Published on October 31, 2022
You’ve selected a date for your event, the venue is booked, and the details are coming together! Now you need people to attend your event – but how will you determine where your target market resides in a digital landscape? Our clients often ask us how they can increase their attendance, so our savvy marketing team created several tips for your event marketing strategy so you can increase ticket sales without breaking the bank and reach a larger audience to share your message and create brand awareness.
Post your Event on the Shaw Centre Website
One of the easiest ways of promoting your event at the Shaw Centre is simply filling out our Calendar of Events Form. Our calendar of events page is one of our highest visited pages, exposing your event to those looking to attend future events. This is free of charge to anyone hosting an event with Shaw Centre.
Advertise with Shaw Centre
If you’re looking to take your event promotion to the next level, the Shaw Centre is an impressive place to make an impression! We have several digital advertising options that will create a lasting impact. For instance, our newsletter, sent to over 3,000 subscribers every month, offers banner ads in optimal placements, so your ad is seen and clicked! We also offer sponsored blog posts that live on our website, with the subject of your choice and written by our marketing team and published on Facebook and Instagram. With hundreds of thousands of visitors to our site each year, website ads are also beneficial; your ad is placed within a rotation on each of our main pages.
Design an Email Signature Banner
Adding a banner to your email signature can significantly impact and create buzz about your event. Have your entire team insert the banner into their signatures that link to your event page. Voilà! Your daily emails are doing the promotional work for you at zero cost! Ensure your graphic is neat and concise and only includes the necessary details to gain clicks.
Create an event-specific website or webpage
Creating a central location that users can easily access is critical to the success of your event. If the user cannot find the information they are searching for, this may deter them from attending. Ensure your site/page has all the relevant information and focuses on one conversion goal. Include the following sections; the event schedule, registration, description, locations, maps, guest speakers, and a section for frequently asked questions. Including testimonials of previous attendees shows great value in your event. Ensure you’re tracking data from your webpage to help further your marketing efforts and determine the ROI.
See SAAS North’s website as a fantastic example.
Harness the Power of Social Media
We can’t ignore the immense potential social media platforms present. With nearly 3 billion monthly users, Facebook is a great place to start. Facebook has a free event posting feature where you can post all your event information and invite attendees.
With the algorithm constantly changing organic content, gaining visibility is becoming increasingly difficult. We highly recommend setting aside some budget to promote your event. A little goes a long way! Facebook lets you drill down into the options; you can target your audience based on their location, interests, age, and other demographics. Once you’ve determined those options, it will show you the potential reach each day and give you a report at the end of your campaign.
Instagram rolled out a new feature earlier this year called “reminders.” When you construct a new post about your event, you’ll see the option to “Add Reminder” you can then include the event name, date, and start time. In addition, the post will include a button to view the event details; users can also receive reminders before your event starts.
Create a content strategy leading up to your event. Release teasers such as décor, food, beverage, and any behind-the-scenes footage you can share in building anticipation. Partnering with a local influencer can also help increase awareness surrounding your event. Search for influencers who align with your brand values and the nature of your business. For example, a donut shop may partner with a foodie influencer.
Giveaways
Everyone loves to win a contest! Giveaways can truly drive engagement and more registrations to your event. Create a posting for free tickets to your event through your social media channels. Make a simple set of rules to enter your content and ensure users need to tag friends in your post and share to their stories for extra exposure. This doesn’t cost much and has an epic ROI.
Email Blasts
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is still effective! In fact, 76% of event marketers say email marketing is the most targeted channel to increase attendee registrations. Take advantage of your email lists! Use pre-existing lists to tell your subscribers about your event. You already know they care about your content and your business, so the chances of them attending your event are probable. Ensure to have a strong subject line. Keep it short yet to the point so the user wants to learn more and will open the email. Adding social media buttons to your email can also entice readers to share your event via their social channels. When the event wraps up, you can use your email lists to send out post-event surveys to learn more about the logistics of your event and what was successful and what wasn’t, so your next event will be absolutely flawless!
