In the digital age, when you want to stay on top of the event marketing game, you shouldn’t rely strictly on traditional media advertising.
Throughout the years, digital marketing has become crucial to a brand’s success as the market turns to focus more on technology. Consumers used to turn to newspapers, flyers, radio, and TV for the latest events, but now they head straight to the virtual world to get all the information they need to know.
When it comes to advertising your event, the key step is to decide which platform you will focus on. After all, it’s better to have an established presence on one channel than to have a futile existence on many. But, which platform will work best for your event marketing?
The key is to be where most of your potential attendees are. You need to understand who your audience is and investigate where they spend most of their time. It is only then that you can determine which of the following platforms is your best pick:
1. Facebook
Facebook is easily the most popular social media platform out there, having over 2 billion monthly active users to date. Its following consists of a diverse set of users across different ages, genders, and income levels, offering a great opportunity to reach out to both the younger generation and online adults.
But there are things to be careful of. The News Feed has too much clutter and the recent algorithm changes may not favor your current marketing strategies. Despite them, Facebook still has other functions that you can explore such as its Event Page.
- Event Page
You may already have a business Facebook page but it is a place to engage with your audience and not a place to advertise your events. You will need to create a specific Events Page if you want your event to get noticed and get the benefits of helpful event marketing features.
2. Instagram
Instagram is another great platform for events. It has over 800 million monthly active users composed primarily of Internet users between ages 18 and 29 (59% of the number) and 33% of users between ages 30 and 49.
Although these demographics already make Instagram a good candidate in itself, its Instagram Stories – among many other game-changing tools – offers an additional avenue to reach potential attendees. Here are some other Instagram hacks you can use to promote your event:
- Hashtags – Using hashtags helps users easily find posts about your event. Make sure that the hashtag you’re using is original and is not currently being used.
- Share Behind-the-Scenes – Use Instagram Stories to take your audience behind the scenes. Prior to the event, film insider peeks that hint on what the venue will look like and who will be attending.
- Know When to Post – A little research to identify when most of your followers are online can go a long way. It’s more beneficial to post when your audience is most active.
Did You Know? Your Instagram efforts work particularly better when paired with Facebook. When shared on Facebook, an Instagram post receives 23% more engagement than the ones published on Facebook alone.
3. Snapchat
Snapchat started as a photo messaging app until it evolved to become a trendy option for event marketing. It has over 173 million users daily of which 70% are women and many of whom are in their teens and twenties. So, if your target audience is mostly women, then Snapchat is the place to be.
The app can take some time and practice to get used to, particularly when advertising an event or any other business sense. But, when you get the hang of it, even simple promotions can make a great impact.
- Post at the Right Time – The beauty of Snapchat lies in the fact that Snaps expire after a period. So like Instagram, posting messages at the right time is essential.
- Share Live Videos – Furthermore, Snapchat allows you to share snippets of your event. It enables users who may not be able to attend to still share in the experience.
- Exclusive Offers – It’s also possible to announce platform-specific offers through videos. For instance, launch a contest that awards the one that publishes the most viewed Snapchat Story of your event.
Where to Start?
Social media is another powerful tool to integrate into your event marketing techniques. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat offer the best platforms to reach your targeted audience. But, you shouldn’t forget that there are far more social networks to explore – LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest to name a few – and it’s up to you to find the one that will work best for you.