When you partner with Steel City Displays, you're not just getting a display or exhibit you're gaining a creative and strategic ally with your mission in mind. Together, we build meaningful, memorable, and measurable experiences. Part of that experience is how you show up online especially around events. Social media is one of your most potent tools for amplifying your brand before, during, and after the show. Let’s walk through how to make social media work effectively to build real exposure and lasting engagement.

Why Social Media Matters

Before we get tactical, there’s a “why” that aligns with our philosophy.

• Visibility + Reach: Events already gather audiences who care about your business sector. Social media helps you multiply that, reaching people attending, people who couldn’t make it, influencers, media.

• Story & Authenticity: Audiences are savvy. They want stories, behind-the-scenes, human moments. That’s where your brand message comes to life and shines.  Share and amplify your team, your journey, and your brand values in action.

• Engagement & Trust: Social media gives a two-way communication channel. Responding, sharing, engaging, builds trust. It supports the growth of from vendor-client, to collaborative success.

• Extended Life of the Event: The trade show or exhibit floor is temporary, but social content lives on. Used well, it extends your investment, influences future attendees or clients, and strengthens your brand long after the lights are down.

Pre-Event: Setting the Stage

You can’t wait until the show opens to begin building momentum. The pre-event period is your foundation.

1. Define Goals & Audience
   Before posting, get clear on your strategic goals: More booth traffic? Leads? Brand awareness? Maybe media coverage? Who are your priority audiences (existing clients, prospects, media, industry peers)? This guides tone, content types, and platform choice.

2. Create a Content Calendar
   Plan a calendar of posts starting several weeks ahead. Mix content styles: announcements, teasers, behind-the-scenes, staff profiles, logistics. Schedule not just what you’ll post, but when and where.

3. Teasers and Build-Up

• Share sneak peeks of your booth design or display elements.

• Post photos/videos of build-ups, fabrication, or mockups. People love “making of” content.

• Build anticipation: countdowns (“One month till [EventName]!”), “Did you know we’ll be exhibiting here?”, “What to expect from us.”

4. Team & Culture Highlights
   Let your people shine. Introduce the team members attending. Highlight their roles, what they’re excited about. This humanizes your brand and reinforces trust.

5. Promotional Offers & Incentives
   If you’re doing something special at the event (giveaways, exclusive offers, product reveals), use your social channels to promote. Collect leads ahead (e.g. via signups) so that you have touchpoints when the show starts.

6. Engage with Event Hashtags & Organizers
   Use the official event hashtags. Follow and engage with fellow exhibitors found on the event’s social accounts. Comment, share, tag. That increases reach and aligns you as part of the broader event community.

7. Ensure Visual & Messaging Consistency
   Since Steel City Displays emphasizes not just design but strategic alignment, make sure your social visuals (graphics, font, colors) and messaging tie directly to your event booth design, your brand values, and what you want people to remember.

During the Event: Capturing & Amplifying Momentum

Once you’re on the ground, the goal is to show up boldly, stay present, and extend your pre-event promise.

1. Real-Time Content

• Photos, short videos, live-streams of your booth, interactions with attendees.

• Moments of your team in action: your team helping visitors, demos, reactions.

• Challenges or surprises (e.g. last-minute tweaks, lighting changes): showing how you adapt builds credibility.

2. Audience Engagement

• Encourage attendees to tag you, use your branded hashtag, or share selfies at your booth.

• Run social contests or giveaways that require social sharing (e.g. “Post a pic at our display with #YourBoothName & win ___”).

• Respond shortly: answer questions, repost user content, thank people for stopping by.

3. Cross-Platform Syncing
   Use stories (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok etc.) for behind-the-scenes; feed posts for polished content; post on X for quick updates. Adapt content format to platform norms.

4. Leverage Influencers, Media, and Partners
   If there are speakers, media attendees, or industry influencers, invite them to your booth; co-create content. Share interview clips, insights. Tag them.

5. Highlight Unique Touch-Points
   Whatever sets your exhibit apart, interactivity, experiential tech, design, and sensory elements capture those. Show not just “look how cool we are,” but “here’s how we think about creating meaningful connections.”

6. Monitor & Adjust
   Use platform analytics, engagement to see what’s resonating. If a behind-the-scenes video got a lot of traction, do more. If certain posts underperform, try variations. As your marketing partner, we know adaptability is part of strong execution.

Post-Event: Keeping the Fire Alive

When the show ends, many brands slow down. But post-event is where the effort and investment pay off long-term. With smart follow-through, you double down on brand exposure and ROI.

1. Thank-You Content
   Post-event wrap-ups: thank attendees, partners, and your team. Humanize the story: what you learned, what went well, what you look forward to improving. Share photos and highlight moments.

2. Repurpose & Repackage Content

• Create video recap or highlight reel.

• Pull quotes, testimonials from visitors, clients, and staff.

• Turn content into assets: blog posts, infographics, case studies.

3. Lead Follow-Up
   The leads you collected during the show deserve attention. Use social channels (LinkedIn, for example) to connect with people you met. Share content relevant to their interests. Offer something useful: white paper, product sheet, personalized invite to a post-event or future webinar.

4. Data & Analytics Review
   Measure performance: which posts did best, what drove traffic, which content generated leads, which hashtags performed, etc. Compare pre-, during-, and post-event data to see what trends emerge for future improvement.

5. Share Learnings Publicly
   If appropriate, write a case study or blog post about your event strategy and results. This does double duty: it shows your expertise and gives potential clients insight into what it's like working with you.

6. Look Ahead
   Use post-event engagement to tease your next event or initiative. Maintain contact with your refreshed audience. Keep them included and engaged in your brand, “Here’s what’s coming next.”

Putting It Together: Steel City Displays + Social Media = Amplified Brand Exposure

Here’s how all these pieces align with what Steel City Displays stands for:

• Authentic Partnership: We work with you not just to build a booth or display, but to tell your story. From content planning weeks in advance to wrap-up stories, your narrative is front and center.

• Design + Strategy Working Together: The visuals and physical environment we create don’t live in isolation. Social media content becomes an extension of the booth, the brand space.

• Quality + Speed: Even when things are happening fast (setup, show floor moments), quality counts. High-quality visuals, good lighting, and well-framed shots make a difference.

• Long-Term Value & ROI: Our commitment is beyond the event. The content you build, the audience you engage, and the leads you nurture are all parts of your trade show investment. We help ensure that investment delivers.

Final Tips & Best Practices

• Choose a few strong social platforms, rather than trying to be everywhere. Better to do great on a few than mediocre on many. Aligning your presence with where your target audience is engaged.

• Visual storytelling. Professional photography or well-shot video goes a long way, but gritty phone video authentically captures the moment. Both can work well together to showcase your brand and personality.

• Maintain your brand voice. Your tone and your values should be consistent throughout all your touchpoints, including social media.

• Have backup content and plans. Things go wrong (internet issues, delays), prepared content helps.

• Budget for content creation. Putting together a strategy, identifying time, crew, or agency help ensures content isn’t an afterthought.

Using social media well around events isn’t just about posting what’s pretty; it’s about partnership, intentionality, storytelling, and strategy. At Steel City Displays, we believe your success is our success. When you show up confidently and authentically on social, your brand exposure grows. When your audience sees behind the brand, engages with real people, and understands your value, that’s when momentum is built.

If you’re planning an event or exhibit, let’s talk about how we can help you not only shine on the floor, but amplify your story before, during, and long after. Together, we can make every event an opportunity.