The rise of music festivals is at an all-time high. In 2018, more than 800 music festivals were scheduled throughout the country and over 32 million people are attending at least one U.S. festival every year. With those competitive numbers continuing to grow, how do you keep attendees returning to your festival?

That’s where digital marketing comes in. With the use of social media being the most important communicator through attendees, utilizing the tools you have at their maximum potential can provide the best experience for your patrons. It’s important to note that social media marketing for a music festival is different than marketing for a corporate event – so here are five practices to help you understand how to navigate through the festival world of social media:

1. Customer Service through Socials

Of the 32 million people attending music festivals in the US, over half of that number are millennials. As of 2018, social media is the most relevant advertising channel of 50% of Gen Z and 42% of millennials. With that being said, this demographic doesn’t want to pick up the phone and call customer service when there is a problem. We live in a world where people demand immediate results and what’s more immediate than social media?

Try setting up a #help hashtag that people can use to ask questions or look at questions that have already been asked to find answers. Be sure to read through the comments during your event and answer questions people have asked– attendees will appreciate your quick responses.

2. Create a Community

Creating a community on your social handles is how you maintain loyal, returning attendees. Interact with your followers on a daily basis. Ask them to share photos of themselves at your festival using a hashtag and then repost those photos. Sharing user generated content is a great way to have other users post their photos, which in turn, promotes your event to a wider audience.

We also recommend asking your followers their opinions on your festival. Questions like which artists they want to see next year and what improvements should be made not only provide you with feedback, but attendees get to see that you are taking their ideas into consideration.

3. Real-Time Feeds

What you post during your event is just as important as what you post leading up to it. Your attendees can’t be in two places at once (as much as they would like to be). Posting updates on which artists are on stage, where certain vendors are located, or weather updates are crucial. Also, don’t forget to utilize Facebook and Instagram stories. It’s a great tool to get information and content to your followers in quick real-time.

It’s also important to consider the people who can’t attend your event but still follow your social handles. Live streaming the main stage is a great way to make people feel like they are at the festival with everyone else.

4. Consistency is Key

One of the most important things about music festival marketing is staying relevant year-round. Your event is only 2-4 days out of the year, so how do you keep your followers engaged without dropping numbers in the slow months? Consistent posting is key to keep your attendees excited and interested in attending your event next year.

Tease the upcoming lineup for the next year, post photos of the previous festivals once a week, and don’t forget to engage with your followers on a regular basis

5. Vary Your Content Across all Channels

Along with being consistent, it’s also important to vary your content across all platforms. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook were all created for a different purpose and majority of the time, your attendees are following you on all three outlets. When you post the same content on all three channels, you will lose followers because they don’t want to see a repeat of the same posts.

When you differentiate your content across your social handles, you are more likely to have an equal follower count across all channels. Try using Instagram for photos and video, Twitter for news blasts and customer service and Facebook for building a community. That way, your followers will receive all information needed, without your handles being over saturated with content.