Market Events with Social Media

As if you didn't know by now, social media is a critical marketing tool, especially for small businesses and nonprofits that are planning events or promotions.

A recent study from email marketing provider Constant Contact proves this theory, by revealing that 77 percent of event planners are currently using social networks to market their events, and another 14 percent are planning to do so in the next year. And from the respondents that are already using social media to market their events, 81 percent are planning to increase their social media efforts.

However, even though social media is an important aspect of successful marketing campaigns, only 46 percent of the survey respondents reported having an initial social plan, with only 10 percent claiming to have a thorough and refined social media strategy. Yet those without a plan see the value in having one, with 34 percent thinking about creating one.

Other statistics from the survey show that Facebook is the most popular form of social media used for marketing events, followed by Twitter and LinkedIn. Additionally, 56 percent of respondents use social media to educate and inform audiences about upcoming events. However 66 percent want to use social media in the future to reach more people, and 65 percent want to use it to gather feedback.

"We've seen our small business and nonprofit customers improve their results by taking an integrated approach to their event promotions," says Chris Litster, VP and General Manager of event marketing for Constant Contact. "The combination of social media with other event marketing platforms can be powerful, and today's tools make it easier than ever to integrate them together. The end result: increased event attendance, deeper relationships with customers and members forged, and maximum impact obtained from your events."