Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is not a new concept, but the persistence of FOMO in today’s online culture of sharing is perhaps far greater than in generations past. Anyone in generation X or older is likely familiar with the notion of keeping up with the Joneses, or the idea that you need a new car, television, or material product to equal the one your neighbors have. For millennials raised on social media and online sharing, however, FOMO is measured in an altogether different social currency, one that involves showing the value of a life well-lived through posting updates and pics.

Says Aurelio DeMendoza, SR VP Marketing, and Strategic Alliances at AMI, “Now, more than ever, people want to feel connected and involved. Even though virtual communications have opened doors across the globe, people still crave that intimate human connection that can only occur in face-to-face settings. Then they want to share these experiences virtually to gain social standing.”

Everyone wants to be the first to share an amazing experience, and nobody wants to feel like they’re the only one missing out. As a meeting or conference organizer, it behooves you to use this social dynamic to your advantage. How can you capitalize on FOMO in order to hype your events, boost registration, and increase event prestige in the process?

Discuss FOMO andSocial Media with your Certified Meeting Planner

Let’s be clear about one very important point. You can’t create FOMO in this day and age if your event does not begin and end with social media presence. Traditional and even online marketing, promotion, and outreach cannot create the social buzz you crave if you don’t include social media efforts in your event planning and management strategy.

Social media allows for unique promotional and recruitment opportunities. Not only can you easily keep leads and event attendees apprised of up-to-date information with notifications across multiple platforms, but you can use your social media accounts to tease guests and activities, encourage sharing, and build FOMO.

If you’re unfamiliar with the best ways to use social media to promote and elevate your event before, during, and after the fact, working with an expert certified meeting planner from a global meeting services organization like American Meetings, Inc. (AMI) is a great place to start. The professionals at AMI are qualified to help you come up with a successful strategy for a social promotion that fosters FOMO and boosts results.

Work with Your Conference Organizer to Craft the Event Experience

Sharing is a major part of the online experience, especially when it comes to social media, and you want to find ways to encourage event attendees to do some of your promotion for you by buying into the overall experience. This means you need to create a story that gives your attendees a starring role.

Your conference organizer can help you to craft a compelling story, so to speak. It begins with social promotion tailored to your event, including logistical elements like easy and memorable hashtags, as well as reasons to share, such as notable guests, innovative activities, trending topics, and engaging promotional posts like pics and videos.

Collaboration between the event host and certified meeting planner when creating the story of an event can lead to a cohesive and engaging overall experience before the event even happens. With proper tracking, you can use contributions from the online community to promote the story, increase authenticity, and create a sense of FOMO.

Create an Atmosphere of Exclusivity

A big part of FOMO is the idea that something is exclusive, and therefore rare. Even if your events will accommodate hundreds or thousands of attendees, and even if you host it, say, annually, you need to create an atmosphere of exclusivity if you want to amp up the FOMO.

How can you accomplish this goal? There are several tactics to consider, including limiting slots for attendees (or artificially creating demand), nabbing high-profile guest speakers or performers, bumping prices, and generally finding a way to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just consider what people will pay to attend the Super Bowl, even though it happens every year. How can you and your conference organizer encourage demand and create FOMO for your event?

Increase Engagement and Encourage Ambassadorship

FOMO relies somewhat on the people who attend your event showing others how great it is and what they’re missing out on. For your part, you can encourage social sharing and elevate event attendees who share by creating share-worthy moments and displays, as well as promote attendee posts.

Partnering with a certified meeting planner from an organization like AMI gives you access to the resources and expertise you need to create an event that infers social currency on those who attend and share their experience while instilling a feeling of FOMO in anyone who misses it.

By now, most of us know that effective business development and networking requires a two-pronged approach. You need to put your best foot forward not only in the physical world of face-to-face networking (meetings and conferences), but also in the digital world of social networking.

Networking events such as AMI’s upcoming Global Procurement Day on October 5, are potentially lucrative opportunities for developing new relationships and securing face-to-face meetings with key decision-makers.

