Wednesday, November 25, 2015

#HashtagFail - 3 Mistakes To Avoid For Success at Your Next Event or Program

Social media is no longer new, so why are schools, districts, organizations, and programs still getting it so wrong. They will spend a bundle on client/community relationships and promotion, but they don’t take the simple steps necessary to get free engagement and build relationships with a targeted audience.


Here are the three big mistakes others make that you should avoid.


  1. Where’s the Hashtag?
I’ve attended events hosted by some of the biggest education providers and businesses in the world. They use a hashtag, but despite all the benefits of using a hashtag at events, it is nowhere to be found. It’s not in the program. It’s not on presenters slides. It’s not on the name tag. Not only that, presenters names and titles are shown without their handles.


  1. Logos are not hashtags.
Another mistake is printing materials from the web that are made for clicking. For example, the handout will say,  “Stay connected with us.” and have logos of popular social media outlets but no handles or links. Not okay. You must include information on how to find you on each outlet. Come on folks. Get with the 21st century already.
Do not print clickable logos without providing links.
  1. Be Consistent.
I can’t tell you how many major conferences, events, and programs I have been a part of where they don’t stick with one consistent hashtag. They think they’re interchangeable, but they’re not!
At your next event, take note. Who is getting it right? Who's not? Share what you find using #HashtagFail or #HashtagSuccess. 

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