Too many events and conference planners make the mistake of thinking that their work is done when the planning is done!

Terrible mistake to make!

The work is just about to start;

It’s time to promote your event!

And the way in which you choose to promote an event will have a direct impact on your event’s success.

For more established brands that have established a place in the online and social media hierarchy it may be easier to promote an event online but, if your event is new or your brand is relatively unknown, you are going to need all the help that you can get to stand out.

 

Here are our top 4 ways to promote an event online:

 

1. Create content that promotes your event

 

 

This is the apparent but probably most underutilised tactic. It’s never a good idea to let your event exist in a vacuum, no matter what type of event it is.

Your content marketing should align and overlap with your event at some point.

For example, if you are promoting a Sunday family lunch event and blogging is part of your content strategy, you should be writing blogs that promote families eating together and the importance of eating as a family together with a CTA that leads to the event at the bottom.

You should never miss an opportunity to plug your event on a platform on which you have full control.

Video footage is also great for promoting an event; whether it’s a collage of photos from a similar event that you held previously, or a video highlighting what your attendees can expect, your event will gain traction.

Remember that your content should always offer value and never feel too self-promotional.

 

2. Add the event to your email signature

 

You probably just scrolled up to see if this blog was written in 2005 right?

Agreed, this can be a bit lame and a bit excessive if done incorrectly.

I mean, we have seen many a cringeworthy, downright embarrassing email signatures in our lifetime.

However, if done tastefully, email signatures with an event can pique the interest of potential attendees and entice them to click through to the site.

This Bizzabo signature is an excellent example of a perfectly placed “Learn More!” CTA that will then redirect your potential attendees to all the event information they would need. Pretty cool!

 

 

3. Make It Facebook Official

 

 

Talking about promoting an event online without talking about social media is like mentioning Michael Jackson and not bringing up music!

Ludicrous!

The best place to get started with this is Facebook.

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the platform with the greatest overall reach.

The first thing that you need to do is to create an event.

Whether you are an avid Facebook user or not, the event page system is helpful in creating an events community and space for potential attendees to connect and to stay updated.

Some of the other helpful tools that you can use when creating an event on Facebook are:

• You can upload images and videos
• You can update the event details and tag co-hosts
• You can see how many people are interested and how many people are attending
• You can remind users about the event as the time gets closer

 

4. It Doesn’t Exist If It’s Not On Instagram

 

Each social media platform has its unique offering when it comes to promoting an event online.

On the surface, Instagram may come across as a bit superficial, but if you dig deeper, you will realize that it has massive potential for event promotion.

For example, if you are planning an event that’s due to take place in a years time and it is a standard fixture on your brand’s calendar, your fans obviously know about it.

So why not get them involved from the planning phase to build up the hype?

If your event is choosing between venues, why not get videos and photos of the venues up and get fans to vote?

The key to using Instagram and Instagram stories to promote an event is to incorporate a visually engaging component which gets fans excited and also allows them to participate in the conversation and interact with the brand in a meaningful way.

Now that you have these 4 weapons in your arsenal, you are more than equipped to go out and promote your event and drive meaningful engagement that will ultimately result in an increase in attendance at your event.