Our focus here is on the online front and we’re happy to offer some valuable tips for strengthening your digital presence and social marketing efforts. These activities do take a bit of effort and time, but the return on your investment can be considerable.

Let’s take a closer look at two business social network powerhouses and how to get the most out of them—LinkedIn (of course) and the American Meetings Network, our online platform and social network. And remember: Starting small is fine and usually recommended. Just get started!

LinkedIn

To be successful on LinkedIn you need to do three things:
1) Create a strong profile that represents you on your best day;
2) Create useful and engaging content that is begging to be liked and shared;
3) Grow your following (constantly)

1. Create a strong profile

Likely the best place to start is by making sure that your LinkedIn company page is complete. Be sure that it includes your logo, a background photo, and all pertinent company information (for example, URL, year founded, size, specialties). Include enough detail so that your potential customers and partners get a clear picture of who you are and what you offer.

2. Create useful and engaging content

Once your company profile is in good shape, you’ll want to regularly share updates. These can be job postings, company news, industry perspectives, or just about anything else that would be of interest to your audience. Think about sharing content that your followers will “like” and ideally share. Company updates can take many forms, including text and links; images; SlideShare presentations, or a YouTube video. If you’re not sure what makes the most sense for your company, you can always check out what companies that you admire or perhaps compete with do.

If your company has ongoing initiatives or multiple facets to your work or services, you might want to consider creating one or more Showcase Pages on LinkedIn. These are basically subpages for your brand that let you share updates about that area.

3. Build your following, constantly

Of course, if your excellent content reaches only a very small audience it will not do much for you. So, here are some tips for growing your followers and reach.

First, encourage all your employees and subcontractors to list your company page as their place of work. This will automatically sign them up as followers of your company.

Second, you can grow your followers by including a LinkedIn follow button on your website or your blog, and you can link to your company page in your email signatures. Don’t forget to invite partners or clients to follow you on LinkedIn. As long as your updates are useful to them, they’ll be thankful.

You can also grow your following by participating actively in the LinkedIn ecosystem. It is good practice to follow other companies and like, share, and comment on their updates. Another strategy is to explore and join some groups in your field. LinkedIn hosts countless Groups, which are ways for professionals with overlapping interests to connect and share ideas, questions, and updates. Participating in industry discussion groups is an opportunity to be a good citizen: helpful, kind, and knowledgeable.

The American Meetings Network

Being successful in the American Meetings Network isn’t so different from our LinkedIn tips above, but membership gets you closer to specific opportunities in your area of expertise. As a member, you get access to over 63,000 meeting planners and it includes a robust search tool. Your company, or you if you are an independent consultant, will have your own business profile and you can search the supplier directory, connect with planners, and view sourcing opportunities. Our network is one of the best places to be if you are in the meeting industry. Membership also includes access to Social.AmericanMeetings.com, a social networking site.

To get the most out of American Meetings Network consider the following tips.

1. Make sure your business profile is complete

Be sure that your profile includes the most current information and that you have taken advantage of our video interviewing service. Ask yourself whether your profile and video offer a clear picture of your company, its values and its services.

2. Be active and engaged

We recommend that you regularly browse opportunities, and follow as many meeting planners and suppliers as possible. Our sourcing managers also send out a weekly email that includes sourcing opportunities. And check Social.AmericanMeetings.com for upcoming events and other news.

3. Come to Global Procurement Day.

AMI’s Global Procurement Day on October 5 in Fort Lauderdale is a great opportunity for suppliers who are members of the American Meetings Network^TM to connect face-to-face, with procurement officers from Fortune 500 companies and AMI meeting planners. Face-to-face events, like this one, are essential counterpoints to digital marketing efforts. Our planners and sourcing managers come with their book of business, and they’re ready to talk and lock in suppliers. Network membership at the Prime or Plus levels includes a discounted rate to attend Global Procurement Day.

Learn more about Global Procurement Day and how to join American Meetings Network. You can also contact Josie Rubio, Director of Talent & Business Development, jrubio@AmericanMeetings.com, (954) 315-0428. We hope to see many of you on October 5!