Yeah, yeah, you already know social media can promote your roofing business during events like home shows. But if you want to ramp up digital event marketing, use social as more than a megaphone to blast out that text-only post with your booth number. Own social media during home shows with these tips:
Show a very relatable side of the business by posting images and videos of home event prep and setup. Whether you take pics of office staff putting together show packets or video of your crew setting up the booth, this "sneak peek" content highlights the human side of the company while giving homeowners a glimpse at how you make it all happen.
If you get booth visits from past or current customers, take a moment to shoot short testimonials right on the show floor. Shows can be noisy, so use an external microphone for clearer audio. You can find mics online for a reasonable price.
Limit the interview to a couple of questions, like:
What was your problem, and how did our roofing company solve it for you?
Would you recommend us to other homeowners?
Home show floor testimonials might not be the best choice for live broadcasts, but they can make for engaging Facebook or Instagram posts or ads. (Make sure to ask the customer before filming if you can use their testimonial for promotional purposes.)
Targeted digital ads on Facebook and Instagram will help you cost-effectively market to homeowners in the show’s vicinity.
Boostpoint, an Equipter company, offers an app that hypertargets social audiences so your ad gets in front of the right people. Whether you’re sponsoring a sweet giveaway or hosting a show workshop, Boostpoint will get the word out via Facebook and Instagram ads. Visit Boostpoint for more info or to schedule an online demo.
As much as you want to maximize social media, you also need to maximize your time interacting face-to-face with homeowners. One of the single biggest timesavers for event marketing on social media is to use a platform like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule some or all posts in advance.
Even if you’re planning to share live show social posts, save time and frustration by scheduling standard messages, like booth number, giveaway info, show specials, workshop or demo announcements, etc.
Hashtags aren’t as popular these days on Facebook, but if you’re marketing on Twitter or Pinterest, check whether the event has its own hashtag. Use that in your posts, along with any other relevant hashtags. For example, if you rent or own the Equipter RB4000, use a hashtag like #NewRoofNoMess.
Journalists sometimes search specific hashtags to hunt for story ideas, so using them in your social posts is also a creative way to get in front of reporters writing about home improvement, home repairs, etc.
Social media is exactly that: social. Be helpful by sharing info about or tagging your local business colleagues at the show. Do a quick Story from their booth, take selfies with them and tag them in the pics, or share 1 or 2 of their event social posts if they’re hosting a workshop or giveaway.
To make the most of your home show event marketing, you might also want to check out:
4 Tips to Help Roofers Rock Home Show Marketing
Home Show Pre-Event Marketing: Success Strategies