How to Get the Most Out of Your Promotional Event
Planning a promotional event for your business only to have a small number of attendees show up can be disappointing. And salt is added to the wound when you take a moment to reflect on how much time and money went into the process.
Fortunately, there are ways to ensure your next event will be all that you envision, making your efforts worthwhile.
Tip 1: Use Social Media to Promote Your Event
Are you already connected with your customers and prospects through the company’s mailing list? If so, take things a step further and invite them to join the conversation on your company’s social media platforms. That way, they can receive additional correspondence and receive real-time updates regarding your company’s next promotional event. Furthermore, it’s much quicker to share a status update with a group of friends than it is to forward an email newsletter.
Additional ways you can harness the power of social media promotion include:
- Create an event on Facebook and LinkedIn. WiredImpact.com recommends that the events contain a clear photograph along with specific details including the date, time, location of the venue and a vivid description. You’ll also want to share the link to this with others across social media platforms and encourage input of attendees by posing a question or seeking input from those who are not page administrators.
- Create a Twitter hashtag containing the name of your event. Be sure to remind all those attending your party to include the hashtag when posting something to Twitter regarding your event so that you can monitor and engage in the conversation using the search function, or some other unique program such as HootSuite.
Tip 2: Hit Up Local Media Outlets
Lifehack.com recommends that those looking to promote an event reach out to local radio stations, community centers, newspapers and websites that may be willing to share the details in exchange for cross promotion. When making your pitch for a media sponsorship, emphasize the primary benefits the media outlet will derive so it’s viewed as a win-win situation for both parties.
Tip 3: Have a Mobile Credit Card Processor on Hand
With cash becoming a scarce resource people rarely have on hand, having a mobile payment processor at your event is crucial to its success. Flint is a great app for this purpose as it is subscription free and only requires the completion of a brief online registration form and the tap of a button to download. Some features that make Flint a particular must-have include:
- It’s customizable
- It complies with industry security standards
- It’s capable of reading EMV smart credit cards
- You can send electronic invoices directly from your mobile device
- It’s swipe free. Simply scan any credit card to complete a transaction.
Tip 4: Don’t Forget the Minor Details
With all the hustle and bustle that goes into planning a promotional occasion, it’s easy to overlook the minor details, such as including the start and end time on correspondence. Be sure to create a list of the minor details from the very start and check them off as you complete them.
Tip 5: Always Have a Plan B
When planning an outdoor wedding, the couple usually has an alternative venue in mind in case inclement weather surfaces on the big day. You should follow the same approach when planning your next promotional event and take the time to consider what could go wrong during all aspects of it.
Planning an event properly is a time consuming endeavor. However, if you take the time to do everything well, it can turn out to be so much more than you ever thought possible.
For more tips on how to plan your next great event, and ways to leverage social media to achieve success, contact Dream Local Digital today.
