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Event Marketing: How To Promote an Event on Social Media.
Social media marketing has become an invaluable tool for promoting events in the UK. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter providing direct access to millions of potential attendees, ignoring social media means missing out on huge exposure for your event.
This blog post will provide tips and strategies for using social media to effectively promote your next event and boost attendance.
Why Social Media Event Marketing is Crucial
With over 52 million social media users in the UK, promoting your event on social platforms provides unparalleled reach. You can directly target relevant demographics, interests and locations to ensure your event appears in the feeds of your ideal attendees.
Social media also allows you to generate buzz and excitement around your event. By sharing teasers, behind-the-scenes content and sneak peeks, you can get attendees amped up and ready to buy tickets. Interacting with your target audience online also helps build a loyal community eager to engage with your brand.
Most importantly, social media marketing is extremely cost-effective compared to traditional advertising methods. You can reach thousands of targeted users through organic and paid campaigns for a fraction of the cost of print, TV or radio promotions. For events on a budget, social media simply can’t be ignored.
Choosing the Right Social Platforms
With so many options out there, how do you know where to focus your social media event marketing? The platforms you choose should align with your target demographic and content style. Here are some of the top channels for promoting events in the UK:
As the largest social network in the UK with over 46 million active users, Facebook provides an unrivalled scale. Their advanced ad targeting makes Facebook perfect for reaching very specific demographics interested in your event. You can create an event page to share all the key details as well as advertise to local followers.
The visual nature of Instagram makes it ideal for sharing engaging photos and videos that capture the essence of your event. By partnering with relevant influencers, you can get your event in front of their loyal followers. Instagram Stories and Reels are great for teaser content and behind-the-scenes footage.
Twitter / X
While smaller than other platforms, Twitter’s active user base makes it a powerful tool for engaging event attendees through real-time updates. Promoted Tweets allow you to target users by interests and behaviours. Twitter Chats also present opportunities to connect with industry influencers.
With 27 million members in the UK, LinkedIn provides access to a professional audience. Promoting your event via LinkedIn Groups, Sponsored Content and targeted messaging can generate leads among motivated B2B attendees.
TikTok
TikTok has exploded in popularity across all demographics, especially among younger users. Its focus on short viral videos makes it easy to generate buzz through dance challenges, trending audio and other creative content.
Crafting Social Media Content That Converts
Simply posting about your event won’t guarantee engagement and ticket sales. You need to create content tailored to each platform that captivates your target audience. Here are some tips:
Leverage Influencers and Industry Experts
Partnering with influencers and thought leaders provides social proof and expands your reach. Identify relevant voices to share event details and endorse your brand.
Go Behind-the-Scenes
Give attendees insider access through sneak peeks, venue tours and introductions to speakers/performers. This builds anticipation and exclusivity.
Share User-Generated Content
Encourage attendees to post with your event hashtag by re-sharing their photos/videos and interacting with their content. This boosts exposure and engagement.
Create Shareable Video Content
Video content tends to drive the most engagement on social media. Create teasers, explainers, interviews and more using compelling visuals.
Run Contests and Polls
Encourage participation through giveaways, sweepstakes and other interactive content like polls and quizzes. Offer prizes like free tickets or VIP access.
Respond to Questions and Feedback
Proactively respond to comments and messages across platforms. Quick responses build community and resolve issues early.
Use Hashtags Strategically
Research relevant hashtags and encourage use without going overboard. Mix topical and branded tags for discoverability.
Retarget Website Visitors
Use pixels to track event website visitors and then remind them about the event via social media ads.
Promote Early and Often
Start teasing your event weeks or months in advance. Ramp up promotions as the event approaches with greater frequency.
Measuring Event Marketing Success on Social
It’s crucial to analyse the performance of your social media event marketing. Here are some key metrics to track:
- Engagement Rate – Calculate likes, comments, shares, etc. divided by total reach. Benchmarks vary by industry and platform.
- Click-Through Rate – For promoted/sponsored posts, these measures link clicks divided by impressions. Aim for 1-2% or more.
- Website Traffic – Track traffic driven from social media channels to your event site using UTMs or analytics.
- Ticket Sales – Connect your registration system to track sales generated via social media links/ads.
- Attendee Sentiment – Monitor social conversations for positive and negative feedback around your event.
- Audience Growth – Analyse follows/likes on your event pages and profiles before vs. after promotions.
Continuously optimizing based on these metrics will improve future social media event marketing results.
Top Event Marketing Tips for Each Major Platform
While social strategies should be tailored for each event, here are some best practices for making the most of key platforms:
- Create an official event page with all key details
- Use Facebook events ads to promote to local followers
- Go Live to give behind-the-scenes access
- Share event updates in relevant Facebook Groups
- Post visually engaging, high-quality photos and videos
- Use Instagram Stories for teasers and countdowns
- Partner with influencers to reach new audiences
- Leverage user-generated content with a branded hashtag
- Tweet out real-time updates during your event
- Run Twitter polls to engage your audience
- Use relevant hashtags to tap into larger conversations
- Promote tweets to target followers by interest
- Publish blog articles around event topics to establish expertise
- Join active LinkedIn Groups to share event details
- Encourage speakers and sponsors to share event promotions
- Follow up with connections via targeted messaging
TikTok
- Create fun, viral content around hashtag challenges
- Use popular music and effects to make engaging videos
- Collaborate with influencers aligned to your event niche
- Interact with your audience through duets, stitches and comments
Promote Events on Social Media and Increase Attendance
By leveraging the unique features of each social platform, event organisers can gain incredible exposure and engagement with relevant audiences in the UK.
Focus on providing value through exclusive content and interactions that gets attendees excited to participate. Track performance closely and optimize your efforts over time.
Done right, social media marketing can become one of the most cost-effective tactics for selling more tickets and packing your next event.
What social media strategies have you found most effective for promoting your events? Get in touch and let us know what works for you.