As a content creator, some of my most exciting projects each year involves capturing unique events that resonate with both local and global audiences. This St. Patrick’s Day, I had the opportunity to capture content from the stunning backdrop of LondonHouse Chicago’s LH Rooftop, leveraging the city’s iconic river dyeing tradition to amplify our digital footprint. I also worked with the LondonHouse team to coordinate the attendance of local Chicago influencers to help amplify the reach during this special event.
The Perfect Venue
LondonHouse Chicago, with its breathtaking rooftop views, offers an unparalleled vantage point of the Chicago River — a crucial element since the river’s transformation into a vivid green is a spectacle that attracts attention worldwide. This location provides the perfect vantage point for creating a series of engaging content pieces.
Creating Engaging Content
For this event, my goal was to focus on creating two main pieces of content: a Reel for the client’s Instagram account and another for my personal account. The goal was to showcase the epic views, capturing the essence of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The Reel shared on the client’s account highlighted a timelapse of the entire dyeing process, emphasizing the perspective that guests have when they attend such events at this premium location.
View this post on Instagram
Leveraging Influencers
A strategic move was to involve key Chicago-based influencers who could capture the event from their unique perspectives. By coordinating with them to attend and share their experiences, we ensured that the event was not only viewed through the lens of our cameras but also through the diverse and personal lenses of influential social media personalities. This approach allowed us to tap into their followers, extending our reach far beyond our existing audience.
Each influencer brought their style and audience, creating a multi-dimensional portrayal of the event. Follow the links below to take a look at the content they created and shared.
» @bestdatefood
» @chicago.explore x @thewindycitymama
» @cdats
In addition to the influencers, I also shared a Reel on my personal Instagram account which went viral with over 3 million plays! It featured a before and after transition set to a trending audio clip that fit the concept perfectly. The high energy and visually captivating content resonated well with a broad audience, significantly increasing its shareability and reach.
View this post on Instagram
Results and Reflections
The outcome of this meticulously planned event was overwhelmingly positive. The combined efforts of the viral Reel and influencer collaborations led to a significant boost in engagement across all platforms. The original content on both the client’s and my accounts, coupled with influencer shares, created a ripple effect, enhancing the event’s visibility and engagement organically. Here is a look at the backend analytics from my post.
This project exemplified how effectively leveraging special events, a strategic location, and influencer partnerships can exponentially increase social media engagement. It underscored the importance of creating content that is not only visually appealing but also resonates emotionally with viewers, encouraging them to engage, share, and remember.
As we move forward, the success of this campaign serves as a benchmark for future projects. It reinforces the potential of live events as powerful content pillars and highlights the benefits of a well-rounded social media strategy that integrates multiple viewpoints and distribution channels.
For other creators looking to capitalize on special events, remember the importance of advance planning, understanding your audience, and the power of collaboration. With these elements in place, the possibilities for engagement and reach are truly limitless.
Still Photography
While the Instagram algorithm continues to show a preference for video content, the strategic capture of still images remains essential. This collection of photographs, presenting multiple perspectives and capturing various times of the day, provides a comprehensive view of the annual event. Such a visual archive not only enriches the immediate storytelling but also serves as valuable promotional content in the lead-up to next year’s event. These images allow us to reflect the event’s atmosphere and diversity, offering followers a more textured and layered experience. This approach not only enhances engagement in real time but also strategically positions us for sustained interest and anticipation in future iterations of the event.
