Social Media Promotion For Events

We’ve managed $100k+ ad budgets promoting online and in-person events and here’s what we’ve learned: 1. Timing matters. The majority of ticket sales or registrations happen in the weeks leading up to the event. We account for this by allocating the majority of the spend closer to the day of the event. 2. Social proof converts. For one client, we searched LinkedIn for anyone who posted about the event after the fact and ranked them by engagement. We then promoted those posts as thought leader ads in anticipation of the next event. 3. Promote transparency. If you are at liberty to do so, why not give away the attendee list? If you have a high value audience and have your targeting dialed in, try a campaign where you gate the attendee list. We’ve seen this tactic promote great conversations that directly lead to ticket sales. 4. Ads that feature as many speakers as possible tend to perform the best. Generally we see ads with faces perform well, so try combining all the speakers into one post. You can then split those ads up into individual speaker ads, use them in carousels, etc. Above all, we’ve learned that preparation is key to promoting these events. For one client, we put together a schedule of ads that would go out as we got closer to the day of the event. This included “countdown” ads where we’d say “the event is 1 month out!” etc. as we built a sense of urgency. Because we put together this plan we were able to get creative requests to our designers early. We had all the creatives ready to go months out from the event and had all the campaigns built and scheduled so that they would pause and activate as the countdown got closer. We’re always testing new strategies to promote these events and it’s impossible to fit all of our experiments into one post. For example, LinkedIn has built in event ads which allow people to register for a LinkedIn event directly from the ad. The key to improving performance for that ad unit is to build up as many organic registrations as possible. Since you can see how many people registered directly on the ad, we’ve seen that a higher number of organic registrations directly impacts the conversion rate on the paid side. Interested in hearing more about how we promote events via ads? Feel free to reach out. We have a ton more ideas we’re looking to test. 🧑🔬

I've said it before and I'll say it again... audience acquisition is the HARDEST part of events!! → You can’t control other people’s behavior No matter how compelling the invite, attendees will still flake, double-book, or ghost you entirely. → Everyone is over-scheduled Your target audience is drowning in meetings, travel, and responsibilities, making it tough to carve out time for your event. → Marketing noise overload Your beautifully crafted event invite is buried under hundreds of emails, LinkedIn DMs, and Slack notifications. → Budget constraints Your audience might love to attend, but travel costs, registration fees, or internal budget approvals can be deal-breakers. →  It’s a long conversion game Getting someone from awareness → interest → registration → attendance takes multiple touchpoints (more than 21 now!), and most event teams don’t have enough runway to nurture that journey. → Corporate red tape Many B2B attendees need manager approval to attend, and if their boss doesn’t see the value fast enough (or believes they can't meet their work deadlines if they go), they’re not coming. → Time zones and geography What’s convenient for one audience is a logistical nightmare for another, making global attendance tough. → Lack of immediate ROI If attendees don’t see a clear, urgent reason to attend (what’s in it for them right now?), they’ll pass. → You’re competing with “doing nothing” Sometimes, the biggest competitor isn’t another event - it’s the sheer allure of not attending anything at all. So what do you do? ➡ Leverage community & advocates People trust people more than marketing. Equip past attendees, speakers, and industry influencers with easy-to-share content and incentives to spread the word. Consider referral programs, social media challenges, or exclusive perks for those who bring a friend. Gleanin can help with this. ➡ Personalize your outreach Mass emails and generic ads won’t cut through the noise (even if they DO make it into the real inbox and not the promo folder). Use segmented messaging based on attendee type (VIPs, first-timers, decision-makers, etc.) and lean into personalized outreach via video invites, direct DMs, or targeted LinkedIn campaigns. Learn the ropes from GURU Media Hub. ➡ Make registration frictionless If your sign-up process takes more than a minute or two, you’re losing people. One-click registration, mobile-friendly pages, and auto-filling forms help. Swoogo can help with this. ➡ Follow up like a human Don’t assume “registered” means “attending.” Keep them engaged with pre-event touchpoints (speaker teasers, or a “what to expect” email written like a friend, not a corporate entity). And always give them an easy way to add it to their calendar. Concierge can help with SMS messaging. -------------------- Need other suggestions? That's what Club Ichi is for! Get advice, ideas, and a little group therapy on the Inside. Get in here: www.weareichi.com

Managing social for a 300-person event isn’t just about showing up with a camera and a phone. Here's my checklist for creating an experience that connects through the screen. ✅ Develop a Storytelling Guide I map out the key stories to tell during the event. What themes or moments should shine? (FOMO is always the vibe!) ✅ Define Goals and Strategy Pre-event = build hype. During = real-time engagement. Post-event = recap magic. I also adjust content plans for each platform (Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, etc.). ✅ Create Content Templates Using tools like Canva, I prep story and post templates so my team can easily create dynamic content on the fly. ✅ Coordinate with the Media Team Collaborating with photographers and videographers ensures I capture high-quality moments for both immediate and future use. (Bonus points for those iconic crowd shots!) ✅ Assemble and Brief the Social Media Team Everyone needs to know their role—who’s posting where, who’s covering what, and what key moments to capture. ✅ Set Engagement Plans I prepare prompts to encourage interaction: polls, quotes, and questions. Think, “What’s your biggest takeaway from today’s panel?” ✅ Monitor and Respond Once the content goes live, the job isn’t over. There's active engagement with comments, questions, and reactions to keep the energy high. ✅ Document Analytics Lastly, I track engagement metrics in real time. This helps me adjust if a certain type of post (e.g., quotes vs. behind-the-scenes moments) is performing better than others. It also helps to source areas of engagement for later. Pro tip: The real MVP? Having backup batteries, bricks, and a mobile hotspot because technology.🔌

