This article was originally Business to Community on September 17, 2017.
People are increasingly holding webinars, workshops, conferences and other virtual and in-person events to expand their brands. This means you have to come up with creative strategies to promote your events. Fortunately, there are several online and offline options from which to choose. Unfortunately, the number of options can be overwhelming.
To help make your selection process easier, following are five must-use marketing tools to promote your online and in-person events.
Must-Use Event Marketing Tools
Flyers
Flyers are the most versatile promotional tools you can use. First of all, they contain all the relevant details about your event (theme, date, time, venue, cost, etc.). Secondly, you can distribute them online and offline with ease.
When you hand people flyers, they will glance at it. They may not read the entire document, but they’ll look at it. If you give them a flyer with an explanation, a conversation may spark and you can share more information. If this exchange does not take place, ask them to pass it on to people that could benefit from attending your event.
Convert your flyers into image files and then share them across your online properties as status updates, profile pictures and website headers.
Eventbrite
You should publish all your events on Eventbrite because it is your personal event management assistant. In addition to promoting your event, the program collects ticket money and allows you to communicate with attendees before and after the event.
After your event is published, it’s visible to everyone who searches Eventbrite for things to do. Also, social share buttons are provided so you can easily spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.
Blog Posts
If you have a blog, publish posts about all of your events. Add more details about the agenda, the speakers, the venue and other activities. To diversify the voices and perspectives on your site, invite presenters and sponsors to write guest posts.
Landing pages, event calendars and side bars are other places on your site where you can post and promote your event. Be sure to include a link to Eventbrite everywhere you post information on your site.
Meetup
If you are an organizer or member of Meetup groups, calendars and discussion boards are your friends. When new events and discussions are posted, all group members are notified.
On the other hand, if you are not a member of groups you want to market to, contact the organizers and ask them partner with you, if an opportunity exists. Also, ask them how much it would cost to advertise to their group. Make it a win-win for everyone.
Newsletters
Newsletters are the most direct communication tools in your arsenal because you are speaking to people who want to hear from you. Use them to notify readers of your event; to send them to your Eventbrite page to register; and to extend offers exclusively to this group.
What About You?
Which marketing tools do you use to market your events? How do you use them? Let us know in the comment box.