Event Marketing: How To Promote an Event on Social Media

Social media has become one of the top low-cost strategies for event promotion. With more than 4.89 billion active users worldwide — that’s more than half the global population — there is a large audience of potential attendees that you can reach by promoting events on social media.

This article will share valuable tips and strategies for effectively leveraging social media — particularly LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok — for event promotion. Ultimately, the networks you choose for event promotion will depend on who you’re trying to reach (more on that later!). 

Why Social Media Event Marketing is Important 

Social media platforms have billions of active users, providing event organizers with an opportunity to reach a vast audience. By using social media, you can target specific demographics and interests, ensuring your event reaches the right people.

Social media also allows you to create a buzz around your event by sharing teasers, behind-the-scenes content, and updates. Engaging with your event audience through social media can build excitement and anticipation, increasing attendance.

Most importantly, traditional marketing methods like paid or snail-mail advertising can be expensive. Social media offers a cost-effective way to promote your event, so you can maximize your marketing budget and achieve better results by using organic reach and targeted advertising.

Tips for Event Promotion on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful social media event marketing platform that allows you to reach a professional audience and establish valuable connections. 

To effectively promote your event to LinkedIn’s 930 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, consider the following:

• Create an engaging event page: Craft a compelling event description, include relevant keywords, and showcase the value attendees will gain.
• Leverage LinkedIn Groups: Join relevant industry or interest groups and share your event details to reach a targeted audience.
• Use LinkedIn Pulse: Publish articles or blog posts related to your event to establish your expertise and attract attendees.
• Engage with your network: Share updates about your event on your LinkedIn feed, interact with comments, and encourage your connections to share the event with their networks.
• Encourage speakers and partners to share: Create copy and graphics that your speakers and partners can easily share to promote your event to their networks.
• Collaborate with influencers: Partner with influential professionals in your industry who can help promote your event to their followers.
• Use LinkedIn Ads: Consider running targeted ads on LinkedIn to reach a wider audience and drive registrations.

Tips for Event Promotion on TikTok

With more than 830 million users, TikTok is a powerhouse for event promotion — before, during, and after your event. Here are some practical tips to get the most out of social media for events on TikTok:

• Create engaging content: TikTok is all about creativity and entertainment. Create short videos that capture the essence of your event in a fun and engaging way. Use popular TikTok trends, music, and effects to make your content more appealing to the TikTok community.
• Use hashtags: Hashtags play a significant role in increasing the visibility of your TikTok videos. Research and use relevant and popular hashtags related to your event to reach a wider audience. You can also create a unique hashtag for your event to encourage user-generated content.
• Collaborate with influencers: Partnering with popular TikTok influencers who align with your event’s theme can help you reach a larger audience. Collaborate with influencers with a significant following and ask them to create content promoting your event. This can significantly increase your event’s exposure and attract more attendees.
• Participate in challenges: TikTok challenges are a popular feature on the platform. Look for trending challenges that align with your event and participate in them. By incorporating your event into trending challenges, you can generate buzz and attract attention from TikTok users.
• Engage with the TikTok community: TikTok is all about community engagement. Respond promptly to comments, questions, and messages to build a relationship with your audience. Encourage users to engage with your content by asking questions, running contests, or hosting giveaways.
• Cross-promote on other platforms: Leverage your presence on other social media platforms to promote your TikTok videos. Share your TikTok content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other platforms where your target audience is active. This can help drive traffic to your TikTok profile and increase visibility for your event.
• Analyze and optimize: Pay attention to the performance of your TikTok content. Use TikTok’s analytics tools to monitor the number of views, likes, comments, and shares your videos receive. Analyze this data to understand what content resonates best with your audience and optimize your future videos accordingly.

By following these event promotion tips on TikTok, you can effectively leverage the platform’s unique features to reach and engage with your target audience, generate excitement, and maximize attendance for your event. Remember to stay authentic, creative, and consistent in your TikTok marketing efforts to make your event successful.