Empty rooms aren’t caused by bad events, they’re caused by bad distribution. You can host the most compelling community meetup, Founder Institute session, or startup pitch night (in my work in public affairs, I see City Events where the community should turn out in droves), and still get crickets; not because people don’t care, but because they never even saw your invite. Gmail buries newsletters, Facebook throttles reach, LinkedIn quietly downranks your second post. If you think one email blast is enough, you’re running a wishful thinking experiment, not an event. If you aren’t everywhere, you’re nowhere. That means… ✅ One anchor hub – Have a single authoritative listing (your FI registration page or a Company Page.). Everything else points there. ✅ Mirror everywhere – Publish the same event on Eventbrite, Meetup, Luma, LinkedIn Events, Facebook Events. People search those platforms. ✅ Direct Invites – Stop ignoring the Invite button. On LinkedIn and Facebook, you get free monthly invites. Use all of them. This is how you scale personal invitations without writing 400 messages. ✅ Social post strategy – Don’t post once and call it done. Post weekly. Tag your speakers. Tag in the comments. Prime the algorithm (engage on others’ content first). Rally your team to Like/Comment within the first hour. ✅ Email = reinforcement, not lifeline – Assume only 30% see your email. Use it to boost other channels, not as your sole driver. ✅ Multi-channel = omnichannel – The founder you hope attends might ignore newsletters but live on Meetup. Your sponsor might only check LinkedIn. Students may find you on TikTok. Distribution is the job. This isn’t “more work,” it’s how events fill. When people see momentum across multiple channels, trust builds, rooms fill, and sponsors notice. 👉 Stop hoping. Start distributing. Help me here and add what works well for you. Do you lean heavier on Eventbrite SEO, direct invites, or rallying your team for social engagement?

I've noticed a lot of virtual events being promoted through the same old playbook seen day-in and day-out. 😔 They lack energy, timeliness, and/or creativity. Not to say everyone needs to reinvent the wheel but we might just need to fix a spoke or two to reach & engage a larger audience. ⭐️ Here are 6 ways to promote your content & virtual events that won't cost you a dime: 1️⃣ Tap into speaker's networks: Make it as easy as possible for your speakers to share the virtual event with their network. The best way to do this is to have personalized assets and messaging that they can just copy & paste. Because your removing barriers to post, they are more likely to promote the content. 2️⃣ Leverage partners: All the channels that you can tap into, your partners can too. However they might reach a different segment of your target audience. Work with your partners to see how your content & events can be included in their newsletters, social media, communities, and how they can help you amplify your existing efforts. 3️⃣ Experiment with multiple formats: You probably have a static image that you use for event promotion but that can only get you so far and isn't the most engaging format. Try recording your prep calls with speakers to create a hype reel, design a carousel with the topics that will be discussed, build an infographic, etc. To create these assets at scale, templates are going to be your best friend. 4️⃣ Ask for referrals: As people start registering for your virtual event, see if they have other colleagues that would benefit from the content. A way to expedite this is by offering a giveaway but in the spirit of "not costing you a dime"... the best way is to position the referral as being a helpful resource that will level up the team's skills (and ideally results). 5️⃣ A simple DM goes a long way: Sometimes the simplest of messages can drive huge amounts of engagement. Don't just rely on emailing your database, DM people in your LinkedIn network and in communities to see if they're interested in your virtual event. You can also reach out to your closer connections to amplify your social efforts and even share the content with their network. 6️⃣ Experiment with Reddit: I don't recommend this for everyone, but it's surely worth experimenting with. Many marketers write off reddit thinking it's more for technical audiences, but it's more about finding your audience and building trust. 👉 If you want advice on how to leverage Reddit for B2B marketing go follow Ross Simmonds. He has a ton of great tips to build trust, drive website traffic and more with Reddit. 🤔 What promotion tactics are working best for you? #virtualevents #webinars #promotion #amplify #audience #growth

How I raised engagement by 50% at my client’s marketing/corporate events. By the way, this all happened BEFORE THE EVENT 1. Enhanced Communication Channels We streamlined communication by promptly addressing inquiries on social media, sending regular email updates, and offering clear instructions for registrations. 2. Leveraged Social Media Platforms By creating dedicated event pages and sharing engaging content, including behind-the-scenes glimpses and high-quality videos, we sparked conversations and heightened interest among potential attendees. 3. Implemented Countdown Campaigns We built anticipation through countdown campaigns, emphasizing unique event features and exclusive experiences, which motivated prompt registrations. 4. Personalized Invitations Sending personalized video invitations made attendees feel uniquely valued, fostering a sense of connection and commitment to the event. 5. Pre-Event Surveys and Polls We gathered insights into attendee preferences through pre-event surveys, allowing us to tailor content and activities to their interests, enhancing relevance and engagement. By integrating these strategies, we not only increased engagement but also created a more personalized and memorable experience for attendees. Your engagement plan starts BEFORE the event. Set the standard from the start! #EventPlanning #CorporateEvents #EventStrategy #marketingevents #eventmarketing #eventproduction #houstontx #houstontexas #houstonbusiness #executiveassistants