Creating a phenomenal event is just the first step. Strategic event promotion is essential to truly generate buzz and pack the house. It’s about crafting a message that resonates with your ideal audience and ignites their interest. But how do you ensure your promotion is on point?
That’s why we’re sharing 12 event promotion ideas to drive ticket sales. Get ready to explore unconventional strategies, discover innovative ways to engage your audience, and leave with a toolbox of ideas guaranteed to boost ticket sales and turn your event into a resounding success.
1. Start With an Event Website
Imagine a central hub for your event, where attendees can find all the necessary details in one place. Such is the power of an event website. It informs everyone about registration details and schedules, speaker bios, and venue information.
Building an event website doesn’t have to be a technical hurdle. Whova’s user-friendly website builder, with its drag-and-drop functionality and pre-designed templates, makes creating a professional website easy.
You also don’t need coding knowledge, which saves time and effort. Perhaps that’s why the number of event websites has increased 52% over the last year. Without a website, attendees might struggle to find key details, impacting your event’s turnout.
2. Create a Social Media Scavenger Hunt
Social media scavenger hunts boost brand awareness and generate excitement by using gamification, which appeals to people’s natural desire for fun, competition, and achievement.
The premise is simple: You create a digital adventure in which participants search social media platforms for hidden clues in the hopes of winning a prize. Scavenger hunts also allow you to showcase different aspects of your event in fun and memorable ways.
Each clue could be a photo, video snippet, or riddle referencing your event name—the options are endless. By following your online clues and posting their progress, participants can generate excitement for the big day.
3. Host Exclusive Pre-event Networking Opportunities
Exclusivity is a highly effective marketing strategy that makes experiences and things more desirable. You can utilize this principle by hosting limited-seat workshops and VIP experiences to increase ticket sales.
- Limited-Seat Workshops: These exclusive sessions offer attendees a chance to gain valuable skills and insights they can’t access in the main conference. The limited availability creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity, encouraging early registration and attracting high-value attendees willing to pay a premium for this unique experience.
- VIP Experiences: Elevate your event with VIP packages with private meet-and-greets with speakers, backstage tours, or access to a dedicated VIP lounge. These perks position your event as a premium gathering for industry leaders.
4. Get Influencers and Keynote Speakers to Promote
Keynote speakers, industry leaders, or celebrities can elevate your event’s perceived value and attract a wider audience. The opportunity to learn from and network with these figures inspires attendees to register and participate.
When choosing a speaker, consider their expertise, communication skills, and ability to connect with your audience. Also include emerging voices who bring fresh perspectives and generate excitement.
Their promotion strengthens your event’s reach, while your platform allows them to connect with a relevant audience and solidify their brand. Consider equipping keynote speakers with pre-made content kits. Pre-written social media posts, email templates, and graphics make it easier for them to share your event with their audiences.
5. Offer Discounted Early-bird Tickets
Early-bird tickets are a powerful tool in an event organizer’s arsenal. They incentivize early registrations and tap into fundamental human psychology to drive sales.
Here’s how they work:
- Scarcity and Value: Attendees perceive early-bird tickets as valuable opportunities that won’t last forever. This urgency motivates them to secure their spot before the price increases.
- Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Highlighting the limited-time nature of the discount triggers FOMO. Attendees don’t want to miss the potential savings and the chance to be part of an exclusive group (early registrants).
When crafting your early bird message, clearly state the discount end date, highlight the amount saved, and use words like “limited” or “exclusive” to increase ticket sales. Check out the event registration platforms such as Whova that allow you to offer early-bird tickets at ease.
6. Use Competitions to Drive Registrations
Interactive competitions are great event promotion ideas to light a fire under your event registrations, boost engagement, and drive signups. Photo contests themed around your event or creative caption challenges related to your speaker line-up are just two ideas to inspire you.
Ensure you offer attractive prizes like free tickets, exclusive merchandise, signed books, or meet-and-greet with speakers. Then, promote your competitions across social media platforms, requiring participants to tag friends and use a designated event hashtag.
