Social media is a powerful tool for connecting people and KBPR works with clients in the financial services sector to establish, manage and grow their social media presence. During the Covid-19 pandemic we helped the professional trustee and governance team at PTL to stay connected to clients and colleagues across the industry with a virtual 5k run event hosted through their social media channels.
For the last 5 years, PTL have sponsored a 5k run event at the PLSA investment conference and the PLSA Annual Conference and Exhibition. The run is held on the second day of the event and is followed by a relaxed and informal networking session (and a chance to compare PBs!) over coffee and bacon sandwiches.
Of course, 2020 was somewhat different as the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in events being cancelled, postponed or moved virtually. PLSA were quick to respond and moved their annual conference online; and not wanting delegates to miss out, KBPR worked to turn PTL’s popular 5k run into a virtual event too!
Embracing the flexibility offered by a virtual event, we developed the theme YOUR PACE – YOUR TIME – YOUR DAY. Participants could run or walk their 5k at any time during the week-long conference period to fit around their lifestyle and commitments.
We set up an event on virtual running app Strava to allow participants to log their miles. A virtual leader board encouraged healthy competition and the top 30 runners received a PTL branded t-shirt following the event.
We developed graphics and a social media schedule for the campaign with a mixture of Twitter and LinkedIn content. Having worked with PTL over a number of years to build up their social media presence, we already had a strong starting point and good following on these channels. We used the hashtag #ptl5k each time new content was released to make it easy for people to follow the event.
Participants were encouraged to send in a selfie and a screenshot of their Strava runs and these were shared through PTL’s social media channels to maintain presence and momentum during the week-long event.
PTL had great feedback on the event and a number of the 2020 participants were people who hadn’t joined in person in previous years. The rollout across social media worked fantastically to boost engagement and keep the PTL brand and name in a place of prominence not only in the lead up to the event, but also throughout the week-long PLSA
“KBPR have been a huge help when it comes to our social media presence. They are always happy to share expertise on social media strategy to boost engagement and also help us design and execute successful social campaigns such as our top tips and PTL annual 5k run.”
