15 Insanely Useful Tips for Promoting Your Event

Whether it’s a quiet auction to benefit a local charity, a swanky tie-and-gown party, or a casual local awareness meeting, getting the word out to any interested parties can be overwhelming and time consuming. Below are 15 tips to make marketing a fun experience.

1. Do Your Research

Being intimate with every facet of the event will help you shout about it from the roof tops. Knowing the community and how your event suits its wants and needs will help you utilize the rest of these tips smoothly and boost the meeting’s turnout.

2. Know your Ideal Attendees

If you have an idea of what sort of people your event appeals to, you can use this information to decide the best way to reach them. If you’re charging for entrance, you need to get the information in front of people who will be willing to spend the money. If it’s more geared toward families, consider approaching schools, PTAs, and daycares. Knowing who will most enjoy your gathering will help you shape promotion accordingly.

3. Use Websites Like Meetup.com

It’s almost common knowledge to use craigslist and Facebook to spread the word. But there are other pages online that can help get your festivity, especially recurring gatherings, in search engines and on the sites’ occasions lists. Meetup.com, loopgroup.com, bigtent.com, groupspaces.com, and suretomeet.com help groups to organize and share date and time information in a big way. Be sure to research the different features offered by each site to see which one works for your particular event. Check out this article for specifics.

4. Advertise Locally

There’s a reason newspapers and community boards haven’t bobbed away in the wake of the internet. People still use them to hear the news. This works to your bash’s advantage. Placing ads in the local classifieds, business section, or community calendar of events is cost effective. Placing flyers on boards at grocery stores, laundry mats, and public places such as libraries reaches people amid their daily lives. Also, consider using a well-placed billboard in your marketing strategy, and make sure that picture is worth more than the words on it.

5. Don’t Overlook the Power of Voice

Once you’ve plastered your area with announcements, don’t just sit around expecting them to start word of mouth in town. Sure, they could spark some sharing. But you need to use your mouth to pass it on. Draw a list of local friends and family and start making calls, and before you hang up encourage them to tell all everyone they know. This personal connection will make them more likely to pass the info on.

6. Contact Potential Business Partners and Competition

While you’re checking to make sure your ads have posted, take note of other businesses that might profit from your business. For instance, if you’re a small car dealership, you might offer a parts store or car wash to set up a table or offer discounts to your visitors.

As for competitors, I know what you’re thinking: Why would they attend? Depending on what your event is, they might know clients that need expanded services. Or they might come just to scope you out. Either way, you’re professional reputation will benefit from extending the invitation.

7. Offer Giveaways, Drawings, or Discounts

It makes sense that if you offer business partners the right to promote at the event; you will plan to do that too! Offering giveaways, drawing names for prizes, or giving out coupons or discounts will draw people to the event. Be sure to note these on the flyers and ads we mentioned above.

8. Mark the Location in a Big Way

Pre-place a banner or inflatable on or near the location to continually remind those that drive by about your event. If there’s a big monkey pointing down or a delicious looking cupcake, it’s going to grab attention.

9. Promote at Other Events in Person

A good handshake goes a long way. Showing your face at other local gatherings such as the farmer’s market or children’s festival is a great way to stick your event in people’s minds.

10. Power of Repetition

Radio ads are worth their weight in gold. The constant repetition leading up to the big night or day will snuggle your event into people’s mind up until the doors open. This helps encourage people to plan on attending.

11. Keep Occasion Well-timed and Short

Depending on how many people you expect, you should try hard to keep your event between two and three hours long. You can’t expect modern man to have much more time than that to give to your event. Also be mindful of when you schedule it. Avoid conflicting with other local bashes and holidays, as well as typical work schedules. Weekday evenings and weekends have better outcomes than weekdays when 80% of the population work.

12. Donate, Volunteer,  and Speak Publicly

This one can go with the handshakes suggested above. Speaking publicly solidifies your expertise, as well as your business’s or event’s credibility.  Donating to or volunteering as a representative for your event or group at schools, programs, or public projects gets your event further attention.

13. Invite a Local Famous Figure

Getting the approval of a well-known local hero can go a long way. Invite the fire chief, mayor, or college star athlete to the event or to enjoy services the event features. Getting their approval or having them speak at your event is a great way to further spread your events’ details by word of mouth and online. Plus, they’ll have a natural following that may shadow them to your event.

14. Put Event Info in Un-local Calendar of Events

It’s amazing how far people will come for a gathering that interests or will benefit them. If your event is especially attractive, they can come from other states. So putting your event in calendars of events in towns, cities, states other than the event’s location is a great way to bring in attendees.

15. Think Outside the Planning Box

Contingent on what your event actually is will determine how far outside the box you can go. But think about the best ways to contact a large group of people in as little effort as possible. Maybe that’s at your local churches or the next big high school football game. Only you can determine the best way to spread the news of your event.