Last week, the International Spa Association (ISPA) held its
annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. To hype the event, the ISPA took to
social media before, during, and after the event. Below is a short analysis of
what they did to promote this national event.
Instagram
The ISPA did a fantastic job on Instagram before and during
the event. Before the show, they teased everything from themes to conference
badges and gift bags. They really did a great job leading up to the event. They
successfully integrated their “Grow” theme into their content and encouraged
users to use the hashtag as well. During the show they had great pictures of
events, book signings, auctions, and more. My main complaint about their
Instagram strategy is their lack of post-event content. On the day following the conference, their messaging
abruptly stopped. For having less than 250 followers, I thought they were
getting a decent amount of engagement. I was sorry to see they stopped creating
content after the conference ended.
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| ISPA Instagram Post |
Facebook
Like Instagram, the ISPA did a great job on Facebook.
Leading up to the event, they had plenty of information for attendees. Some of
their content included registration, events, sponsors information, and more. They
had a variety of content including links, text, and photos. During the show
they informed followers of events and happenings at the conference. They
successfully used their hashtags on Facebook as well. After the event, they
thanked their sponsors and even asked attendees to email the ISPA with any
feedback or stories they may have. It’s a great way to leverage social media to
gain insights about the event. They even posted that they might use the content
in a future blog. What a great way to create new content!
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| ISPA Facebook Post |
Twitter
From my perspective, the ISPA truly shined on Twitter. They
created a lot of content before, during, and after the event using multiple Twitter accounts. They even had a dedicated account for the event (@ISPAConference). They responded to
tweets and retweeted attendees and sponsors alike. It may be simple, but it was an effective way to recognize their sponsors. They could have included more photos,
but I appreciate the amount of content they created on Twitter and the scope of their accounts.
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| Sample Tweets |
YouTube
YouTube was largely neglected during the conference. They
did post one video of a speaker on October 17 leading up to the event. He teased some
interesting information about the conference; however, I could not take this
video seriously. The video was right next to one that was over a month old and
featured the same man, in the same location, and in the same clothing. That was
a large red flag that the content was pre-recorded. I really wish they would have created more videos during the show to let people get a feel for the event.
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| The culprit videos on YouTube |
Final Thoughts
The Good
Hashtags
The ISPA did a fantastic job integrating hashtags into their
marketing plan. Whether you went to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you could
easily search for their content. Judging by the activity, attendees were also
using the hashtag as well. All of this helped raise awareness of the event on social media.
Consistent Message
The ISPA kept their brand messaging consistent across all of
their social media platforms. No matter what medium I received their message
on, it felt like a consistent experience.
Great Website
I really enjoyed the devoted event website for ISPA 2013. It has a ton of content about the event including social links, sponsors, event information, and more.
Great Website
I really enjoyed the devoted event website for ISPA 2013. It has a ton of content about the event including social links, sponsors, event information, and more.
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| ISPA Conference Website |
The Bad
Content Variety
My biggest critique with the marketing of the show was the
lack of content variety. While using the same content on all of their social
media platforms created a consistent theme and integrated marketing campaign,
it seemed a little stale to me. Posting the same content on all platforms
doesn’t encourage users to follow a brand on more than one platform. On
Twitter, the ISPA was able to curate content from other’s and respond to
tweets. I think that is why that channel was so successful. Facebook and
Instagram suffered because of so much shared content.
No Video
I believe they missed a large opportunity by leaving YouTube
out of their event marketing. They could have easily leveraged Vine or Instagram video to generate some video content. I believe videos would have
allowed people who were unable to attend to get a better idea of the event. If they immersed viewers in the experience, that could make the event look appealing enough to attend the next year.
Lack of Email
Their website could have used an email sign-up. If visitors were not social media users, it would have been great if they could keep up-to-date about the event through a newsletter that centered around conference content.
Overall, the ISPA Conference appeared to be a hit. While there were a few missed opportunities, they successfully used their channels in appropriate manners. It's a refreshing change to examine event marketing. I look forward to applying these lessons down the road!
Lack of Email
Their website could have used an email sign-up. If visitors were not social media users, it would have been great if they could keep up-to-date about the event through a newsletter that centered around conference content.
Overall, the ISPA Conference appeared to be a hit. While there were a few missed opportunities, they successfully used their channels in appropriate manners. It's a refreshing change to examine event marketing. I look forward to applying these lessons down the road!
