The road to a successful event requires a lot of preparation and pre-event work. Event planners focus their efforts on creating and executing a strategic event promotion plan. Your event promotion will determine whether your potential attendees will feel attracted to attend your event.
This article contains all the information you need about event promotion and how you can use it for your upcoming event.
What is Event Promotion
The definition of event promotion is the act of making your event known to people – specifically your potential attendees. Event promotion activities are aimed at raising awareness, generating interest, building attention, and eventually inviting attendees to attend your event.
There are different goals that event promotion aims to achieve. Some examples of an event promotion’s objectives are:
- Generate buzz for the event
- Increase ticket sales
- Drive attendee registrations
- Build a brand reputation or event brand
- Achieve KPI for events
- Meet return on investment
- Create engagement
Benefits of Event Promotion
Promoting an event helps your event stand out among your competitors. When you have a good event promotion for your event, selling your tickets will be easy. Your target audience will be waiting and looking out for your announcement and future events.
Event promotion is important to impact your event’s revenue. When you have the attention of your target audience, it is easier to invite them to attend your event. Furthermore, a well-promoted event can attract sponsors and partners looking to reach the same target audience, leading to additional resources and support.
Types of Event Promotion Ideas
Social Media
Promoting your event on social media is the easiest and most effective way to reach a wide audience and also facilitate audiences by helping to promote your event by sharing it with their network online. Observe where your target audience is spending their most time. Choose the best social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, etc.
Each social media platform has different strategies and ways of doing event promotion. Optimize your social media posts according to each social media platform to maximize your efforts.
For example, if you’re hosting a corporate event, you might focus more effort on LinkedIn. Learn to write engaging hooks to keep people reading your thread on X. YouTube can be a platform for more long-form and educational content.
Social media users are constantly exposed to different content and social media ads. The important thing to note when doing event promotions on social media is the importance of valuable content. Gain the trust of your audience by nurturing them with your content.
Organic vs Paid Social Media Event Promotion
You can promote your event on social media either organically or through paid media. Running paid ads on each platform so you can increase the reach of your content. When you run ads, you can set targeting options such as demographics and interests.
Sample Social Media Event Promotion Activities
- Invite guests to your event by inviting them to a Facebook event.
- Run testing on different event captions for your event
- Create short videos and reels to post on Instagram or TikTok
- Convert your blog post into shareable content on social media
- Engage with your community on social media and gather feedback
- Ride on existing social media trends and add your insights
- Use relevant hashtags so your content will appear to your target audience
Email Marketing
They say that the only audience list you own is your email list. Start building a list and nurturing them so you can send announcements about your event via email. Segment your list into categories like previous attendees, new attendees, interested participants, website visitors, sponsors, and partners.
Besides the segmentation option in email marketing, you can also personalize your attendees’ experience by adding personalized subject headlines, writing with the voice of your audience, and compelling calls to action.
With your email providers, you can create a workflow for your different segments. An email workflow is when there is a sequence of emails to send for a specific segment or list.
The opportunity to access your audience’s inbox is a privilege. Write in a way that is personal and not too sales-y in your event promotion. In writing your emails, write in a way that is easy and enjoyable for your readers. Avoid writing that is too formal or boring for your readers, have personality.
Sample Event Promotion Email Marketing
Subject: Join Us at the Tech Innovators Summit – Register Now!
Dear [Recipient’s Name],
We are thrilled to announce the upcoming Tech Innovators Summit, where innovation, technology, and networking converge to inspire the future of tech! As a valued member of our community, we’d like to invite you to be part of this groundbreaking event.
Event Details:
Date: [Event Date]
Location: [Event Venue]
Time: [Event Start Time]
Website: [Event Website]
Why Attend?
The Tech Innovators Summit is your gateway to the latest tech trends, unparalleled networking opportunities, and insights from industry pioneers. Here’s what you can expect:
Inspirational Speakers: Learn from tech visionaries and thought leaders who are shaping the industry.
Cutting-Edge Workshops: Dive deep into the latest technologies and gain practical knowledge.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals and potential collaborators.
Tech Showcase: Explore cutting-edge products and services from innovative tech companies.
Exclusive Offer: Save on Early Bird Registration!
Register by [Early Bird Deadline] to take advantage of our limited-time early bird discount. Secure your spot today at [Registration Link] and be part of this tech revolution.
Stay Connected:
For event updates and sneak peeks, follow us on social media:
Facebook: [Facebook Page]
Twitter: [Twitter Handle]
LinkedIn: [LinkedIn Page]
Become a Sponsor:
If your organization is looking for exposure and networking opportunities, consider becoming a sponsor of the Tech Innovators Summit. For sponsorship details, please contact [Sponsorship Contact].
