We’ve all heard of risk management assessments for in-person events that involve the safety of attendees. But have you considered your social media when it comes to event risk management? Probably not. In fact, most companies don’t do this; but it can make or break your event! As a planner, you have to anticipate and plan for the unexpected, both in-person and online! Today, we’re sharing a few things you can do to be proactive and ensure social media risk management at your events.
Why is Social Media Risk Management Important?
There are nearly 4 billion people on social media. Yes, billion! It’s jumped nearly 40% in the past five years. Due to this, businesses everywhere are incorporating social media as a business necessity these days. It’s no longer an added marketing perk. With that, nearly 60% of event marketers use social media as a part of their event strategy.
But with that, you’re opening yourself up to the wide world of the internet. People try to steal personal data, trolls cause problems in the comments, and anyone can post untrue statements about your brand wherever they please. Plus, it’s a 24/7 realm that never sleeps. These are just a few reasons why a social media risk management strategy is so important!
Tips to Include in Your Social Media Risk Management Strategy
Okay, let’s dive into the nitty gritty now! Remember, we’re not lawyers. We just work with many companies on integrating social media risk management into their event strategy (and implement it ourselves, too).
Assign a Team Member to Monitor Social
There should always be someone monitoring your social platforms as a business. Especially when you’re launching or promoting a new event or offer. This means that if any negative commentary pops up, you can immediately combat it with positive PR strategies and pre-determined, thought-out responses that recover and avoid any negative publicity.
Provide Suppliers & Partners with NDAs
When you’re trying to control your online presence or are working on an exclusive event where the client is maintaining privacy, the last thing you need is a caterer’s server to post something private. It’s completely within your rights to require all supplier staff and partners to sign a non-disclosure agreement that outlines what they can and can’t post (if you want to allow them to post at all).
Include Social in the Event Code of Conduct
Most event strategies have a code of conduct when it comes to attending a live event. In that code of conduct, add a blurb about what is appropriate and inappropriate to post, stating that action will be taken if any inappropriate content mentioning the event is posted.
Offer Giveaways & Challenges That Help Streamline Posts
If people are given incentives to post specific things during your event, it’s more likely you’ll get the content you want, not the content you don’t want. So, offer special giveaways for posting a 20-second clip of the keynote as a Reel, sharing a sponsorship photo on all platforms, or tagging a friend who missed out on the event in a post to give them discounts on next year’s conference; you get the picture!
One thing you will want to monitor, though, with giveaways is phishing scams trying to rip off your followers. They will create a profile with a username that is one letter off from yours and run the same giveaway post to have people provide sensitive information. Add this to the list of things for your team member to monitor!
Ensure Internal Staff are On-Board with Policies
If your organization doesn’t have a social media manager, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have policies and a go-to person to manage what employees can do, not do, who is allowed to post, etc.
The reality is you can’t control the internet and who does what where. That’s why, if your business is using social media at all for your event strategy, it’s time to get started with a social media risk management plan.
Events Can Be a Lot Without Support. Let EBA Help You Thrive (+ Profit)!
Simply put, events are a lot. There are so many logistics, considerations, and things that could be easily missed (like a social media risk management plan). When you delegate and enlist help from the experts, you are much more likely to cultivate a thriving 6-figure event strategy to help your brand reach the next level.
Schedule a free 20-minute strategy session to discuss what you have in place in terms of event risk management and uncover how our EBA team can help!
