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If you're not leveraging social media for event promotion, you're doing it wrong. Jokes aside, social media and events couldn't be more closely intertwined. Making the most of these platforms is crucial for event marketing. Put simply, to boost ticket sales and generate buzz for your next event, a significant portion of your marketing efforts should be focused on social media. But where do you start? These expert tips will lead the way.
When it comes to event promotion, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the big 3. These platforms have a large user base and offer various features like event creation, targeted advertising, and hashtag usage that can help reach a wider audience and generate buzz around your event.
Instagram: forecasted to reach 1.4 billion by 2025.
Facebook users(as of 2021): 3.5 billion
Twitter/X users (as of 2023): 368 million
The more effort you put into building excitement before the big day, the more successful your event will be. Let's dive into the steps you need to take to create a buzz and keep your audience engaged right from the start.
Before diving into social media marketing, you'll need a water-tight plan. Without set goals, you may be floundering in the dark. First, brainstorm about what you want to achieve, get the lay of the land, and tailor your social media strategy accordingly.
Is your main aim to boost ticket sales, increase brand awareness, or drive engagement? Clear objectives will help guide your strategy and measure success.
The foundation of all event marketing. Knowing your target attendees allows you to tailor your content to their preferences, ensuring higher engagement and better results. Use social media analytics tools like Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics to gather demographic information and learn about their interests and behaviors.
Focus on the social media platforms where your audience is most active. Prioritize 2-3 key platforms to concentrate your efforts and maximize your impact. For example, if most of your target attendees are over 40, TikTok is unlikely to be an effective channel. Remember, each platform has its strengths, so choose the ones that best match your event and audience.
A content calendar helps you visualize your posting schedule and ensures that you cover all necessary content types. Include a mix of promotional posts, engagement questions, and informative updates to keep your audience engaged and informed.
Leverage tools like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com to manage your content calendar. These tools allow you to plan, assign tasks, and track the progress of your content creation, ensuring everything is on schedule. Here's an example of the kind of content you could include:
Today, visual media has seized the crown from the written word. Time to act accordingly! Visual content speaks directly to emotions. Think about how often an eye-catching image stops your scrolling. That’s the power of visually appealing content in promoting your event. A stunning visual can make the difference between a glance and a double-tap.
Design eye-catching graphics, videos, and infographics to highlight key event details. Visual content tends to get more engagement, so use tools like Canva or Adobe Spark to create professional visuals that stand out in the social media feed.
Start by identifying what visually represents your event:
Diversity is key. Ideally, your content should be a mix of :
Interactive content such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions encourages participation and makes your audience feel involved.
Most importantly, tailor your content to match your audience's tastes (this is where proper planning will shine).
Let's say you're promoting a makeup event, you could post a stunning photo of a bold makeup look. The next day, share a captivating video tutorial demonstrating a popular technique. Follow this with an engaging infographic detailing makeup and skincare tips.
A countdown series is a great way to boost anticipation. Think of it like a daily drumroll leading up to the occasion, keeping it top-of-mind for your audience.
For example, if you're promoting a virtual fundraising event, start a 10-day countdown featuring a snippet about an activity planned, an interview with guests, or trivia about the event’s history each day.
Eventcube's Facebook profile
If your social profiles are bland and lacklustre, they're unlikely to attract potential attendees. Start with the basics: update your profile picture to something event-related and use your bio to share event dates and hashtags. Tailor the tone to match the vibe of your event—professional for conferences, creative for art fairs.
Customize your profiles for each platform. Highlight keynote speakers, post visual teasers, and cross-mention your social accounts to reach followers on all platforms.
Imagine someone finds your Instagram profile and sees a colorful banner for your art show, a bio saying "Bringing art to life, one brushstroke at a time #ArtFest2024," and a feed with artwork sneak peeks. Intrigued? That’s the power of an optimized profile.
While organically growing your audience is ideal, sometimes giving your follower count an initial boost can make your profile appear more credible and attractive. New followers on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn can create a ripple effect, as people tend to follow accounts with substantial followings. People tend to follow accounts that already have a substantial following.
One of the big advantages of socials is the potential for outreach and collaboration. Find bloggers, creators, and authors who genuinely connect with your audience. For example, Literary Arts, organizers of the Portland Book Festival, invite authors like Michael Lewis to add value to their event and post social media content to reach a larger audience.
Collaboration on social media is powerful. Imagine a tech influencer tweeting about your conference's keynote speaker, sharing their excitement on Instagram Stories, and engaging followers on LinkedIn. This creates authentic buzz across multiple platforms.
Equip your influencers with a digital contact card containing event details, a registration link, and your hashtag. This ensures all the necessary information is easily accessible to potential attendees.
Involve influencers in your event by inviting them to host sessions, conduct Q&As, or share their live experiences on social media. The right influencer will boost your event's profile and give their followers a reason to engage.
Collaborate with sponsors and partners to maximize your promotional efforts. Provide them with branded content and unique hashtags to share across their networks. This cross-promotion broadens your reach and strengthens valuable relationships.. Working together ensures a unified message and highlights your event across multiple platforms.
