Wednesday Buzz: The Secret Formula for Great Events

Top-notch catering, a fancy venue, and a star guest speaker barely skim the surface of what goes into putting on a quality event.

It goes deeper than that: Regular tweeting, a series of concise (yet intriguing) emails, and a lot of data-gathering can help take your conference to the next level.

Public relations specialist Eva McKnight of Formstack explains  (opens in a new tab) why a standout event and a positive brand experience go hand in hand.

“When attendees associate your awesome event with your brand, you’ll be more likely to get the same people coming back to future events,” McKnight writes.

She shares an infographic outlining the steps that result in the perfect gathering. One key piece of advice: Tweeting shouldn’t stop just because everyone’s gone home.

“Continue to use your event hashtag after your big day,” she writes. “You’ll keep fresh conversation around your brand and maintain buzz for future events.”

Need New Leads?

How to Generate New Membership Leads Using Modern Lead Generation Methods http://t.co/nJgw1K7NHf  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) #membership  (opens in a new tab) #associations  (opens in a new tab) #nfp  (opens in a new tab)

— Silverbear (@SilverbearLtd) April 22, 2014  (opens in a new tab)

Attracting new members isn’t easy, but a dynamic, responsive, and content-packed website is a great place to start, according to Silverbear’s Victoria Chapman  (opens in a new tab). In a list of lead-generation techniques, Chapman notes a high-quality online presence is essential to drawing in potential members.

Don’t stop there, though: Social media, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and email marketing should come into play in a lead-generation strategy, she advises.

Other Good Reads

“Truly outstanding leaders are made”: Inc. contributor Jeff Haden outlines  (opens in a new tab) eight things that leaders should make second nature.

The Muse‘s Nina Tamburello recently gathered  (opens in a new tab) six tips on how to efficiently complete tasks on your to-do list.

#HowCanEventPlannersPrepare? Marketing expert Heidi Thorne, writing for Cvent’s Event Planning blog, describes  (opens in a new tab) how new Twitter design changes could affect event planners.

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