Virtual Event Promotion on Social Media – Your Secret Weapon

Seems these days, everyone’s presenting virtual, online events. Makes sense, right? It’s the only COVID-safe option to gather folks right now. We’ve had a year to adjust to video conferencing and working remotely, so now virtual events have become commonplace. And, social media usage is through the roof; so we’re seeing lots of virtual event promotion on social as a result.

As Zoom fatigue settles in with many of us, we’re getting more selective about how we use our on-screen time. There’s an abundance of online events to choose from now, so how do you make YOUR event stand out?

Prior to COVID restrictions, we promoted our in-person events through a variety of marketing vehicles that included print promotion. (Remember handing out event flyers?) In the last year, businesses are leaning heavily into the digital space for their marketing; especially on social media.

So how do you use your social media accounts for virtual event promotion during a pandemic? First, we’ll share a few best practices and tried-and-true tips for event promotion. Then we’ll share a recent case study of these tactics in action.

But first, here’s our super-secret weapon for online event promotion on social media:

Facebook Events

Yes, the humble Facebook Event.

Many folks overlook this powerful Facebook feature, and therefore underestimate its effectiveness in attracting audiences.

Firstly, Facebook Events are public (check your Event settings) and shareable, so they’re great tools to increase your reach beyond your Page followers. Anyone that happens upon your Event can click the Share button to repost it to their profile, Page, or Group; or get a link to share outside of Facebook. They can also hit the Invite button to send a personal invite to anyone on their Friends list (up to 500!) or any Groups they belong to.

Each time someone clicks Going or Interested on your public Event, it places a notification in their friends’ newsfeeds that alerts them to your Event. As a result, their entire Friends list now knows about your Event and can click through that notification to learn more. Additionally, seeing that a friend is attending lends credibility and increased trust to your event. “If [Jane] is interested in this event, it must be good. Maybe I should take a look.” *click*

Secondly, FB Events are promotable so you can reach beyond your Page followers to a bigger audience. Hit that Boost button and spend a little bit of money (even $50 goes a long way!) to reach an exponentially larger, yet specific audience that’s relevant to your event. Bonus points if you use Facebook Ads Manager to run an Event Response ad to a hyper-targeted audience.

New Feature:

Facebook now allows you to host an online event and collect registration payments. People can then pay for the event via Facebook and watch it online.

More on Facebook Events

Now that you’re sending all these folks to your Event, make sure all your details are accurate! Check your registration link and landing page on your website. Be sure to tag your event partners, speakers, and sponsors. Invite your event partners to co-host your Event so it will also appear on their Page to their followers. Share your Event in relevant Facebook Groups, and invite your own Friends.

Leading up to your event date, post regular updates in the Discussion tab. Post countdown content in the days leading up to your event. Each new update you post will trigger a new notification to anyone that’s engaged with your Event thus far.

Off Facebook

Off Facebook: Grab that public Event link and add it to your internal communications. Encourage your employees to share that public link (or share directly from the Event!) with their Facebook connections so they can easily share it with others on that platform.

Post event preview and countdown Stories and Reels on Instagram. Tag all partners, speakers, and sponsors. Save all event-related Stories in a dedicated Highlight on your Profile for future reference. Similarly, save all event-related Feed Posts in a dedicated Guide on your profile. Consider staging an Instagram takeover by one of your featured speakers the day before. Create a branded hashtag for your event for use on Instagram and Twitter. Include it in all of your event promotions.

LinkedIn company pages and Google My Business each have their own Event features. If you choose those options, be sure to link directly to your official registration landing page (not your Facebook Event) to shorten the click path to registration. Share the landing page URL on your company’s other social channels. Consider creating UTMs for your landing page to better track your incoming traffic.

On your company’s website, create a pop-up or callout that leads to your registration landing page. Link to your landing page on other pages throughout your site.

Event Day

It’s Game Time! Live tweet or post live Stories on Facebook or Instagram about your event as it unfolds throughout the day. Tag speakers to hype their sessions. Repost event content from your attendees.

After Your Event

Publish a thank you post in the Discussion tab of your Facebook Event and on your Page. Report your attendance and preview your next events. Share event highlights, pictures, and a wrap-up video. Add a Call to Action (CTA). Ask your attendees for testimonials and use them in future social media posts. If you’re a nonprofit, ask for donations.

Proof in Action

Recently we employed many of these very tactics with one of our own clients with notable success. We began work with Candlelight Concert Society (CCS) in Columbia, MD in early January 2021 and their first priority was to promote their free January 30 virtual online concert.

The result of our social media strategy was a 322% and 418% increase in attendance from their previous two virtual concerts in December. AND: the concert drove $1.1K in direct donations for CCS after the event.

Click here to read our case study and learn how we did it.

Coda

Virtual event promotion all but requires a social media component. Your event is online; so should your promotion be.

Through strategic social media marketing, you can build an online audience to groom for future virtual events — and in-person events when they become available. In addition, you can develop this new audience into new customers and brand ambassadors for your business.

How might you change your approach to virtual event promotion on social media?

If this post was useful to you, please share it with others. If you’d like help with your social media marketing, schedule a complimentary Discovery Call or Contact Us to discuss your needs.