Facebook is all about community. The company’s stated mission is “to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”
Since the social network’s launch in 2004, it has amassed billions of users from around the world – – users who have built thousands of groups around shared interests and causes. This is what makes Facebook the perfect platform to promote your event.
Whether you are putting together an online function or a local brick and mortar gathering, you have the opportunity to save both time and money while getting the word out about your event to a broad audience.
Here are five best practices for promoting an event on Facebook:
(1) Create a countdown.
Build anticipation for your event by posting a visual countdown every few days leading up to it. This can be down via a simple graphic with numbers (e.g. 9 MORE DAYS UNTIL XXX!, 5 MORE DAYS UNTIL XXX!, etc.) or you can use an infographic, short video, flashy GIF or a combination of all of these. Such constant reminders will not only keep the event at the forefront of participants’ minds, but also generate buzz as they share the countdown posts and discuss with others what they expect from the event.
(2) Give something away.
Nothing grabs people’s attention like freebies. Use this to your advantage by giving away something in connection with your upcoming event. For example, if the event has to be attended in person, promote it by giving away a pair of free tickets. You can also ask that participants post about the event on their Facebook wall. This way, it helps to get users and attendees engaged. If they do so, they will receive a $5 Amazon gift card or the like.
(3) Give accurate data.
Facebook often recommends events to users based on certain factors. Most of these users may not be connected to your page; therefore, it is important that you input the right data, so Facebook can target those who will be interested in what you’re promoting. Be sure to select the appropriate event category and add the appropriate tags.
(4) Share the load.
It may be that you are not the only one promoting an event. If other people and organizations are helping you, add the event to calendars on their Facebook pages. You can do this by: 1) Click the “More” dropdown on your event next to “Invite”, 2) Click “Add to Page”. This allows the event to be discovered by those who follow their pages, as well as yours.
(5) Interact.
If people RSVP your event, respond to them personally. Either send them a direct message or post to their wall thanking them for their decision to attend. If they said “no” to the event, thank them anyway and consider asking why they decided not to attend. Were they are not interested? Is the date, location, etc., not right for them? Answers to these and other questions will help you better plan events in the future. Additionally, if people ask questions about the event, respond to them immediately as doing so can push them to attend the event.
What are some best practices that you have used to promote events on Facebook? Share them with us in the comments below.