Event Promotion Mistake #1 - Not using the right keywords.
A critical component of any online marketing is keyword research. The purpose of keyword research is to find the keywords people who are interested in your event are likely to type in major search engines (Google, Bing, etc.). Once you've identified 2-3 keyword phrases, make sure to use those keywords in the title, as well as the description of your event.
Event Promotion Mistake #2 - Not Having a Web Page for your Event.
The biggest mistake I see people making is promoting their events by attaching pdfs or jpgs to their email messages. There are at least 3 problems with this approach.
- In the majority of cases, these files are quite large and clog up their recipients email boxes.
- Many corporations block email attachments unless they come from a trusted source, so your event announcement may not get through.
- If the only notice of your event is an email attachment, you are crippling your efforts to promote the event via social media.
Fortunately, with services such as eventbrite.com, you can quickly create a web page for your event.
Event Promotion Mistake #3 - Starting Too Late.
In general, you want to begin your event promotion 6-8 weeks in advance. The higher the cost of the event, the earlier you should start.
Event Promotion Mistake #4 - Posting your Event Once.
If you think you can list the event once and never mention it again, you are wrong. Marketing research shows that it takes over 7 reminders to get people who are interested in your product or service to buy. Therefore, you must post your event multiple times, on multiple sites. My database of places to promote events, for example, has over 30 websites.
Event Promotion Mistake #5 - Not Leveraging Social Media
Social media presents a huge opportunity to get the word out about your event. Simply posting it to Twitter or Facebook once, however, is not where near enough. Can you think of at least 6 reasons people should attend your event? Create 6 short benefit statements and post them on Twitter, Facebook, etc. periodically to reach the largest audience possible.
Maximize your Event Registration
The next time you have an event to promote, maximize your chances of getting people to your event by avoiding these mistakes. I have used the steps outlined in this article to help clients attract 75-90% of the attendees at their events. If you need help promoting your event, ask us about our online event promotion services.
