Category: Online Marketing

After lots of buzz and a first appearance on personal accounts, Facebook rolled out Timeline for brands on February 29.  While some brands have received the new format with open arms, others are a little unsure of how to create their new presence, so let’s take a little time to explain the Timeline and what it can do for your event.

Some have compared the new Timeline to a blog template that allows you to focus more on images and milestones.  You are basically given a skeleton to fill in with your event’s unique story.  Now, you can focus less on trying to sell yourself and more on showing your personality which will create a personal connection with fans.

Cover Photo

Not long ago, brands began creating default landing pages to display large images.  While that will no longer be available with the new Timeline, Facebook’s answer to the situation was offering a cover photo.  The recommended image dimensions for the large photo are 850 x 315 pixels.

The cover photo is your chance to get creative.  Use this space as a way to make big announcements like next year’s dates and concert performers.  You can change your cover photo any time, so it would be beneficial to change it each day during your event to focus on what’s happening on the grounds each particular day.

While many people are excited about the possibilities of cover photos, please don’t forget your profile picture.  This picture will still appear everywhere else on Facebook, so make sure it can stand alone and represent your brand.

Milestones

While the new timeline will automatically create a recent history of your event, you can also tell the story of how your event became the experience visitors have come to know and love.

You can add milestones as far back as the year 1000.  You should use the information you already have, but take this opportunity to research your event’s history for new information.  You may find interesting photos and stories that could also be used as marketing materials.

Make sure to call out important photos and events on your Timeline by clicking the star on a post that expands the photo to a widescreen view.  You can even pin content so it will remain the top post for 7 days.

For some fans, displaying your history may reignite enthusiasm for your event.  They may see something that reminds them of their experience when they were younger and encourage them to once again make your event a priority.

Because Facebook no longer has the issue of information being “below the fold,” your content has a much longer lifespan.  Users will likely continue to comment and like posts long after their initial creation date, which means you need to focus more on quality of posts instead of quantity.

What’s next?

Brands have until March 30 to go live with their new Timeline, but some pages have already made the switch.

Here is our list of events to watch as you create your new profile:

• Missouri State Fair– Their cover photo collage gives you a look at the past and present of the fair to show you that they are an established event that has stood the test of time.
• Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo– You quickly see that this event has a rich history since their milestones go all the way back to the 1900’s!
• California State Fair– Their dates are right at the top for all to see.
• Montana State Fair– Touting a giveaway is a great way to increase fans and interaction on your page.
• Eastern Idaho State Fair– While their cover photos is whimsical, they remembered the importance of their profile picture as a Facebook wide representation of their event.

Since its launch in 2010, Pinterest has become one of the fastest growing forms of social media in history.  Pinterest is an online bulletin board that allows you to organize images into boards based on different themes like recipes, decorations, events, entertainment and more.  It was recently reported that Pinterest drives more traffic to websites than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.

Big brands like Whole Foods, Martha Stewart, NBC’s Today Show and the Travel Channel are already taking advantage of this online bulletin board, and now it’s your turn.  Here are 7 tips to help your fair successfully create a presence on Pinterest.

1.        It’s called social media for a reason. – If you are going to create a Pinterest page, be dedicated to it.  It will require time at the beginning to get started as you organize boards and find pins, but once you get going it won’t take a lot of time to maintain.  But be warned, it may be a little addicting…in a good way.

For tools like Pinterest to actually help you, you need followers.  And the way to get followers is by pinning, repinning and commenting.  This will engage users and create followers. You can also increase exposure by putting a Pinterest follow button on your website and promoting your new Pinterest boards through your other forms of social media, like Twitter and Facebook.

Perhaps the most important key in gaining followers is to help each other out!  One thing we’ve learned since we began working with fairs is that you support one another, and social media should be no different.  Following another fair will help you both increase your followers, because you are all looking for the same type of Pinterest user.

2.        Create new content. – One of the most underused tools on Pinterest is the creation of new pins and as a brand this is your chance to make an impact.  Download the “Pin It” button for your browser’s toolbar so you can create a pin from any website you visit with one click.  The photos on your website are a great place to start, so use content you already have as you begin creating new pins.

And Pinterest has gone mobile!  You can now turn pictures you take with your phone into pins.  Your fair is the perfect time to create unique pins, and users will respond to the real-time posts.

3.        Show your personality.  A great example of a brand that shows its personality on Pinterest is the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.  While they do have a board with photos of their event, they also share recipes, favorite places in Fort Worth, funny animal photos and other images that inspire their brand’s image.

This will help users begin to view you as more than just an event that takes place a few weeks out of the year.  Getting your customers to connect with your story and vision creates a sense of loyalty that will ultimately drive ticket sales, so repin content that you know your customers will be interested in.

4.        Promote a lifestyle. People associate a sense of nostalgia with fairs because it reminds them of “the good ole days.”  If you post images of food, rides and posters that bring back fond memories, they will begin to associate your brand with that feeling.

People look to Pinterest as a way to momentarily escape from reality for just a minute and, let’s face it, a land of cotton candy and Ferris wheels is a pretty good place to go.

5.       Avoid shameless self-promotion.  While Pinterest is a great tool to help market your brand, don’t abuse the privilege by bombarding your followers with promotions.  Pinterest specifically asks in their etiquette that its users avoid using the community “purely for self-promotion.”  They aren’t saying you can’t share information about your fair, but be respectful of their guidelines.

6.        Treat it like market research.   Around 70% of Pinterest users are women, and most of them are mothers under the age of 45 who make the family’s plans and most of the purchasing decisions. Newsflash: this is your target audience!

Women are voluntarily sharing information with you that will help improve both your event and your marketing efforts, so pay attention.

7.       Find inspiration. There is no greater place to stay up to date on trends that will keep your event fresh.  You can find countless ideas by quickly scanning categories like food, music, fashion, design, technology and more.  Who knows, you may have an idea that changes the fair industry for good.  Enjoy the possibilities!

Pinterest is invite-only, but we have a few invitations to give out to fairs that are ready to take their brand’s social media to the next level.  Contact our team at info@saffireevents.com for more information.