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation. We look forward to seeing you at the Tech Innovators Summit!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Contact Information]
Content Marketing
Attract people to your event with clear and attractive messaging. Develop quality and relevant content that provides value to your audience and is related to your event. This could include blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, marketing materials, or podcasts.
Content strategy works differently if you’re promoting a product or service. For promoting events, you can create high-quality evergreen content that you can repurpose and reuse for different content for the whole year. That way, you can have continuous touchpoints for your audience all throughout.
In doing content, quality is much more important than quantity. If you want to create a content strategy, try to produce 2 high-quality posts per week that can work hard for your event.
Furthermore, organic content marketing can work to your advantage if you produce content that actually solves people’s problems and what they are looking for. Use content buckets to segment your content.
Samples of Content Buckets for Event Promotion
- Educational
- Inspirational
- Industry News
- Guides
- Explainer Videos
- Commentaries
- Reviews and Testimonials
Influencer Promotion
People trust people better than brands—partner with influencers to promote your event. Event organizers can use the promotional content of influencers to show a human face for your event.
Aside from partnering to promote your event, you can also invite influencers to personally attend your event. People want to be in the same room with the influencer they admire.
Sample Influencer Event Promotion Collaborations
- Sponsored posts
- Event hosting or takeovers
- Guest Appearances
- Affiliate Marketing
- Content Creation and Reviews
- Meet and Greets
- Event Countdowns
Public Relations
Tap media organizations to promote your event. If your event serves a specific audience and cause, event PR specialists can collaborate with news outlets or journalists to gain exposure for your event.
Sample Public Relations Strategies for Event Promotion
- Media Kits
- Press Releases
- Partnerships and Collaborations
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
An optimized event site is like your 24/7 event promoter. When you set up your event site, you want to have a customizable feature for search engine optimization.
Research specific keywords your target audience is most likely using and optimize your event site with those keywords. Additionally, you can add quality blog posts as additional content to your site to boost your ranking.
To add, make your event page functional and user-friendly by incorporating thoughtful layout and design elements. We recommend using WordPress with its templates and plug-ins. For example, Event Espresso is a WordPress plug-in with features allowing users to customize their website. Additionally, they have existing themes to make setting up easier.
Sample SEO Strategies for Event Promotion
- Speed and performance
- Keyword Research
- Customization
- User Experience
Webinars
Serve your target attendees with content that will interest them in your main event. A webinar is a form of content marketing that hooks your audience with the information they need. Show the value of your event by giving a glimpse of it through your webinar.
Make it easy for your existing audience to convert to your main event by offering irresistible discounts or perks. Another idea is to create a cliffhanger at the end of your webinar that will be discussed during the event.
Promotional Sponsorships and Partnerships
Partnerships are not limited to monetary sponsorships. Sponsorships can be in the form of promotions. A sponsor can provide you with event promotions like posting about your event, featuring your event to their community, or assisting with your marketing efforts.
When your sponsors promote your event, it can increase your credibility and increase your reach. Moreover, you can partner with event directories or event listings to gain extra exposure for your event. Aside from this, you can buy a spot from a credible newsletter that your target audience subscribed to.
How to Successfully Market an Event
The ones listed above are the different types of event promotion you can choose for your event. Next, you can start planning the specifics of how to market your event.
Create an Event Promotion Strategy
A successful event marketing strategy starts with understanding your customer persona. Get into the head of your potential customer. Understand their motivations, desires, and pains and communicate that in your marketing strategy.
From there, you can create a clear and effective marketing strategy on how your event can solve their specific pain point.
The next step is to set a KPI for your event that is measurable and realistic. From your KPI, you can work backward and set specific activities to meet those targets.
Create an event timeline where you can list the purpose of your event. Create a list of tasks and assign it to members. Map out the highlights of your event program and set deadlines in preparing for each aspect of the event.
In your event promotion strategy, identify the marketing channel you choose. The next section will give you useful information on promoting your event online.
How to Promote an Event Online
The online world is full of different marketing messages and content. As an event marketer, how do you stand out from competitors?
First, make sure you have a professional and compelling event website. Your website will be the home of all your event details so it is best to invest in a reliable and functional one. Retain your event branding and provide a smooth experience for your users when you have your own website.
Next is focusing on the specific type of event promotion you choose from the items mentioned above. In whatever type of event promotion you pick, make an effort to produce high-quality and relevant content.
One of the tried and tested strategies online is implementing a user-generated content strategy. Gather feedback from your audience or create tactics that will make them share content about your event. Share photos from previous successful events or a video highlight of happy event attendees.
Segment your Strategy to Different Audiences
Your messaging is only effective when it reaches the right audience. Break down your audience to past attendees, target new audiences, and look-alike your target audience. Create a marketing strategy to meet each audience.
