Yep, this old chestnut again!
We say it a lot, because it’s absolutely vital. Just like with copywriting, or any other form of marketing, the key to success is pitching your event to the right people and promoting it in the right places. If you’re holding a heavy metal festival, for example, your local care home might not be the right place to advertise it…
Know who you’re aiming your event at and work out where to find them, both online and off. That way you’ve got a better chance of them seeing your promotion and – hopefully – coming along!
We get it: planning an event can be a costly business. You’ve got room hire, staff and lots more to consider. But don’t forget to factor in event promotion when you’re budgeting…
We’re not saying you need to blow everything on advertising, but professionally designed and printed posters are a great place to start. After all, the more polished your advertising looks, the greater the level of trust you build with potential event attendees. Similarly, paid ads on social media can help you reach a wider audience.
Again, knowing your audience will give you a better idea of what you need to pay for, so do your research and spend wisely!
When you’re promoting an event, eye-catching imagery is crucial.
Keep your imagery consistent with your branding, so people recognise your posts when they’re scrolling online and remember that any fonts used should be legible – you might think it looks cool, but it’s no good if nobody can read it!
Don’t neglect print advertising – despite the fact that we’re all online these days (or perhaps because of that!), printed brochures and leaflets can still have enormous impact.
When producing graphics or imagery, make sure the colours don’t clash and the meaning is clear. If you’re designing social graphics, posters or brochures yourself, we recommend reading our blog on graphic design.
It’s not just the imagery you choose that needs to be engaging – anything you write needs to hook people in straight away!
Start with the basics: anything you write to promote your event should be accurate, grammatically correct and entertaining to read. Put yourself in the shoes of an event attendee – what would you want to know in advance? Make sure you’ve included all the important info and monitor any posts you make online, so you’re on hand to answer any further questions people may have.
Eye-catching imagery is vital, but so is the text that goes along with it. From press-releases and detailed information leaflets, to snappy social posts and behind-the-scenes blogs, don’t discount the importance of quite literally spreading the word…
Planning an event can be hectic and you might find that it often feels as though there aren’t enough hours in the day for all the jobs you have to do! We fully recommend making use of scheduling tools as part of your online event promotion. If you can upload your blogs and social media posts in advance and schedule them to go out as your event gets closer, you’ll leave yourself free to get on with other tasks!
Video can be a powerful tool in event promotion! Video is more likely to get people to stop scrolling and pay attention, so consider using it as part of your promo plan. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at how your preparations are going, or highlights from a previous event, there are lots of ways to use video to get people talking!
Believe it or not, we’ve encountered people and organisations who’ve clung tightly to the view that “if you build it, they will come,” only to be surprised to discover that actually planning an event doesn’t guarantee you any attendees if that event isn’t promoted!
Similarly, leaving things to the last minute is a dangerous game to play. Great promotion starts weeks, if not months before your event takes place. You’ll need time to whet people’s appetites, to build up brand recognition and to ensure you’ve got all the information a person might need in order to buy a ticket to your event (or even just pop the date in their diary!). So, as soon as the event is confirmed, start your promo!
We’ve got a helpful checklist for you to refer to, when event promotion feels a struggle. Ask yourself the following questions and if the answer is “no,” then you know what you need to work on!
We hope we’ve shared some of the tools you’ll need to promote your event in this blog, but if you’d rather focus on planning and let us take the promotional reigns, just drop us a line and we’ll be happy to help!
New year, new start! Now’s the time to get thinking about giving your website a revamp, changing up your promotional campaigns or even starting over from scratch!
If that all sounds a bit daunting, don’t panic – we’re here to help with some “new year” tips to get you started…
Illustration is all around us, from the pages of our favourite books, to the eye-catching images in computer games and animated TV shows. The festive season brings illustration into sharper focus, with beautifully designed Christmas cards and pretty wrapping paper. So, we thought what better time of year to put together a blog in which we share some of our favourite illustrations?!
To find out more, read on…
Today is “Read A Book Day” and we’re more than happy to curl up with a good page-turner! But without beautiful book design, we’re not going to stay glued to our latest read. With the rise of self-publishing, anyone can become an author, but the path to print success can be tricky to navigate. Thankfully, if you’ve got a story to tell, we’re on hand to help bring it to life!
