As we get into summer, calendars are starting to fill up with concerts, festivals, and other fun events. Are you planning an event for your group or organization?

There are many steps to take to get the word out, and it can be easy to forget important things to do, so we have a checklist to help you navigate your promotion:

CREATE A CONSISTENT MESSAGE:
Start with figuring out your event details and creating a consistent message. Make sure to share this with everyone on your committee; you can type this up in a google doc or word doc.

UPDATE YOUR OWN WEBSITE:
Your platform is the first place you should have the information, that way you can link everything else to this page. Make sure to get everything up on your website in an organized way, so people can easily find all the details.

ADD TO THE BE HERE CALENDAR:
Let us help you promote your event! The Be Here calendar can be found at beherevenango.org/events and we also share events on social media and send an email out once a week. Just click the button at the top of the page that says “add your own event to the calendar,” for a simple form to fill out.

SCHEDULE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS:
Spread the word on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever else you are active on social media. If you don’t have the time to post each day (or if you tend to forget to post) take a couple hours every so often to schedule posts out. Make sure to do a variety of posts with event details, sponsors, and photos. Facebook live videos are a great way to engage people, too.

CREATE A FACEBOOK EVENT:
Social media posts are helpful, but Facebook events are even better. They allow you to invite people and it sends out reminders to those who have RSVP’d. Be sure to link the event to your website and create posts in the Facebook event discussion every so often.

SEND OUT EMAILS:
If you have an email list, schedule some messages to go out to your contacts about the event. If you don’t have an email list, this is a great time to start! We’re big fans of Mailchimp, which lets you curate visually appealing emails with photos, links, and more.

DON’T FORGET TRADITIONAL MARKETING:
Although digital marketing is great for promoting events, don’t forget about flyers, press releases, and if you have the budget, paid ads like chamber newsletter inserts or newspaper/radio ads.

UTILIZE PERSONAL CONTACTS:
Sometimes the best way to tell people about your event is through personal phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, or conversations. If you know people who would love your event, or if you have a list of people who have attended it before, try to reach out to them one-on-one.

With so much going on, it can be a challenge to promote your event as much as you’d like. Use this list as a reminder of where to spread the word. If you have other places you often share your information, you could use this as a guide to create your own checklist. Best of luck planning your event!

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s July 2021 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.