For example, you can create a loyalty incentive as a strategy for your past attendees. For your new attendees, you can showcase what they can expect at the event.
Moreover, you can do A/B testing on the types of content for your lookalike attendees to see what message resonates with them.
Event Promotion Timeline
Every event promotion campaign needs an event promotion timeline. This timeline contains all the key activities in your marketing with a corresponding target date of completion.
Furthermore, timelines serve as a resource allocation guideline because they indicate when specific tasks should be completed.
This is why event planners value an event promotion timeline because it serves as their guide as they hit specific milestones in their marketing campaigns.
The event promotion timeline is important in event planning because it prepares the event planner for contingencies and what to expect.
Also, don’t forget to include post-event promotion activities in your timeline such as thank-you messages, follow-up emails, event surveys, or gift-giving.
Event Promotion Timeline Example
Event: XYZ Conference
Date: November 15, 2023
Three Months Before (August 15 – August 31):
- Determine Key Goals and Objectives:
Define the primary objectives of the event, such as attendee numbers, sponsorship goals, or revenue targets.
- Website Development:
Begin designing the event website.
Secure domain and hosting.
Start creating landing pages for registration and information.
Two Months Before (September 1 – September 30):
- Content Creation:
Develop event-related content such as blog posts, videos, and speaker profiles.
- Social Media Setup:
Create social media profiles or pages for the event on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Email Marketing Plan:
Create an email marketing strategy.
Develop an email content calendar.
Segment email lists.
Six Weeks Before (October 1 – October 15):
- Website Launch:
Launch the event website.
Make registration or ticket sales available.
Optimize the site for SEO.
- Start Social Media Promotion:
Begin posting regular updates about the event on social media platforms.
Share content, speaker highlights, and teasers.
Four Weeks Before (October 16 – October 31):
- Email Campaigns:
Send out initial event announcements and invitations to registered attendees from past events.
- Press Releases:
Distribute press releases about the event to relevant media outlets and industry blogs.
Three Weeks Before (November 1 – November 7):
- Sponsorship Outreach:
Reach out to potential sponsors or partners.
- Speaker Promotion:
Promote event speakers and their topics.
Share interviews or teaser videos.
Two Weeks Before (November 8 – November 14):
- Last-Minute Registration Push:
Send reminder emails to registered attendees.
Offer discounts or incentives for last-minute registrants.
- Countdown on Social Media:
Create a daily countdown on social media.
Share behind-the-scenes content.
Event Day (November 15):
- Real-Time Updates:
Live tweet and post updates throughout the event.
Encourage attendees to share their experiences using the event’s hashtag.
Post-Event (November 16 – November 30):
- Thank-You Emails:
Send thank-you emails to attendees, sponsors, and speakers.
Share event highlights and photos.
- Post-Event Content:
Create content reflecting on the event, such as a recap blog post or video. You may also post teasers about your next event.
- Feedback Collection:
Send out surveys to attendees to gather feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions about Event Promotion
What is the difference between event marketing and event promotion?
Event marketing and event promotion are similar terms describing the strategic approach to bringing awareness and building connections to an event.
Event marketing refers to the strategic approach to building awareness for an event. It involves the planning of activities based on the set goals and objectives of the event. It’s a more general approach to talking about the general strategy
On the other hand, event promotion is a part of event marketing with a focus on driving attendance and participation for an event that is already planned and scheduled.
Ultimately, your event marketing and event promotion strategy should be aligned with your company’s overall marketing strategy and objectives.
What are the key elements of an effective event promotion strategy?
When creating your promotion strategy, it is important to understand your target audience and position your messaging to what resonates with them the most. Know how they talk, what they are thinking about, and their main points. Once this is settled, you will be able to create a clear and compelling message that speaks to them.
Also, the platform of your choice matters in your event promotion strategy. Research on what works best for your event goals. Consider the demographics of your target audience and their preferred online spaces. Evaluate the strengths of each platform, such as visual content sharing on Instagram, short-form videos on TikTok, or professional networking on LinkedIn.
How do I choose the best event promotion strategy for me?
Several factors determine the best event promotion strategy for your event. To help you evaluate, here are some things to consider: objectives, budget, timeline, nature of your event, and resources available.
Maximize your Event Promotion with Event Smart
Deliver successful events for your clients or company with an event ticketing and registration platform like Event Smart. As mentioned above, search engine optimization is so important. Event Smart has customization features that allow you to create your own site for your upcoming event without a hassle.
Manage your event analytics, manage multiple events, and sell tickets with no commission fees with Event Smart. It’s the brand of choice by event planners because of its convenient features and value for money.
Easily direct all your event promotions to a professional and easy-to-use event site with Event Smart. Try the 7-day free trial now.
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