Did you know that Facebook events are a great free tool for companies and individuals to use to promote an event? They allow you to gather an RSVP list, spread awareness of the event and company, and give you another way to interact with your audience.
Optimize Your Event For Success
To set your event up for success, here are 6 things you should consider doing before getting started.
- Event Name
Naming the event is a very important step. You want to make it something that is eye catching and can represent your brand in the best way possible. The name will appear in multiple places, so you want to make it something simple yet memorable.
If you want to go a step further, you can even create a tagline and make a hashtag to go with the event, that way people can hashtag their pictures they post on social media. Keep in mind that Facebook only allows your title to be 64 characters in length. So, keep it short and sweet.
- Finalize the Time and Location of the Event
Once you have the name squared away, finalizing the time and location are key. These are two questions that you will be asked to provide as soon as you start. However, when it comes to your location, keep in mind that it does not have to be an in person event!
There are three ways to host:
- In-Person: members of your audience come to a specified location in person.
- Facebook Live: You can set up a stream where you go live anywhere there is wifi or data connection!
- External Online Events: Are you more comfortable using Zoom or Skype? You can promote your live event through Facebook to spread the word and get RSVPs.
- Describing Your Event
Finding the right words to say is also very important for your event. It gives you an opportunity to promote your business as well as entice those who are interested in attending into actually making a commitment to join or participate. If you are having trouble describing your event, start by trying to answer these 3 questions – Who are you? What is the event? Why should someone attend?
- Is There a Cost to Attend?
Know ahead of time if your event has a fee attached to the attendance. If there is a fee…you can either decide to collect payment through Facebook or redirect them to a landing page to collect payment. Landing page options are often 3rd party tools such as Eventbrite or maybe even your own website with a payment option. Click here to learn how to create a paid online event.
- Determine If It’s Recurring
If your event is recurring, either daily or monthly, be sure to take advantage of the Facebook Event’s multiple date feature. This will allow you to group all of your event’s dates and times under one “umbrella” event.
If your event happens annually, create a new event as soon as you have a date and location. People like to plan ahead and that gives you another chance to bring attention to the event after its most-recent rendition is over.
- Create Graphics to Promote Your Event
Now that you have all of this information, you can create the most important item – the Graphic! The graphic is used to pull people to the event, provide brief information on the event, and bring more brand awareness. Getting this right at the beginning is crucial because you can use it over your social platforms to tell people about your event.
- Recommended size: 1920 x 1005 pixels (16:9 ratio)
- Minimum dimensions: 470 × 174
It is important to put extra time and effort into these items because this is what will draw people into your event – especially those that do not already “like” your page. Try to make it eye-catching with bright colors and use a bold font for the title. Don’t over-crowd it with too much informational text and make sure your logo is clearly visible for brand recognition.
If you don’t know where to start or have personal design skills, check out our blog: Simplify Your Social Media Strategy with Templates.
Publishing Your Event
Once you have done all of this preliminary work, it is time to create the event and publish! Luckily, Facebook has made this process very easy. All you have to do is fill in each box with the information you just compiled, load the amazing graphic you created, share with your followers and friends, and watch the RSVPS roll in.
Not only does having an RSVP list provide you with a list of people to expect, but it’s also a chance to invite more people to your page so they can stay connected with your company. If it’s not set to private, Events are open for anyone to see. This gives more people a chance to see what you have going on, therefore increasing your chances of more people attending! By utilizing the event’s discussion board, attendees can ask questions and invite their friends and family. All while highlighting your event and increasing brand awareness!
The sooner you create the post the better! We recommend creating it at least 1 month before the event is held. That way people have time to make plans to attend, as well as give Facebook longer to show off your event in their calendar!
Market Your Events with The Social Ginger
The Social Ginger is here to be your full-service social media marketing partner. Skip the hassle of marketing an event yourself! Our rockstar team of experts are happy to assist with the set-up process. What’s even better? We can also create a full graphics package to help promote your event not only on Facebook, but also across your other social media platforms. Set up a FREE discovery call today.
