33% of event professionals consider event marketing a blocker in their event planning process. And yet, how would you drive your event’s success if you do not know how to promote an event successfully? Although event marketing is a massive undertaking, with the right strategy, you can check it off your task list and watch your efforts bring results. In this article, we will explore eight promotional ideas for events that are proven to be effective and can help ensure the success of your upcoming event.
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How to Promote Events to Boost Registrations
1. Offer Early Bird Event Registration
One of the most common promotional ideas for events is offering an early bird discount. It is one of the quickest ways to incentivize the audience to sign up for an event. Early bird registration is vital to creating FOMO (fear of missing out) among potential attendants or attendees compelling them into registering.
It also gives the host an early sense of how to continue event promotion. Hosts can also understand attendees’ objections to the event, schedule, or marketing strategy.
2. Increase Reach with Event Listings and Pages
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a massive budget to promote your event. Instead, you can now take full advantage of popular sites that offer their platform for free event advertisement. Regardless of your event type, the platforms below help you promote your event without risking your fortune.
Some popular platforms help hosts with event advertisement and audiences with event registrations.
vFairs Discover
vFairs not only makes event hosting convenient, but also caters to the marketing elements of an event. vFairs Discover puts targeted marketing into action. Event organizers and marketers are welcomed to a dedicated marketplace for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events.
The platform helps connect people interested in attending events based on their topic search. It also allows marketers with event advertisement by providing a dedicated event platform within their niche.
Event Pages
Facebook: Facebook offers creative ways to promote an event on its website. You can create an event on Facebook and promote it on your already-established business page.
However, with Facebook, you must keep the event advertising attractive; use eye-catching cover photos and captions to evoke excitement.
Twitter: With Twitter, you can send followers Twitter invites to ensure they are part of your upcoming event. You can also tweet or send direct messages to your followers requesting them to register for your event. Make sure to attach your event posters with the tweet to your followers so that your event continues on its journey of advertisement.
3. Build an Event Community
Building and maintaining engagement is indeed crucial for the success of any event. Creating a community around your event is an effective way to achieve this, and integrating with platforms like LinkedIn can be highly beneficial. It allows attendees to interact with each other, network, and stay connected before, during, and after the event.
In fact, with vFairs, you can now easily build communities around your event through our integration with LinkedIn’s community builder. Once an attendee registers, they see a pop-up prompting them to join the event page on LinkedIn. They can see who else is attending, which helps create a sense of belonging and anticipation.
This integration also enables attendees to reach out to each other, fostering connections that can lead to meaningful interactions during the event and beyond. Engaged attendees are more likely to share their excitement about the event on social media, further promoting the event and potentially attracting more participants.
For hosts, the LinkedIn community page becomes a valuable tool to keep the conversation going. They can share essential event details, such as speaker profiles and schedule updates, keeping the attendees informed and engaged. Furthermore, with attendees actively participating in discussions and networking on LinkedIn, the event gains visibility and attracts a broader audience, potentially leading to more online event registrations.
4. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing is a highly effective tool for promoting events, as confirmed by over 70% of survey participants.
To ensure the success of your email marketing campaign, it is crucial to create personalized emails tailored to specific segmented audiences. By personalizing your emails, you can effectively reach out to individuals who are already familiar with your company and generate interest in your event.
Another strategy for leveraging email marketing in event promotion is to provide exclusive discounts to email subscribers. This approach not only helps increase the number of attendees but also boosts your email subscriber base.
Furthermore, leveraging the power of AI can simplify the process of utilizing email marketing for event promotion. For example, vFairs offers an AI Event Assistant that will draft event emails in seconds, reducing the work for event planners and marketers. All you need to do is to select the email type, tone, and your email list, add any additional instructions, and then hit generate.
5. Host Pre-event Podcasts
Podcasts serve as captivating and exceptional means of promoting events, much like pre-event promotional videos. They offer an engaging platform to advertise your event and sustain the excitement among event registrants.
If you already produce a regular podcast for your company, products, or services, consider creating an episode specifically designed to pique the interest of listeners about your upcoming event.
Additionally, you can leverage the power of podcasts for event promotion by appearing as a guest on another podcaster’s show. Conduct thorough research to identify podcasters within your industry and propose a collaboration. This collaboration presents an opportunity to captivate a wider audience and expand your event’s appeal.
6. Create Compelling Graphics
The right infographics can create the marketing buzz you need for your event advertisement. There is something incredibly interacting and engaging with cool infographics. The mix of content with creation spurs the right excitement for an event. Moreover, infographics help deliver brand messaging, ensure attendees remember the delicate event details, and more.
7. Take Full Advantage of Social Media
Social media offers many creative ways to promote an event. For instance, you can organize a social media contest to promote your event, offering a free ticket to the lucky winner. By sharing a poster of your event and encouraging people to like, share, comment, and tag their friends, you can determine the winner based on the individual with the highest engagement. This way, they help extend your event’s reach and may win the chance to attend for free.
Another effective approach is to employ event hashtags on social media, which can quickly make your event the talk of the town. The more you mention your event using a specific hashtag, the more it remains in the conversations of those interested in attending. Hashtags are also instrumental in ensuring that your event becomes a trending topic, thereby increasing awareness and attracting more people who desire to be a part of it.
Lastly, leveraging social media for collaboration proves to be one of the simplest ways to promote your event. You can collaborate with influencers to reach a wide audience and advertise your event effectively. Additionally, social media collaboration can be utilized to promote your keynote speakers, thus helping to boost the number of attendees.
8. Offer Freebies
Promoting your event through giveaways has gained significant popularity. However, rather than indiscriminately providing a wide range of free items, it is crucial to consider the nature of the event and the attendees. By doing so, you can offer something that is both memorable and valuable to your specific target audience, thereby enriching their overall event experience.
Ways Forward
For the smooth implementation of event advertising concepts, it is essential to develop a comprehensive plan for event promotion and coordinate your endeavors with the appropriate platforms. To enhance your marketing effectiveness, we invite you to read our comprehensive guide on event marketing, created to maximize your event success rate.
FAQs
How to Promote an Event on Social Media
Promoting an event successfully on social media involves defining your target audience, crafting a compelling message, and creating engaging content across multiple channels. Use paid social media advertising to reach specific demographics and leverage word-of-mouth marketing through attendee sharing. Continuously monitor and analyze your marketing efforts to make necessary adjustments.
How to Advertise an Event
For effective event advertising, pinpoint your target audience, create a captivating message, and utilize diverse marketing channels, including social media, email, and partnerships. Engaging visuals and time-bound offers help create urgency, while consistent updates keep the audience excited and informed, maximizing event visibility and registrations.
How to Promote an Event Online
Promoting an event online requires a strong digital marketing strategy. Create an attractive website or landing page that provides details and encourages event registrations. Optimize your content for search engines to increase visibility. Use email marketing to update and engage your target audience. Participate in online communities to generate buzz. Collaborate with influencers, bloggers, and industry publications to boost your event's online presence.
How to Publicize an Event
To publicize an event effectively, use multiple channels. Create a press release emphasizing key details and uniqueness. Distribute it to relevant media outlets for coverage. Share news and updates on social media platforms. Collaborate with local businesses, organizations, and influencers to expand your reach. Consider hosting pre-event activities or a launch event to generate buzz and media coverage.
How to Market Your Event
To market your event successfully, follow a systematic approach. Identify your target market, understand their needs, and develop a strong brand identity with consistent visuals and messaging. Utilize social media, email marketing, content marketing, and influencer partnerships to reach your audience effectively. Continuously evaluate and refine your strategies based on feedback and data analysis to maximize the impact of your marketing efforts.