Who doesn’t love the thrill of winning something? That's exactly why contests and giveaways are your secret weapons in social media event promotion. Competitions boost engagement while spreading the word about your event in an exciting and interactive way.
Let's say you're promoting a music festival. How about a giveaway where participants share their favorite concert memories and tag two friends to enter? It's simple, it encourages sharing, and it creates a nostalgic connection with your audience.
Contests can also be a great way to showcase what your event has to offer. Hosting a beauty workshop? Run a giveaway and offer free tickets to win.
Make sure your contest rules are clear and your prizes are desirable. Whether it's VIP tickets, exclusive merchandise, or a meet-and-greet with a guest speaker, your prize should excite your target audience.
While it can be a powerful marketing tactic, paid advertising shouldn't be considered lightly. A botched campaign can easily put a strain on your finances.
That being said, it can be hugely effective. Platforms like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and LinkedIn Sponsored Content can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures your promotions reach the people most likely to be interested in your event.
When setting up paid ads, it's crucial to establish a clear budget. Determine how much you're willing to spend and allocate funds to the platforms where your audience is most active. Track the performance of your ads to ensure you're getting a good return on investment. If you notice certain ads performing well, consider increasing their budget.
Retargeting campaigns can be especially effective. Set up ads to reach people who have previously visited your event page or website but haven't registered yet. These gentle reminders can nudge them to complete their registration, increasing your ticket sales.
Ensure your event page is informative, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. Include essential details like date, time, location, and a clear call-to-action for ticket purchases or registrations.
Remember, while it's often overlooked, a well-designed event page enhances credibility. The clearer and more user-friendly it is, the easier people can learn about and register for your event.
First of all, this is free. If you don’t want to create a dedicated website, a Facebook event page is where people can find all the information they need and confirm their attendance.
Make your page as compelling as your event. Start with a captivating cover photo that captures its essence. Is it a sports event? How about a photo of runners or a stadium along with your regular logo? This visual first impression can make a big difference.
Next, fill your description with the juicy details:
Regularly update your page with social media posts about your preparations, teasers, or anything that can keep the excitement brewing. Encourage potential attendees to post on your event wall too. Maybe they’re looking forward to a particular speaker at your tech conference or a specific band at your music festival.
Here’s where the magic happens: As people start clicking “Interested” or “Going,” their friends see it too, broadening your reach organically. Encourage this by creating shareable content.
Example of en Eventcube event page
Creating an event page with Eventcube couldn't be easier. You can also integrate your event page into your website using customizable embeds for direct ticket purchases, and leverage robust API and webhook management for custom integrations.
For more tips, check out our guide on how to create a stunning event promotion website.
A memorable hashtag is a magnet for attention - that's the power of a few well-chosen characters. But how do you conjure up a hashtag that best represents your brand and sticks in people's minds?
Regardless of the event type you host, keep your hashtag short, snappy, and relevant. Let's say you're hosting a local food festival. Instead of a bland #FoodFestival2024, why not spice it up with something like #TasteTheBuzzNYC? It's catchy, specific, and oozes personality.
Now sprinkle your hashtag across all your social media platforms. Use it in every post, story, and tweet about the event. Encourage your followers to use it too and create a cohesive narrative.
Your email list is a community waiting to be engaged. It’s full of potential attendees who have already shown interest in what you have to offer.
Doing a manual search of each subscriber on your social platform takes time. Plus, you’d need to spend even more time sending those email subscribers an invite to connect with you so they can see your promotional posts.
The good news is that you can easily upload your email list to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Then you can target the people on your list with social media ads promoting your event.
Each social platform has straightforward instructions for uploading email lists and creating ads using them.
To give you an idea, here’s how to upload an email list on Facebook:
When creating a Facebook event ad based on your email list, just choose your uploaded Customer List as your audience.
The good thing about this strategy is that you can again create an event custom audience of people who interacted with your social media ad. Then just reach them with even more targeted ads to boost your chances of converting them.
Social media promotion doesn't stop when your event begins. Far from it. Let's keep the energy high and the engagement flowing! Here’s how to keep your audience hooked and excited during your event.
Hosting live polls and Q&A sessions keeps your audience actively involved. These interactive elements make attendees feel valued and connected to the event. Utilize social media for live updates and interactions, sharing quotes from speakers and key moments to keep the conversation lively.
This keeps attendees engaged and allows those who couldn't attend in person to follow along and feel part of the event. Real-time engagement through social media helps create a dynamic and interactive experience, ensuring that your event remains vibrant and memorable.
Streaming live videos and stories on platforms like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, or YouTube Live is a powerful way to reach a wider audience. Live streaming allows attendees to feel part of the event even if they can't be there in person, and it provides a platform for real-time interaction and engagement.
Sharing behind-the-scenes event content is another great way to maintain interest and engagement. Give attendees a sneak peek into the preparations, introduce them to the speakers or performers, and show them what goes on backstage.
