An event's success is largely determined by how many people you get through the doors. In order to get people to attend your event, you need to do a good job of promoting it. Promoting an event can be challenging, especially on a shoestring budget. However, there are many tools and resources you can utilize to spread the word about your event, at little to no cost.
Social Media
A study released last year found people in the United States check their social media accounts a whopping 17 times a day. That means they check their accounts at least once every waking hour.
Marketing events on social media is extremely effective, regardless of your budget. Social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google+, allow you to target and engage your audience on a more personal level.
Create event pages on all of the major social media channels where your audience is likely to hang out, and utilize these pages to increase exposure for your event. In addition to posting event information, share news and tips regarding topics that are relevant to your event and audience. This will help stimulate engagement, as well as help grow and maintain your following.
For social channels that utilize hashtags, such as Twitter and Instagram, create a hashtag for your event and include it in every post. Also encourage your followers to use the hashtag when posting about the event.
Industry Influencers
Reach out to prominent people within your industry who have a strong following on their blog and social media. Offer them a free ticket to your event, and see if they would be willing to promote the event on their channels. If they're interested in attending, then they'll be sure to share it on their blog and social accounts, which will help get others excited about the event too. Aside from individual people, event locations are usually willing to help promote as well, in order to attract people to their city.
Email Marketing
Your client probably has the contact information of customers and business partners who are the target audience for the event. You may even have a relevant network of your own. Launch an email campaign using these lists to announce the event and encourage people to attend. Email marketing tools are affordable and won't put a dent in your budget. MailChimp, for instance, offers a free service to organizations with 2.000 subscribers or less.
Press
When it comes to promoting an event, the press can be your best friend. Make a list of local and industry-related media outlets that may be interested in covering your event. In addition to reaching out to specific networks, publications and reporters, utilize Help a Reporter Out (HARO). It's free to subscribe to email alerts to receive daily media opportunities. You can also sign up for HARO to create pitches about your event.
Don’t let a tight budget get in the way of your event marketing. With these tips, you can effectively increase the exposure of your event and increase registrations.