If you’ve got a special local event coming up, you might be wondering how to spread the word and get as many people to come as possible. If that’s the case for you, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we’re going to look at how to drum up interest for your special event and get as many people there as possible.
After all, the success of your event could rely on getting enough people through the door – whether you’re doing things for charity or as a business venture. You don’t want to hire out a big venue only to have it half empty on the big day. Not only could that cost money, it could also be embarrassing. So if you’re trying to promote a local event effectively – don’t be shy. Get out there and spread the word. Oftentimes, the success of your even will come down to good honest hard work – so don’t delay and hit the streets today.
- Hand out leaflets
This one is simple, but it’s super effective. There’s a reason why people have been handing out flyers for decades – it works. You can print some cheap flyers out yourself, or rely on one of the many competitive local printing firms who offer professional promotional material at a much lower price than you might think. For the latter, check out Cartazes.pt.
Make sure you stand somewhere busy and hand out your flyers proactively. Try places with a lot of footfall, especially near offices before or after work, or in busy shopping areas. If you want to promote your event more effectively, then try talking to people as you hand them the leaflet. Even just a few simple words to everyone you hand flyers to could make them more likely to read the leaflet and more likely to actually attend the event.
You can find out more about promoting local events here.
- Advertise in your local newspaper
Because online advertising has taken a big chunk of their market – you can actually advertise in traditional newspapers for much less than you might think. The good thing is, people still read them. These are an especially useful way to reach out to people in your local area rather than online (which could see your adverts reaching people who are nowhere near your event).
Try phoning a few local newspapers and see how much they charge. You could get a small classified on the inner pages for next to nothing, but you might be surprised to know that you could even afford a front-page ad – which could really make an impact.
- Make sure your friends and family are helping to spread the word
If your friends know your friends know that you’re trying to promote a local event, they can help spread word of mouth for you. Don’t be shy about your event and make sure everyone knows about it.
- Use online directories and other sites to promote
There are actually loads of free places to promote local events online, so don’t ignore the internet as a platform for your event. Post simple ads to everywhere possible. Don’t be spammy, but try local forms and directories as a good place to start.
- Place adverts in shop windows
Many local businesses might be happy to promote your event under the right circumstances. In some cases, this sort of advertising could even be free. Use it to your advantage if you can.
- Advertise on the radio
You can’t beat a good bit of radio promotion to cut through to the sort of people who don’t really go online much. If you’re promoting a charity event, this sort of radio promotion could often be free. Try phoning local stations to get them involved. Even if it isn’t for charity, you might find this sort of advertising more affordable than you think.
- Use social media
Social media has become huge in recent years, and it’s one promotional tool you’d be foolish to try and avoid. There should be a number of local groups and other pages that you can reach out to. Once you get a few important local people talking about your even, your word could spread organically.
If you can think of a fun and entertaining way to talk about your event, you could create a viral hit that gets shared more and more. Every time someone shares this sort of content, they’ll help spread your message for you and reach even more potential event attendees.
Even if you can’t create a viral sensation overnight, you should still use social media. Post to the right relevant groups and hope people turn up.
- Go door to door
Remember those flyers you had printed to hand out on the street? If you’ve exhausted all those avenues, you could try delivering them door-to-door. If you’ve got the time, you could actually try knocking on doors and telling people about your event – but this is a time consuming option that might not really be worth it. But still, you could give it a go if you’re desperate.
- Use some industry-specific help
If you’re running an event in a particular industry, then make sure that industry is on board with helping you promote it. Other relevant businesses can help you with newsletter space or a few good links on their website (or on social media).
Furthermore, industry partners may offer valuable insights and advice on the most effective ways to market the event. Leveraging their expertise and connections can be mutually beneficial, allowing you to tap into their established networks.
One particularly effective strategy is to organize raffles or giveaways, where industry sponsors can contribute prizes that are highly relevant and appealing to the target audience. This not only generates excitement and participation but also serves as a fundraising mechanism, which can be directed towards charitable causes. Industry sponsors, when approached strategically, can be convinced to contribute to such initiatives, further strengthening the partnership and increasing the event’s overall impact.
Ultimately, the foundation for successful industry collaboration starts with understanding the logistics of hosting a raffle event and that begins by asking yourself, “how to do a raffle event?”. By securing the necessary information and planning effectively, you can then engage the industry and seek their support to promote your event thereby, achieving your desired objectives.
- Make sure your venue is in a good location and easy to find
Picking the right venue is also important for the success of your event. Make sure it’s in a good location and is easily signposted so people don’t get lost. If you do a good enough job here, you might even get passers by to enter your event who didn’t even find out about it from your other promotional efforts.
- Get a local celebrity involved
If you can get a popular local celebrity involved, they will make your event more popular and may also bring their own marketing power with them (like their own social media following etc). Try and get a popular local name to endorse and appear at your event.
- Use some specialist designs
The right design and decoration tweaks to your premises could help promote your event even more, click here for more on that.