Facebook Event Marketing Should Be Easy
Facebook has over 1 billion active users. You are throwing a party. It should be easy to get a few hundred people to accept your invite and come to your event…. right?
WRONG.
Theoretically this should be a cakewalk, but due to how easy it is to create an event and spam users, it has become increasingly difficult for you to get noticed amidst the noise. As a DJ, promoter, and Facebook user, I have encountered issues on all sides of this problem. Since last July, I’ve conceptualized, promoted, and successfully executed a new series of events (4 completed, 3 upcoming) using the following simple set of guidelines.
1. Events vs. Posts – Know when to use them.
Your Thursday night residency may not need an event page. If it’s a weekly party that YOU promote and DJ, that’s a different story. If you are part of a rotation of DJs hired by the club, post a status about it and text all your friends. The majority of people do not confirm “going” or “not going” to a weekly event. Even if they do, they may not go every week, so the numbers usually aren’t accurate. You don’t want to annoy your target audience, it’s way too easy to get ignored or blocked that way.
2. Connect with your audience.
Engage your event audience with links, photos, and videos, but make sure they are good quality and relevant to the event. Allow people to post questions and comments to the event page, but keep an eye on the content. Delete spam immediately, and answer any questions or concerns in a prompt manner. Be professional, friendly, and above all approachable (these are people that are coming to your events and spending money, so be nice).
3. Put in work, son.
Simply creating the event, inviting your friends, and having a cool flyer is NOT ENOUGH! The amount of invites that people receive on a daily basis is staggering. To cut through all the noise and be heard, you have to HUSTLE. Utilize all methods available to personally connect with your audience. Calling someone or texting them about your event adds a personal touch that stays with them. When said person then sees your link on Facebook they are much more likely to accept the invite, RSVP “going”, and actually come to your party.
4. Budget enough time to promote.
Timing is key. If you start promoting too early you risk people getting bored with your updates and not keeping track of your event. If you start promoting too late you risk people already having plans. A happy medium I’ve found (yours may vary) is 2 months. Below is a sample timeline of how I promoted my last 4 events.
A Facebook Event Promotion Timeline That Works
8 weeks away: Facebook post about the the event.
Make a regular Facebook post announcing the date, name, & location of your party.
7 weeks away: Create event with all relevant info and invite guests.
Create the actual Facebook event with comprehensive details and all pertinent event information. This includes the concept of the party, cover charge, timings, drink specials, DJs, etc.
6 weeks away: Post flyer for event.
Post the actual event flyer on Facebook. Have you or your designer make one that fits Facebook’s new cover photo size as well as a standard 11×17 poster. ***You can post this alongside the event, I just chose to space it out to build anticipation.
5 weeks away: Begin posting engaging content on your personal and event pages.
You can post links to online ticket sales, funny pictures, and music videos of songs you may play at the event.
3-4 weeks away: Start a paid ad campaign.
Create and execute an ad campaign that targets the demographic you want at your event. Stay tuned! Part 2 of this article will cover Facebook ads in detail.
1-2 weeks away: Make regular posts & announce promotions.
Gently remind people once every few days about your event in the form of a regular post. If you accompany this with pictures, music, or videos it will be more appealing to people. You can also try raffling off free tickets or merchandise if people share the event or invite their friends.
Day of event: Final posts, check-ins, and wall posts.
Make one final post letting people know the time and location of the party along with a link to the event page. When you get to the venue, a few updates can’t hurt either. Check yourself, bartenders, and any other promoters/DJs in to the event and location. During the party (or after, depending on how busy you are) it’s usually good to post some pictures of the crowd in action.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this article. We’ll cover Facebook event faux pas, how to target ads efficiently, and more!