Send out “save the dates” early. People are busy, busy, mate! Make sure early on that you make it to their calendars. You don’t want to hear someone at the other end of the line going “I’ll see if I can fit it in”.- Create social media profiles. As part of your branding, consider creating social media profiles for your event, specially if you plan for it to be a recurring one. Study your target and decide on which outlets will work best in the particular case.
- Create a hashtag. A hashtag lets you to keep track of what people are saying about the you and in turn, your attendees will feel like they’re part of a group. Just remember to keep it short and simple!
- Target Influencers. Influencers are trend setters with ones with thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) followers. Being mentioned by one of these people on social media will get you an insane amount of leads. If the influencer trusts you then the others will as well.
Interview the star of your event. It may be a speaker at an expo or an artist the opening of an art gallery, but most events have a star. Hire a freelance journalist and have them conduct the interview. You can later distribute it as a PDF format or even a video to create a connection with your guests and give them a glimpse of what they’ll find at the event.- Run an online giveaway or raffle. A good way to create buzz around an event is to organise a contest. Create hype weeks prior to the date and announce the winner at the end of the event to motivate attendees to see the entire thing through.
- Create public events on Facebook and Meetup. People in the area and friends of friends can easily find out about your event using these sites.
Take advantage of LinkedIn and Facebook groups (especially for professional events). These are places where people are already looking for professional opportunities, so chances are you’ll at least catch the eye of some interesting connections here.- Hand out creative flyers. Design a flyer that people would like to collect instead of throwing away. Experiment with textures, colours, forms and types of papers. If you need inspiration, here you may find some.
- Approach Local Businesses. Strike a deal; perhaps in exchange for handing out your flyers, they might want to showcase their products at your event. This can be a good way to cut expenses on catering, decorations, etc.
- Also, give people an incentive to register early. Things like “early bird” discounts help attendees commit to coming to your event well in advance and will make time to come to it. They’ll also help you get a better idea of how many people are going to show up.
- Promote the event location, especially if it’s somewhere cool or interesting. Being able to see an exclusive part of a historical building or getting access to a special rooftop bar may convince some curious people to come and check out your event.
- Try to convince people in the industry to promote your event. Send them a quick personalised message and see if they’d be willing to help you spread the word. Lots of people are willing to lend you a hand if you just ask!
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Tips that will help you get more people to attend your event
