Updated: February 2023
Did you know 35 million people view a public event on Facebook every single day?
Yeah, seriously. Facebook Business told us so. Creating an event listing on Facebook is completely free, so your event strategy should most definitely include Facebook event listings.
If you don’t make a Facebook event, your event does not exist.
We live in a generation where social media is a major source of information, and Facebook events are the modern-day version of mailing an invitation. People look to social media to find out what’s going on and which of their friends are going. What does this mean for your business? Basically that Facebook is an essential piece of the event marketing puzzle.
The very first step in leveraging Facebook in your event marketing campaign is to create an event listing for your event (here’s a step-by-step guide). But before you send any e-invites, take the time to make sure your event listing is informative and memorable. From the name to the photo to the description, every detail counts.
As you’re creating Facebook events, here are 5 things to keep in mind:
1. Keep event names short and sweet
When naming your event, think catchy and creative yet concise. Make every character count (because the max character limit is 64). Also FYI longer event names get cut off on mobile devices.
Take Rusty Nickel Brewing, for example. This event is called “End of Season Puppy Party.” You had us at puppy. When your event is shareable (aka includes viral words like “puppy party”, like this one), it sells itself. Plus, they earn extra points for pic-stitching in all the right ways.
If you ask yourself, “would I share this event on my feed?” and the answer is yes, you’re doing it right.
2. People do judge an event by its cover photo
Event images need to be eye-catching. If an event photo is pixelated or cluttered, you can bet people are scrolling right by. Your cover photo should be high-quality with minimal text and *always* relevant. Your event photo should also reflect what your event is about and appeal to your target audience.
If you do include text in event photos, brand it right like Thin Man Brewery does. Their brand is #goals, because anyone who frequents Thin Man recognizes this font immediately before even clicking on the event.
And don’t forget to pay attention to the dimensions! Poorly cropped photos are never a good look. We’ll save you the Google search. The right ratio is 16:9 and recommended dimensions are 1920 x 1080 pixels. You’re welcome.
3. Fill in ALL the event details
Take time to craft an informative and attention-grabbing event description. This is your chance to tell people what your event is all about it and why it needs to be on their social calendar, so you want to make sure to include anything and everything you can to sell your event to anyone who stumbles across it. Pro-tip: Use the schedule feature if you have different activities happening at different times.
You can also choose a category for your event and select keywords to help your event show up in more relative searches. If you’re collabing with another business, add them as a co-host. This way your event will show up on their page and they can easily share it with their network too. And if you’re selling tickets, always add a ticket link right in the event to make it as easy as possible for people to purchase.
Take Colter Bay for example. This craft beer bar regularly hosts tap takeovers and everyone knows it. Why? Facebook. In their events, they clearly brand and list who is coming and what’s on draft. That’s exactly the info the craft beverage community is looking for, which means they are talking directly to their target audience.
Bonus: Want more tips about how to talk to target audiences? Here are 4 ways you can get better at talking to yours.
4. Think organic first
Word of mouth is more powerful than most people realize, and simply creating a really, really good Facebook event listing can sometimes be enough to gain publicity for your event.
Before paying to boost an event, create solid content. Share promos on your page, invite friends, share the event via messenger, and share it to your personal profile. Also make sure to post updates before, during, and after your events within the event listing so that everyone who’s interested in it get notified whenever there’s an update (more on that in the next tip!).
When it’s done well, organic reach can go a long way, especially when other people start sharing your event. And remember the value of getting other people talking about your business for you. Maximize these free methods of distribution first then if you need the extra boost, go for it!
5. Keep the conversation going
Creating an event and sharing it is only the beginning. 700 million people use Facebook events each month to market their events, which mean yours need to stand out. If you keep people interested and updated, your event will stay top of mind.
Take Step Out Buffalo, for example. Leading up to our events, we regularly share updates within the event to stay top-of-mind with those interested. Some of these posts within the event are event-specific, like what’s new this year, and others are more fun, like this October 3 post. The common denominator? Both posts are relevant and on brand for this specific event — Fall Makers + Shakers — and both posts help to keep the organic reach of the event rolling.
TLDR:
Facebook absolutely needs to be a major part of your event marketing strategy. And when you create a Facebook event listing, make sure it’s one that people will look at and want to mark themselves interested in. The more informative and appealing you can make your event listing the better, and given the nature of Facebook really good event listings will naturally reach more people.
Looking for more event promo tips? Read up right here.
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Want to know more about promoting your business on StepOutBuffalo.com?
At Step Out Buffalo, we help businesses promote themselves and their events on our website, email, and social media channels. Our team is comprised of experts who know exactly how to make your business or event stand out, and we’ll put you in all the right places so you get noticed by all the right people. Hit us up if you’d like to learn more about our business and/or events-based promotions – there’s a reason 94% of our readers go places they’ve seen on StepOutBuffalo.com
