The date is set. The venue is booked. All you need now is for people to show up. Don’t have much money to promote the event? No worries - if you’re looking for ways to promote your event on a shoestring budget, then read on. We’ve put together some top tips for promoting your event without you having to spend a dollar.
1. Harness the power of ‘Word of Mouth’
The first thing you can do to start building the awareness of your event is to put your list of contacts to work for you. You contact list could contain the names of:
- Suppliers you worked with for the event
- A database of past event attendees
- People working on the event
- Friends and family
- Sponsors
- The Entertainment / Acts / Speakers
Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools you can use to promote an event. Tell everyone you know about the event via email, newsletters and social media.
2. Offer early bird ticket specials online
Early bird ticket deals are a great way of generating a buzz about your event and more online ticket sales. One of the main benefits of early ticket sales is that these people become your promotions team on the ground. They are committed to going and are going to tell their friends about the event they have decided to go along to.
3. Tell the local press
Paying for an advert in the local press can be costly, however, you will find that the local media are always looking to feature local interest stories – so pick an angle for your event and pitch your story to them.
When practicing your pitch, ask yourself these three questions:
- What is the hook?
- What is the story?
- Why should they care?
Create a press release to accompany your story, which can be sent out to the local media outlets. Make sure you include all the key information about the event, such as time, date, location, ticket price and where they can buy tickets.
If you’re looking for local press contacts then this list from Fairfax is a great place to start.
4. Get your event listed online
There is a number of local and national event listing websites online, many of these offer free listings.
To find these websites try searching for ‘free event listings + your location’ in Google, or look for events sections on local council, newspaper and radio station websites.
5. Get busy promoting via Social Media channels
Social media is everywhere and most of your customers are using it – from music-loving teens to thirty-something sports fans and forty year old foodies.
Being present on major social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, provides a great opportunity to raise awareness about your event and boost ticket sales.
Having your suppliers/acts also give your event a plug to their social media followers can often deliver a fantastic free PR hit for your event.
For more tips and tricks about harnessing the power of social media read our article Social Media 101 for Event Managers here
6. Sell your tickets online
Selling your tickets via an online ticketing specialist, such as Ticketebo, can help you save on the high cost of printing tickets and paying for someone to manage the admin side of ticket sales.
Selling your tickets with Ticketebo is free for free events and paid events only incur a small consumer-booking fee.
7. Create an online event webpage
Your event webpage should be the cornerstone for all your marketing and promotional efforts. It’s an online hub that lets customers know all the key information about your event, such as time, date and location.
But creating this webpage doesn’t have to cost you money.
When you register your event with online ticketing software Ticketebo, you are able to create a webpage dedicated to your event for free. You can customise this page, adding all your event information, ticket prices and add images and logos.
Once you have created the webpage, you will have a custom URL that you can share via social media and email.
8. Run a competition online
Consider running a competition in the run up to the event to help promote your event. Think about offering extra free tickets, or discounted admission for anyone who buys a ticket online before the event.
Promote the competition on your social media channels and notify your contact list via email. Be sure to include the link to your Ticketebo event webpage.
Running competitions can help to create buzz around the event, encouraging people to like and share your event on social media with their friends and family.
If you are interested in learning more about online ticketing and registration solutions for your event, then speak to the team at Ticketebo today.
