When IBM suspected that a bad economy and widespread IT budget cuts would negatively affect attendance at its IMPACT 2009 SOA conference, it devised a strategy that used social networking and other online tactics to boost attendance and build stronger customer relationships. In a case study published by MarketingProfs, Sandy Carter, VP of SOA & WebSphere Strategy, discusses the innovative plan that turned a big challenge into a long-term win for IBM.

To compensate for reduced attendance, IBM sought to drive up registration, close more SOA business with those who attended the conference and generally build more lasting relationships with attendees and prospects. "We had to figure out how to get a higher conversion from leads since we knew we weren't going to get as many people to the same events in this economic climate," says Carter.

Among a wide range of online initiatives, IBM took the following steps to leverage social media:

• Set up an IMPACT group on LinkedIn and encouraged users to invite others from their personal networks to join.
• Tweeted about the event and offered contests to win one-on-one sessions with SOA experts.
• Developed a Facebook page that offered information, video and calls to follow conference feed on Twitter.
• Established a "Friends of IMPACT" YouTube channel and invited partners and customers to produce and upload their own videos explaining how IBM SOA solutions had helped businesses, and why people should attend the event.

The Po!nt: Social media can help you bootstrap your way to better event attendance and give you multiple opportunities to engage with your customers before, during and after the event.

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