing a product that’s new to them, people look for recommendations from others. Certain kinds of recommendations carry more weight.
In fact, there are six forms of social proof. You can leverage all six kinds of social proof in your events marketing:
- Expert: When an industry expert or thought leader recommends a product
- Celebrity: Many celebrities tweet or post on Instagram endorsing products (and are usually paid for doing so).
- User: Testimonials act as a vote of confidence from someone who’s used the product
- Certification: A “seal of approval” from an individual or organization with recognized authority
- Wisdom of the crowd: When lots of people endorse a particular product, it has a snowball effect that prompts new users to try it out. Sometimes it’s also a kind of FOMO (fear of missing out), where people try it because they don’t want to be the one person in the crowd who didn’t.
- Family, friends, and peers: When people see someone they know use a product, they’re much more likely to try it themselves.
Of course, people respond to these different kinds of social proof in different ways. Some are influenced by expert recommendations but ignore celebrity endorsements. Others rush to buy products that their favorite celebrities or influencers post about on Instagram. And some read dozens of user reviews before buying any new product.
Whatever specific kind of social proof is involved, it tends to work better than a hard sell. After all, humans are social animals. We’re all individuals, but there are instances where we give in to the impulse to follow the crowd. Social proof lends authenticity and inspires trust. That helps people feel like they’re making the “right” purchasing decisions.
Everyone uses some form of social proof to help them make purchasing decisions. The question is, how can you use social proof in event marketing and management?
Use Social Proof to Market Your Event More Effectively
Social proof can give any product marketing campaign a healthy boost. And it’s just as effective when deployed as part of an event marketing campaign, providing you focus on the right kinds of social proof.
Here are some ways to incorporate social proof into an events marketing campaign.
Endorsements
Endorsements are simple but effective. For industry and business events, display endorsements from relevant organizations and brands on the event website. This can help convince website visitors that your event is legitimate and valuable. Legitimacy is of increasing concern these days, as scams are rife on the internet. Any endorsements you collect should be prominently displayed.
Testimonials
A testimonial is the most common form of social proof because most people will readily give their opinion of a product if asked. What’s more, they tend to be the form of social proof that people trust most because they’re viewed as non-biased and spontaneously given. Plus, when there are lots of reviews available, the “wisdom of the crowd” effect kicks in too.
Using testimonials is as easy as finding positive quotes from previous event attendees and displaying them prominently on your event website. Some other ways to use testimonials include:
- Use testimonials as talking points to prove value for the event. This can help especially with getting decision-makers or stakeholders to sign off on an event or budget.
- Use testimonials in your sell sheet to help you sell sponsorship or exhibitor packages.
- Write a blog post that highlights attendee stories, or ask one or more attendees to write guest posts.
- Sprinkle quotes from former event attendees into emails you send out for promotional campaigns for new events.
- If you see people on social media talking positively about an event you hosted, retweet them or share their posts on your own page.
Influencer Marketing
Depending on the influencer and the industry you’re operating in, this might count as celebrity or expert endorsement, or both. Either way, the basic principle is the same: Choose one or more people to work with, and leverage their clout or expertise as a form of social proof. For instance:
- Hand over the reins of the event’s Twitter or Instagram account for a day or a week, and let your influencers post about the event. As well as posting on the event accounts, they can also tag their own accounts and bring their followers into the conversation.
- Ask influencers to post discussion starters or questions and then engage with people who post responses.
- Ask influencers to post short videos where they discuss something pertaining to the event. For instance, for someone who’s presenting, ask them to give a brief teaser on what they’re planning to talk about.
- Provide influencers with discount codes to offer to their own networks of followers. Make sure to give each one a unique code, so you can track how effective they are.
User-Generated Content
This is content that’s created and posted by people who aren’t officially part of your event marketing campaign. It may not be planned, but this kind of content is a powerful form of social proof. Whether it’s a photo, a video clip, or even just a single tweet, any positive content about your event can have an impact. And the more content there is, the bigger the collective impact becomes.
- Increase the impact by creating an event hashtag and encouraging attendees to use the hashtag when they talk about the event on social media.
- Not everyone will remember to use the hashtag. But you can search on social media sites for posts and tweets that talk about the event, then share or retweet them on your event accounts.
- Drive more engagement with polls, trivia questions, or giveaways in the run-up to the event.
Leverage Social Proof for Bigger, Better Events
Social proof is a powerful marketing tool, whether you’re selling products or event tickets. As part of your event marketing campaign, it can help you sell more tickets and exhibitor packages, and even increase the number of sponsors you snag. Use it well, and grow your events bigger and better than ever.
