How to Build Excitement, Drive Traffic, and Get Real Results From Your Booth or Business Event

Every year at major conventions like NADA, hundreds of vendors show up with strong products, polished booths, and well-trained teams, yet most leave disappointed with traffic, engagement, or the quality of conversations they had.

It is rarely because their solution was not valuable.  It is almost always because attention was never properly earned before the show started.

With more than 600 vendors competing for the attention of roughly 5,000 dealers over four days, the brands that win are not the loudest or the flashiest. They are the ones that planned early, communicated clearly, and showed up in dealers’ feeds long before they showed up on the show floor.

The same principle applies well beyond NADA. Whether you are promoting a convention booth, a dealership sales event, a grand opening, or a customer appreciation night, social media is now the primary tool for building awareness, creating anticipation, and driving real foot traffic.

This article outlines best practices for using social media to promote an event, with guidance that works equally well for NADA exhibitors and for dealers or business owners running their own events.

The Biggest Mistake Companies Make With Event Social Media

The mistake most businesses make is assuming people will show up just because the event exists.

This assumption used to be true. It is not anymore.

Today, your audience is overloaded with:

• Competing events
• Competing messages
• Competing priorities

Dealers attending NADA are not wandering the floor hoping to be surprised. They are managing packed schedules, meetings, and conversations. Likewise, customers deciding whether to attend a sales event or grand opening are making choices based on convenience, relevance, and perceived value.

If you do not clearly communicate why the event matters to them, attendance becomes optional instead of intentional.

Posting a message like:
“We’ll be at NADA. Booth 1234. Stop by.”

is not marketing. It is a notice.

Effective event marketing uses social media to:

• Educate before the event
• Build familiarity and trust
• Set expectations
• Reduce friction to attendance

When people understand what they will gain before they arrive, they are far more likely to show up.

Two Audiences, One Strategy

This strategy is designed for two primary audiences:

1. Vendors exhibiting at conventions like NADA who want to drive booth traffic, schedule meetings, and maximize ROI
2. Dealers and business owners promoting sales, open houses, special events, or community activations

The platforms and scale may differ, but the fundamentals do not. Events succeed when promotion is intentional, consistent, and aligned with the audience’s needs.

Step One: Start Earlier Than You Think You Need To

If there is one non-negotiable rule in event marketing, it is this:

Event promotion starts weeks, not days, before the event.

For Major Conventions Like NADA

Promotion should begin 8 to 12 weeks in advance.

This is not about hype. It is about:

• Calendar planning
• Awareness building
• Repetition

Dealers decide in advance which booths are worth their time. If your brand only appears in their feed the week of the show, you are already late.

For Dealership or Local Business Events

Promotion should begin 2 to 6 weeks in advance, depending on the size and importance of the event.

A weekend sale may only need a few weeks. A grand opening or major customer event deserves more runway so the message can be reinforced without feeling rushed.

Step Two: Use the Right Platforms for the Right Job

Each platform plays a different role in event promotion. Treating them all the same is a missed opportunity.

LinkedIn: The Primary Platform for B2B Events

LinkedIn should anchor your strategy for NADA and other B2B events.

This is where:

• Dealers expect professional insights
• Decision makers spend time
• Industry conversations already exist

Effective LinkedIn content focuses on outcomes, not announcements.

Before an event, LinkedIn posts should:

• Address real dealer challenges
• Share insights, not slogans
• Highlight what someone will learn or gain
• Offer clear next steps, such as booking time or stopping by for a focused demo

Instagram: Momentum, Visibility, and Energy

Instagram excels at showing activity and humanizing your brand.

Use it to:

• Build anticipation
• Show preparation and behind-the-scenes moments
• Highlight your team
• Capture live energy during the event

Reels and Stories are especially effective because they are timely, informal, and easy to consume.

Facebook: Reinforcement and Reach

Facebook works best as a supporting platform.

It is useful for:

• Event pages
• Reminder posts
• Cross-posting Instagram content
• Reaching broader or local audiences

For many automotive brands, Facebook reinforces awareness rather than driving initial discovery.

Step Three: Plan Content in Phases, Not Random Posts

Random posting creates noise. Phased posting builds momentum.

Phase 1: Awareness and Positioning

This phase answers a simple question:
Why should I care that you are attending or hosting this event?

Content here should focus on:

• Industry problems
• Market trends
• Education and insight

The goal is credibility, not conversion.

Phase 2: Engagement and Commitment

Now the question becomes:
Why should I make time for this?

This is where you:

• Share proof
• Highlight differentiation
• Invite action

Clear calls to action outperform vague ones. “Schedule 15 minutes” is more effective than “Stop by if you have time.”

Phase 3: Urgency and Clarity

As the event approaches, repetition becomes your ally.

People do not miss events because they saw too many reminders. They miss events because they forgot or were unclear about logistics.

This phase should repeatedly reinforce:

• Dates
• Location
• Booth number or venue
• What happens when they attend

Best Days and Times to Post Before an Event

Timing matters, but not as much as consistency.

Consistency matters more than chasing perfect timing. Pick windows and stick to them.

Why this matters:

• Algorithms reward predictable behavior
• Audiences learn when to expect your content
• Consistency allows you to evaluate performance accurately

Below are practical, automotive B2B–friendly baselines.

LinkedIn

• Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
• Best times: Mid-morning through early afternoon

LinkedIn performs best during standard business hours, when decision makers are already in a work mindset.

Facebook

• Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
• Best times: Late morning through early evening

Facebook allows a wider posting window, especially for reminders and event-related content.

Instagram

• Best days: Monday through Friday
• Best times: Early morning, late afternoon, and early evening

Instagram Stories can be posted throughout the day. Reels and feed posts perform best when users are transitioning between work and personal time.

These are starting points, not absolutes. Once you commit to windows, review performance and adjust gradually.

During the Event: Visibility Beats Perfection

Once the event begins, your strategy shifts from anticipation to proof.

Your audience now wants to see:

• Activity
• Engagement
• Relevance

Recommended Posting Cadence for a Multi-Day Event

• LinkedIn: 1 to 2 posts per day
• Instagram: 1 feed post or Reel per day, plus Stories throughout the day
• Facebook: 1 highlight or recap post per day

High-Impact During-Event Content

• Short booth videos explaining what you are showing
• Photos with customers or partners, properly tagged
• Quick insights from conversations happening on the floor
• End-of-day recap posts highlighting key takeaways

Timeliness matters more than polish. Authentic, current content builds trust.

Employee Advocacy: Your Most Underused Advantage

Your employees dramatically expand your reach.

When employees comment on or share event-related posts:

• Your content reaches new networks
• It feels more credible
• Engagement increases, which improves visibility

Best Practices for Employee Support

• Provide suggested captions and talking points
• Encourage comments, not just likes
• Allow personalization
• Coordinate engagement around key posts

This turns your team into an extension of your marketing effort, without feeling forced.

How This Applies to Dealers and Business Owners

Dealers promoting sales or special events face the same challenge as vendors at NADA: attention.

Customers do not attend events because they exist. They attend because:

• They understand the value
• They are reminded at the right time
• The experience feels worth their effort

Social media allows you to warm the audience before the event, making attendance a natural decision instead of a last-minute choice.

The Bottom Line

Social media does not make events successful by accident.

Planning and execution do.

The companies that win:

• Start early
• Communicate value clearly
• Stay consistent
• Show proof
• Use their team to amplify the message

When social media event marketing is done right, it does not just promote an event.
It drives traffic, conversations, and measurable results.

That is how attention is earned in today’s market.