Tips for Promoting Events
One of the many roles you may find yourself in as a business owner or community volunteer is an event planner. Once you have the logistics for your event planned out, sometimes the hardest part is connecting with attendees. Here are some tips to help you spread the word and reach your audience.
CREATE A CONSISTENT MESSAGE:
Start with deciding event details and creating a consistent message. Make sure to share this with everyone on your committee; you can type this up in a google doc or word doc.
Share a media toolkit with your sponsors, vendors and other event partners, so they can help spread the word, too.
UPDATE YOUR OWN WEBSITE:
Your platform is the first place you should have information, so you can link to this page. Get everything up on your website in an organized way, so people can easily find all the details.
ADD TO THE CHAMBER CALENDAR:
Let us help you promote your event! The chamber's community calendar can be found at oldoregon.com . Click the + button at the top of the page to submit your event through a simple form to fill out.
SCHEDULE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS:
Spread the word on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you’re active on social media. If you don’t have a lot of time (or if you tend to forget) take a couple hours every so often to schedule posts out. Do a variety of posts with details, sponsors, and photos. Facebook live is a great way to engage people, too. Don't forget to check the comments and respond to questions.
Check for groups for related topics and post your event there, too.
CREATE A FACEBOOK EVENT:
Social media posts are helpful, but Facebook events are even better. They allow you to invite people and send reminders to those who have RSVP’d. Be sure to link the event to your website and create posts in the Facebook event discussion every so often. (Since spam bots tend to post often in the discussion of events, you can set it so that you need to approve all new posts or to not allow posts at all.)
SEND OUT EMAILS:
If you have an email list, schedule messages to go out to your contacts about the event. If you don’t have an email list, this is a great time to start! There are many email programs available with different features and price levels. These programs can help you with list management and ensure you are adhering to privacy laws.
DON’T FORGET TRADITIONAL MARKETING:
Although digital marketing is great for promoting events, don’t forget about flyers, press releases, and if you have the budget, paid ads like chamber newsletter inserts or local newspaper and radio ads.
Identify your ideal attendee and look for publications, blogs, influencers that serve that group. Share your press release with them and see if they offer paid promotion opportunities to get in front of their audience.
UTILIZE PERSONAL CONTACTS:
Sometimes the best way to tell people about your event is through personal phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, or conversations. If you know people who would love your event, or if you have a list of people who have attended it before, try to reach out to them one-on-one.