Organizations and companies looking to effectively amplify their events face social media feeds saturated with news, events, and countless distractions. The challenge is clear: how can you amplify your messaging and promote an event among all this digital noise?
SoSha’s solution lies in the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By turning members of your community, that be employees or event attendees, into brand advocates online, companies can extend their reach far beyond that of owned media and traditional advertising.
To explore this, we spoke with Donna-Jean Plante, CAE, Executive Director of New York Women in Communications (NYWICI) about how using SoSha boosted engagement for their prestigious annual event - the Matrix Awards.
Since 1970, the Matrix Awards has celebrated trailblazing women in the field of communications. As the largest organization of professional women in communications, NYWICI understands the importance of generating buzz to attract new members and build brand awareness in the industry. By leveraging the power of organic social sharing, NYWICI amplified their message to new audiences in an unprecedented way.
In previous years, the NYWICI team assembled social media kits with a handful of pre-drafted social media posts for honorees and board members to share ahead of the Matrix Awards.
However, the process proved time-consuming, often pulling the NYWICI marketing team away from other priorities. During the event, NYWICI encouraged the audience to share posts using a common hashtag, but they had no way to accurately measure the true reach of these efforts.
“We needed a tool that was turnkey—easy to set up and distribute to key honorees and speakers,” explained Plante. For the 2024 Matrix Awards, NYWICI partnered with SoSha to introduce tailored social sharing toolkits that would significantly streamline the promotion and post-event analysis for the event.
“At first, we focused on toolkits for board members and honorees,” Plante shared. “But once we saw how easy it was to set up, we expanded to build posts for all audience members.” These toolkits allowed participants to effortlessly share their involvement, extending NYWICI’s reach to the networks of every attendee.
At the 2024 Matrix Awards gala, SoSha debuted its newest feature: photo overlays. This tool allowed attendees to capture their own photos using a custom overlay designed by the NYWICI team.
QR codes placed throughout the venue provided easy access to pre-made posts. The feature created a lot of buzz, making sharing both fun and interactive while giving attendees a unique way to engage with the event and showcase their experiences.
In total, 161 selfies were shared, significantly amplifying NYWICI’s message and landing their content on the feeds of like-minded professionals.
“When you’re scrolling through your feed and suddenly see a selfie with one of the overlays, it’s incredibly satisfying,” Plante remarked.
Results and Impact
By seamlessly integrating organic social sharing into their communication strategy before, during, and after the event, NYWICI achieved remarkable results in engagement and brand awareness.
From February to September 2024, this approach led to hundreds of shares tied to the Matrix Awards and NYWICI saw a surge in engagement.
Linkedin proved to be the most popular platform, driving 31% of all shares and an impressive 97% of total clicks.
SoSha's tools played a pivotal role, helping NYWICI achieve a staggering 1107% increase in impressions on their LinkedIn company page compared to previous months.
Empowering people to share authentically about your brand unlocks incredible potential for organic growth and visibility.
“I was surprised by how easy [SoSha] was to use—not just for attendees sharing posts, but also for our team on the backend,” Plante shared. “And once the toolkits are distributed, seeing the broader impact is incredibly rewarding.”
By equipping key speakers with ready-made posts, NYWICI capitalized on individuals with large followings, amplifying their message far beyond their core audience.
For example, one 2024 Matrix Honoree shared her nomination using SoSha and garnered hundreds of reactions, comments, and clicks, driving significant traffic back to the NYWICI website. Leveraging individual networks created a ripple effect of engagement that extended well beyond NYWICI’s traditional reach.
Final Thoughts
Tapping into the power of your audience is essential for boosting the visibility of your next event. In today’s social media-driven world, people naturally want to share their experiences and accomplishments.
By providing the right tools - like those offered by SoSha - organizations can make it easier for attendees to become brand advocates and generate enthusiasm. As NYWICI demonstrated, embracing innovative marketing strategies can drive meaningful engagement before, during, and after an event.
Written by Areti Livanos, Email Communications Lead.