40 Twitter-iffic Event Day Ideas

Turn your Captivated Audience of Event Participants into a Social Media Army

Event day is an excellent opportunity for your organization to turn the captivated audience of event participants into a social media army for your event & your organization’s mission.  In this post, I’ve pulled together some tips to get you started on your event’s social media strategy plus 40 ideas to tweet about on the day of your event.

Twitter’s newsfeed style makes it the perfect cornerstone for your Event Day Social Media Strategy because you can post short, quick, and frequent snippets of information without turning off your audience.  It’s very easy to expand on your posts to Twitter to populate content for other social media like Facebook.

As an added bonus, Twitter’s trending topics are often monitored by local news media outlets.  Increasing your event’s visibility in Twitter can spill over into increased publicity in traditional media.

Quick Tips for Crafting an Event Day Twitter Strategy

1. Hashtag EVERYTHING with your org & event names
2. Use photos in your Tweets!  A picture is worth 1000 words, which is awesome when you are limited 140 characters.  Apps like Instagram are free and easy to use!
3. Delegate Event Day Twitter responsibilities to 1-2 trusted staff members or volunteers on your team
4. Prompt participants visually with signs & verbally in scripts to tweet during the event
5. Prep your staff, board members and key volunteers to tweet & retweet from thier personal Twitter accounts

40 Ideas to Tweet about on Event Day

1. Start the morning off right!  Tweet a link to your parking maps with road closures
2. Photo/Quote from a Survivor “Little Johnny wants to say thanks and wish everyone a safe ride! #EventName”
3. Location of Volunteer Check In
4. Location of onsite registration
5. Links to your participant search screen “Support your buddy who’s walking in the cold this morning #EventName www.LinkToDonateGenerous.ly”
6. @LocalTVStation is Here!  Check us out on the 5pm News!
7. Announce the arrival of your event’s celebrity or dignitary attendees. “We just spotted Oprah in the crowd! She’s proudly wearing her “kick cancer’s butt” shirt.”
8. Weather Updates (great for longer events!) “It’s a chilly day, don’t forget your jacket.”
9. Ask “Why they participate in your event?”  tag it with #WhyIRide #EventName
10. Announce that open ceremonies have begun “Lady Gaga is singing the National Anthem right now!  Wow!  #EventName” (Great time to take advantage of twit picts!)
11. Tweet a photo of the crowd lined up at the starting line
12. Quotes from Opening/Closing Ceremony Speakers
13. Announce that the event has started “And they’re off…  #EventName”
14. Highlight Breakpoint / Waterstop volunteer groups  “Show @Troop313 some love for serving more than Girl Scout Cookies at Waterstop 2 #EventName”
15. Highlight interesting cheering squads on the route “Don’t miss the belly dancers on Mile 13! #EventName”
16. Any slow downs on the route, especially on longer routes or busy routes “A Train is passing, Route stopped at Mile 58”
17. “Quote about how much Participant A LOVES your org & event”
18. Hydration Reminders (especially great for endurance events) “When did you last hydrate?”
19. Your race winner just crossed the finish line
20. Your top fundraiser just crossed the finish line
21. When the last rider/runner/walker crosses the finish line “The last walker has just crossed the finish line, the party can officially begin!”
22. Announce your top fundraising team (be sure to know their twitter @AccountName)
23. Announce your top fundraiser
24. Announce your fundraising total so far
25. Location of the cool features at your finish line celebration
26. Location of your onsite & online store for logoed gear. “Look, there goes @WildNCrazyPearl in her glittery hot pink running shorts! Buy your own at www.ONLINESTORE.com!”
27. Favorite Cheer/Sign of the Day “Some great signs here! Our favorite: “You are the 1% who run marathons”
28. Location of the port-a-potties with the shortest lines
29. Team T-shirt/Jersey/Costume Winners  “Look out for Team xxx winner of this year’s best team t-shirt/jersey!”  (another great opp for a picture!)
30. Lost Something? Found Something?  Please visit our Lost & Found  Tent at xxxx.
31. Where’s the Beer Tent?
32. The time when chip timing results are posted (for competitive running events)
33. For multiday event, notable overnight activities “Candle lighting Ceremony @ 6pm” #WhyIRide”
34. Thank your sponsors “Thanks @Aquafina for the 18-wheeler of bottled water! #EventName”
35. Thank your participants, donors and volunteers
36. Reminder to include the event hashtag on all tweets “Tweeting about #EventName, don’t forget to tag it with our official hashtag @OrgName”
37. Encourage non-participants to support their athletes “Give your athlete a shout out this morning for running in the #EventName to #EndCancer”
38. Registration Open for next year  “Miss the fun? Register for next year”
39. Cross promote your other programs “Feeling Inspired?  Sign up to volunteer for Camp for Kids”
40. Cross promote any active Advocacy Actions “Feeling Inspired?  Write your senator and ask him/her to fund NIH research to find a cure.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

sgENGAGE Team