Remember those hashtags we talked about? These can be used to consolidate all event-related posts and boost visibility. During your event, encourage attendees to use the hashtag when posting about it. Yes, this increases engagement, but it also helps build a sense of community among participants.
By actively encouraging social sharing, you amplify the reach of your event, engage your audience in a fun way, and create memorable experiences that attendees are eager to share.
Keeping a close eye on social media during the big day is crucial. Track event hashtags and mentions to stay on top of attendees' opinions. Like, share, and comment on these posts to show you're actively listening and appreciate their participation.
Respond promptly to attendee comments and questions on social media. Quick responses demonstrate attentiveness and commitment to attendee satisfaction. Whether addressing issues, answering questions, or just engaging in the conversation, this real-time interaction helps maintain high levels of engagement and ensures a positive experience for your audience.
Share highlights and milestones as they happen. Post notable quotes from speakers, key announcements, and special performances. This keeps the energy high and makes those who couldn't make it feel involved.
Use Instagram Stories, Facebook posts, and Twitter threads to keep the flow of information steady and engaging. This ongoing engagement helps maintain a lively and interactive atmosphere. What's more, this content can be strategically repacked for subsequent promotion.
Your event may be over, but the excitement doesn't have to end. Post-event promotion is key to capturing lasting impressions, gathering valuable feedback, and keeping your community engaged for future happenings. Let's dive into how to keep the buzz alive!
Remember those key moments you captured? It's time for them to shine. Post your inspiring speeches, energetic performances, and memorable interactions across platforms. This allows attendees to reminisce and gives those who missed out a glimpse of what they can look forward to next time.
Think about creating a highlight reel or a photo album. Tag your attendees and encourage them to tag themselves and their friends. A well-crafted post-event highlight can spark nostalgia and keep the excitement alive.
Create a "Top 10 Moments" list and share it as a series of posts. Each moment can be a separate post with engaging captions, making it easy for your audience to follow along and engage with each highlight.
Show your audience that you value their opinions by gathering and sharing their feedback. This not only helps improve future events but also strengthens your connection with attendees.
The way to respond to feedback is often underestimated. Consider sending a friendly, thank-you message with a feedback form via email or social media. Keep it short and sweet to encourage more responses and ask about their favorite moments and areas for improvement.
Share some of the positive feedback on your social media channels. Highlighting attendee testimonials and quotes can add credibility and attract future attendees.
Create an engaging graphic with a standout testimonial and the attendee’s name (with permission). This makes the feedback more visually appealing and boosts your event's reputation.
Engaging with feedback publicly shows your audience that their opinions matter, keeping the connection alive and setting the stage for future events.
Example of a Facebook poll
Yes, we've already mentioned polls a few times, but that's for a good reason! After the dust has settled, these tools are invaluable for collecting detailed feedback and gauging overall attendee satisfaction.
Send out surveys via email or social media platforms, keeping them concise to encourage participation. Ask specific questions about different aspects, such as the venue, speakers, activities, and overall experience.
Share the results of your surveys and polls with your audience. Highlight positive feedback and address any constructive criticism. This transparency shows that you value their input and are committed to improving future events.
Use interactive features on social media, like Instagram Stories' poll stickers or LinkedIn polls, to gather quick insights. These can be fun and engaging ways to collect feedback while keeping your audience involved.
An example of how Eventcube maintained an interest in their collaboration with War Child
Keep the excitement alive by continuing the conversation on social media. Post follow-up content that encourages discussion and engagement among attendees.
Share memorable moments, funny anecdotes, or unexpected surprises. Ask attendees to share their own experiences and favorite highlights using your dedicated hashtag. This creates a sense of community and keeps the buzz going.
Start a thread or discussion post where attendees can share photos, videos, and stories. Yes, this increases engagement, but it also provides you with user-generated content to highlight in future promotions.
Remember to respond to comments and keep the dialogue active. This shows that you value their participation and builds lasting connections for future events.
Now it’s time to dig into the data and see how well your social media efforts paid off. Analyzing and reporting on social media metrics is essential for understanding what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve.
Promoting your event on social media is more than a necessity—it's your ticket to creating an unforgettable experience. Engaging your audience before, during, and after the event can spark a buzz that builds a vibrant community around your brand.
Eventcube can be your trusted partner in this endeavour. Having worked with brands like Volkswagen and Uber (to name a few) the Eventcube team knows a thing or two about event promotion.
Its customizable event pages, seamless social media integration, and powerful marketing tools let you craft an event that stands out. The platform allows for advanced customization, ensuring your branding is consistent and appealing across all channels. Plus, robust analytics and reporting tools let you track engagement and fine-tune your strategies. Ready to take your event promotion to the next level? Get a free demo today.
Author Bio
Harry Flynn leads the digital marketing team at Twicsy, a site providing services to Instagram users. He enjoys travelling and relaxing with friends in his spare time.
We cover all things events on the Eventcube blog, from virtual to hybrid and beyond. Take a further read of some of our related events management guides below. Enjoy!
