A major part of planning a successful event is figuring out how to effectively promote it. While word-of-mouth can help spread the word about your event, it’s not always the best idea to rely on that channel alone.
Fortunately, promoting your event online is one of the most cost-efficient ways of reaching a wide audience. You can present them with all the information they need to know about the event. Plus, online promotions help to generate buzz and even make it easier for guests to register or purchase tickets.
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of promoting your events online. Then we’ll offer four tips you can use to make your efforts more effective. Let’s get started!
The Importance of Promoting Your Events Online
The internet is one of the most powerful tools you can use to promote your events. Handing out flyers, hanging posters, and verbally spreading the word can be very limiting.
Promoting your events online lets you expand your reach and boost awareness. There are multiple platforms and channels you can leverage, including social media, to reach a wider audience. You can also target people who are interested in the type of event you’re promoting, and make it easy for those people to share the event’s details.
Another advantage of online event promotion is the variety of content at your disposal. For example, you can share videos showcasing past events to build excitement. In addition, you can create registration pages, blog posts, and email campaigns. There’s really no limit to how you can use the internet to provide valuable marketing materials and resources to your audience.
There are plenty of opportunities online, but there’s also a lot of competition. It can be an incredibly crowded environment. So if you want your promotions to stand out, it’s best to develop a strategy that includes three crucial elements of online marketing: a website, social media, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
4 Tips for Promoting Your Next Event Online
Making the decision to promote your events online is easy. It’s knowing how to go about it efficiently that can be tricky. Let’s take a look at four tips you can apply during your next event’s online promotion.
1. Created a Dedicated Events Website
While your business likely already has a website, it’s beneficial to create a separate site specifically for the event you’re promoting. Adding event pages to your existing website can cause unnecessary crowding and confusion. An event website, on the other hand, has a singular focus that’s less distracting.
Also, your event may have a different logo and branding than your company’s. Therefore, keeping the two separate can help deliver more direct and clear marketing and messaging. Additionally, a site dedicated solely to the event means a simpler Content Management System (CMS).
To create an event website, we recommended using WordPress.org:
WordPress is easy-to-use open-source software that lets you build a website even if you have little technical knowledge. Plus, you can create a site quickly using its plethora of documentation and support.
2. Install the Event Espresso Plugin
Another advantage of using WordPress for your event website is the range of plugins you can use to improve its design and functionality. In this case, our Event Espresso plugin is a powerful tool that can supercharge your event management and promotion:
You can use this event manager plugin to sell tickets on your site, create registration pages and signup forms, and much more. We offer a free version of the plugin, Event Espresso Decaf, so you can try out its core features. To take your event promotions to the next level, you can upgrade to one of its premium plans.
3. Make SEO a Priority
SEO is the process of trying to help your site rank more highly in search engine results. By optimizing your website for certain keywords and phrases, you can target users who are conducting searches related to your event.
There are many factors that go into SEO, and just as many strategies and best practices you can use to improve your rankings. To make all of this easier, we recommend using a tool such as Yoast SEO:
This free plugin is an effective way to ensure that the content you create and share on your WordPress site is search engine-friendly. It gives you a preview of how your site and posts will look and provides specific guidance on how you can improve your content before publishing it.
4. Leverage Social Media
Social media marketing is one of the best strategies you can incorporate into your event promotions. There is a wide range of techniques you can use on social media to get more eyes on your event.
For example, on Facebook, you can create an event group to generate buzz. Direct Facebook marketing is also an effective strategy for boosting ticket sales. You can include photos from past events, highlight key information and details, and direct members to registration pages.
Another way to enhance your event promotions on social media is by using hashtags. Creating a hashtag specifically for your event can help increase engagement and build awareness:
Finally, on most social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, you can create targeted ads. This lets you send personalized messaging to the users who are most likely to take an interest in your event.
Conclusion
One of the most important aspects of planning your event is making sure your promotions are effective. With people spending so much time on digital devices throughout the day, online promotions can be highly effective. However, you need to make sure that your message stands out.
As we’ve seen, there are four ways you can make promoting your next event online a success:
- Create a dedicated events WordPress site.
- Install the Event Espresso plugin.
- Make SEO a priority.
- Leverage social media.
Do you have any questions about promoting your events online? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image credit: Unsplash.
