Event promotions have changed. People still receive company memos and email blasts, but reaching a large audience to promote an event has never been easier – as long as you know where to start. With a bit of research and a little investment, you’ll be shocked at how quickly the seats to your next event will fill up.
Start Early
While going live on social media is a great way to promote your event, creating a buzz before the day of is very important. Spread the word far and wide using your website, emails, and social networks. Promote discounts for early registration using a keyword or link found on different social media posts.
Create Your own Hashtag
Creating a hashtag is about more than just Twitter; it can be shared on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and more. Hashtags are a great way to filter information and keep your guests informed. Make sure your event hashtag is unique, relevant, and short. Promote it across all your platforms and keep up with feedback. This will help you stay in touch with your attendees and help them find what you are sharing.
Create a Video
Create a video using images from other events and testimonials from attendees, along with all the event’s basic information. You can then share the video on Youtube and your other platforms. (Social media users love videos!) Highlight last year’s event with images and invite followers using just a smartphone and some minor editing. Find free video editing software here.
Make a Blog Post
You can only say so much in an ad or social media post. Utilizing a blog is a great way to reach a large audience with a ton of great content. Sites like Blogger, WordPress, and Wix let you create a blog for free and are fairly simple to set up. Provide links to your other platforms and website in your blog post.
Create a Facebook and LinkedIn Event
Create an event on Facebook so that others can share your event, provide feedback, and keep up with news. Utilize Facebook’s call to action button to drive traffic to your registration page. Update your cover photo on your business’s main facebook page to promote the event. Use a LinkedIn event to entice professionals to attend while networking at the same time.
Facebook Ads and Contests
Facebook Ads can be used to target your audience to get a higher conversion rate (or higher number of relevant people visiting your page). You set a budget ahead of time for Facebook Ads, or you can choose to create a Facebook contest. Contest winners can receive a prize such as free event registration or a meet-and-greet with a guest speaker for getting the most likes or shares for your event page. Contests work especially well between employees in an office. Prizes could be a half day of PTO or a special lunch with the CEO – anything you chose!
Live Tweet
Enlist one dedicated person to be in charge of live tweeting the event. Post key quotes and stats that are useful and meaningful to your audience. Make a rough plan before the event based on the day’s schedule. Take photos or use periscope to live stream video of the event.
The days of fliers and newspaper ads are far behind us. Today, if you want to create a buzz about your event, the best place to do it is on social media. To find more ideas and learn in-depth steps in social media event promotion, visit socialmediaexaminer.com.