This tactic expands your reach and attracts new attendees who may otherwise not have known about your event. It also boosts online engagement and spreads the word about your event organically.
7. Reach Future Attendees with Email Marketing
Email marketing returns $36 for every $1 spent, providing a 3600% return on investment. The secret to such high returns lies in audience segmentation, which divides your email list into groups based on interests, demographics, or previous attendance.
Once you’ve segmented attendees, you can build drip campaigns – automated emails sent at strategic intervals. The purpose of these marketing campaigns is to nurture leads, build relationships, and increase event attendance.
You’d typically start with informative emails introducing your event and its value, follow up with content that builds excitement, and capitalize on attendees’ fear of missing out with reminders to register and secure their spot.
8. Design a Custom AR Filter
Augmented Reality (AR) filters gamify the promotion process, turning passive viewers into active participants. People are naturally drawn to playful experiences, and the ability to virtually “dress up” or interact with event-themed elements sparks excitement and creates a memorable experience.
AR filters’ shareable nature is their superpower. When attendees use and share photos and videos featuring your filter, they promote your event to their entire network. This organic reach expands your audience exponentially and attracts new potential attendees.
Moreover, many AR filter platforms provide analytics on usage and reach, allowing you to track your campaign’s effectiveness and see how many people interact with your filter.
9. Invest in Content Marketing
Content marketing is a powerful tool to attract, engage, and increase event attendees.
An example of how it works:
Your website and social media feature interviews with keynote speakers or industry experts. These conversations offer valuable insights about your event’s theme, educating potential attendees and piquing their curiosity.
Publishing snippets of these interviews across social media platforms creates a buzz and lets your audience connect with the speakers beforehand. This consistent content stream builds anticipation for the event itself.
Event promotion ideas such as this one provide valuable, informative content, establish you as a trusted event organizer, and demonstrate the expertise attendees can expect at the event.
10. Run Targeted Online Ads
Targeted ads work by leveraging user data and browsing habits. Platforms like Facebook Ads or Google Ads allow you to define specific demographics, interests, and online behavior to ensure your ad reaches the most relevant audience.
For instance, say you’re organizing a marketing conference. You can target your ads toward marketing professionals who follow industry publications or engage with marketing-related content online. A laser-focused approach ensures your message reaches those most likely interested in your event, maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
Compared to traditional advertising with limited reach, targeted online ads offer a cost-effective way to significantly expand your event’s reach and attract highly qualified attendees.
11. Hire a PR Agency
PR professionals have the experience and connections to secure valuable media coverage in publications and online platforms relevant to your target audience. They’ll craft compelling press releases highlighting the event’s unique value proposition and key speakers.
PR agencies can generate significant pre-event buzz by pitching your event to journalists and bloggers. Securing placements in industry publications or interviews on relevant podcasts increases awareness and positions your event as a newsworthy and authoritative gathering.
Such media validation can significantly boost registrations and solidify your event’s position within your industry. They may also suggest other event promotion ideas you may not have considered.
12. Create a Referral Program
People are likelier to trust recommendations from friends and colleagues than traditional advertising. Referral programs tap into this psychology by motivating existing attendees to spread the word and encourage their network to join.
This strategy is a win-win. Attendees who refer others receive rewards, such as discounts or exclusive perks, while your event gains valuable registrations from a trusted source, increasing attendance and overall reach. Referral programs are a cost-effective way to organically expand your event’s reach and fuel registration growth through the power of trusted recommendations.
Lastly, Make Sure Your Event Promotion Ideas Resonate with Your Audience
Successful event promotion involves tailoring your marketing efforts to resonate with your specific audience. Whether you leverage social media contests or craft targeted email campaigns, ensure your event promotion ideas align with your theme and your target attendee’s interests.
Whova can also help you streamline your event marketing efforts. Our user-friendly platform simplifies tasks like building a website, managing registrations, and creating email campaigns. But that’s not all. We help you manage your event from A – Z, as we’ve done for thousands of other event organizers.
Ready to take your event to the next level? Request a free demo today.