These tips can help you get the best results from promoting your event on social media.
#1 DO create a Facebook Event for your event
Why should you do this? First, it’s free. Who doesn’t love the free promotion of an event? Second, anyone who searches for things to do in your town or upcoming events on Facebook can be shown your event.
When you create the event, be sure to share it on your page. Also, add in all of the details (time, location, sponsors, description, schedule, etc) and post some photos from previous years to the event. Every once and a while, post a reminder about ‘XX days until’ or ‘we just added this’ or ‘tickets are selling fast’ to the event.
#2 DO post your event on Google My Business, Eventbrite, and other event sites.
If you don’t have your business or organization on Google My Business (GMB), go set it up or go claim your listing. It’s worth it and it doesn’t cost you a thing. When your event is posted on GMB, it is searchable on Google when people look for things to do in the area. It may appear in this box (see below) with styling that makes it stick out on the search engine results. Be sure to include an eye-catching image in your event post.
You can also have your event show up in Google search results by making sure you have event structured data on your website. Click here to find out how event structure data works.
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#3 DO create Twitter posts about your event – both before and after the event
Google organic search results about a specific location-based topic often show the “Popular on X (formerly Twitter)” search box. It’s another opportunity to post information about your event and have it catch someone’s eye. Use keywords that include your location (try ‘name of town’ or ‘name of town downtown’, etc.)
#4 DON’T assume your followers know what your event is about
When you create a social post that states “The ‘name of of event’ is coming up soon! Don’t miss out – get your tickets today.”, there are people out there who have no idea what the event is or why they might want to go.
Every time you post about your event, include a description of the event or a tagline with the most important benefits to attendees. Here’s an example “Shop amazing discounts at your favorite downtown stores while enjoying wine tasting with your friends at the February unWine Downtown – February 16th starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are only $10 and you can save 20% in participating stores (wine included). Tickets are selling fast – get yours today!”
Include the location and date/time in your post if you can. Just because you are very familiar with the event and post about it every year doesn’t mean that your followers are familiar with it. Make it clear to them why they should go and what they get out of it as well as who is the target audience (i.e. use words like family friendly or kid friendly where appropriate).
Be careful about adding too much text in your image for the event. Images with tons of text on them still tend to get less exposure on certain social apps. Instead, include the information in the text of the post.
#5 DO share the event to any relevant community Facebook groups.
Group names often include ‘things to do in YOUR TOWN,’ ‘What’s going on in YOUR TOWN,’ or ‘REGION NAME + TYPE OF ACTIVITY,’ for example. You can search for these groups, join as your business or organization or as your personal profile, and post the information about your event. It is always better if you are an active member of the group.
#6 DON’T forget to tag relevant businesses, organizations, or people when you post about vendors, sponsors, performers, volunteers, or staff participating in your event.
People love to see someone they know on social media. Their friends and followers will interact with the post and may share it as well, increasing the visibility of your post.
#7 DON’T use only the name of your event as your event title in posts, Google My Business event posts, etc.
Mix it up with something to catch the eye of your reader. For example, if you have an unWINE event, you can call it “UnWine: Shop discounts while wine tasting Downtown.” This makes it a lot easier for people unfamiliar with the event to find out what it is about and why it benefits them.
#8 DO use different post formats to reach your audience and reach a new audience
Mix up your posting by creating reels, stories, text posts, image posts, and carousels. Different post types may work better for your followers. Reels and stories may help introduce your brand to a new audience.
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#9 DO reach out to Chambers of Commerce in the area and ask them to help you promote the event
If you are a Chamber, reach out to the Chamber in the next town over. People will often travel to big events, so their followers would be interested. You can make an arrangement to cross-promote each other’s events. It boosts the visibility of both Chambers.
If you are a business, the Chamber will share your event information – particularly if you are a member. If you aren’t a member, what a great time to join! Chambers usually have newsletters, social media accounts, and calendars that can be used to promote local events.
#10 DO share photos from previous years
Undoubtedly, you have hundreds of photos from your event. Be selective in which ones you post. Photos showing people having fun or close-ups of amazing food, vendors, etc. are usually a good choice.
The photos should be clear and those having a single focus are usually better at getting attention. Photos from a distance that show just a jumble of people aren’t always a good choice.
Don’t post everything you have – not all photos are good quality. Even better – if you have professional photos – these are usually the best!
Summary
Follow these tips and use these ideas to promote your upcoming event on social media. You’ll reach more people and have better results!