When running an association event, it is essential to get people to the event to be a success. Knowing how to promote your event effectively is key in driving attendance. Promoting an event takes time and resources, meaning it is crucial to understand what you are doing from the beginning. Using a range of different promotional techniques will help you create the best strategy you can for your association event. Whether the event is virtual or in person, the following steps will support you when promoting a successful association event.
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1. Utilise social media
Posting regularly on social media platforms is a quick and free method to promote your association event. Uploading regular promotional content, including relevant hashtags and tagging related accounts, will provide regular promotion targeted towards the right audience for your event. The use of hashtags will ensure your content will get seen by your target audience, increasing the likelihood of active engagement and event attendance.
Creating graphics about your association event that you can upload to social media as advertising tools will help make a consistent promotion for your event. These graphics can be shared on your accounts and provided to sponsors and speakers of the event to upload to their accounts. Using the same graphics across multiple social media platforms will expand your reach and create a unified promotional campaign for your event.
2. Create promotional blog content
Generating interest around the topics covered in your event is important when promoting your association event. Creating relevant blog content will drive interest in the event and encourage appropriate parties to sign up to attend. Create content that drives interest in the event topic by discussing these from different perspectives and asking the reader questions. By utilising different perspectives on the topic, you target potential attendees and widen your audience. Posing questions leaves the reader questioning, encouraging them to sign up to the event to get the answers they are looking for. Utilise blog content to drive interest in the topic of your event, and this added interest will result in increased attendance.
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3. Repetition
Repetition is a highly effective tool to promote your event regardless of your platform. It is essential to always include the event name, date and time in all promotional material. Repeating this information throughout your promotional material will ensure that all who see them will know the key information needed to attend the event. Repeating critical information, imagery, and phrases creates a more vital and memorable message.
4. Promote directly
Utilise relevant contacts to generate interest in your event. Whether direct messaging those you think would be interested in attending the event or promoting it at networking meetings or professional 1-2-1’s. Sending direct email invitations helps create a direct relationship with attendees and allows you to promote your event directly to your target audience. By actively promoting your association event to your target audience, you are increasing the likelihood of relevant attendance as well as promotional support from colleagues and business acquaintances.
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When promoting your association event, it is vital to understand your target audience and reach them with your promotional material best. Once you know where you can engage with your audience, the above steps will help you create an effective promotional campaign for your event. Get in touch with Congrex Switzerland, your professional conference organiser (PCO), for hands-on support organising your association event.
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Congrex Switzerland is an internationally operating agency delivering customised solutions. This encompasses the overall organisation of conferences and meetings, including the management of hotel rooms and strategic consultancy. Annually Congrex Switzerland organises approximately 45 events with over 73’000 delegates. Amongst our clients are international associations, governmental organisations, and corporations.