Tips for Event Promotion on Instagram

When promoting your event, there are several practical tips to consider to ensure you’re taking advantage of Instagram’s 1.35 billion users. Here are some ways to use Instagram reels, Stories, and other features to maximize your event’s visibility:

• Use Instagram Reels: Instagram Reels is a popular feature that allows you to create short, entertaining videos. Use this feature to showcase highlights of your event and behind-the-scenes footage or create engaging and informative content related to your event. Be creative and use popular trends and music to capture the attention of your target audience.
• Leverage Instagram Stories: Instagram Stories provide a great opportunity to promote your event in a more interactive and temporary format. Use Stories to share sneak peeks, countdowns, event updates, and exclusive content. You can also use interactive features such as polls, quizzes, and question stickers to engage with your audience and generate excitement for your event.
• Collaborate with influencers and partners: Partnering with relevant influencers and event partners on Instagram can help you expand your reach and attract a larger audience. Collaborate with influencers with a strong following that aligns with your event’s theme. Ask them to create content promoting your event, such as sharing their experiences or providing sneak peeks. This can help create buzz and generate interest among their followers.
• Make use of event-specific hashtags: Similar to TikTok, hashtags play a significant role in increasing the visibility of your Instagram posts. Research and use popular and relevant hashtags related to your event to reach a wider audience. Additionally, create a unique event hashtag that attendees can use to share their experiences and generate user-generated content.
• Engage with your audience: Instagram is a highly interactive platform, so engage with your audience. Respond promptly to comments, messages, and mentions to build relationships and foster a sense of community. Encourage users to share their excitement about the event by asking questions, running contests, or hosting giveaways. This can help create a buzz and encourage more people to attend.
• Cross-promote on other platforms: Leverage your presence on other social media platforms to promote your event on Instagram. Share teasers, highlights, and exclusive content from your event on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. This can help drive traffic to your Instagram profile and increase visibility for your event.
• Turn to Instagram Live: Instagram Live is a powerful tool for real-time engagement. Consider hosting live Q&A sessions, behind-the-scenes tours, or exclusive interviews with speakers or performers. 

Event Promotion Tips for Facebook

As of Q2 2023, Facebook leads global social networks with about 3 billion monthly users. In the U.S., Facebook users spend an average of 33 minutes daily on the social network — slightly more than on TikTok (32 minutes) and Twitter (31 minutes).

To effectively promote your event on Facebook, here are some social media event marketing tips:

• Build an event page: Create an event page and provide all the necessary details, such as date, time, location, and description.
• Draw attention: Use eye-catching visuals and compelling content to grab the attention of your target audience.
• Expand your reach: Encourage attendees to RSVP and share the event with their friends and networks, and work with influencers or industry experts to endorse your event and share it with their followers.
• Spend money: Leverage Facebook advertising to reach a wider audience and target specific demographics.
• Go live: Use Facebook Live to stream parts of your event or share behind-the-scenes content to build excitement.
• Engage the crowd: Engage with your audience by promptly responding to comments, questions, and messages.

Tips for How To Promote an Event on Social Media

Before you start promoting your event, defining your target audience is crucial. Consider age, location, interests, and demographics to tailor your messaging and content accordingly. We recommend doing attendee journey mapping to ensure you create a personalized experience for every attendee. 

Here are some additional social media for events tips to ensure your event reaches the right audience and you get the most out of your social media promotion.

Create Engaging Promotional Materials

To capture your audience’s attention, create visually appealing and engaging content. Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics to make your event stand out and entice potential attendees. Be sure your promotional materials are tailor-made for each social media platform so they look great and enticing. 

Leverage Event Hashtags

Hashtags are a powerful tool for event promotion on social media. Create a unique and memorable hashtag for your event and encourage attendees to use it when posting about it.

Work with Industry Influencers

Partnering with influencers in your industry can significantly boost your event promotion efforts. Identify influencers who align with your event’s theme or target audience and collaborate with them to reach a wider audience.

Run Contests and Giveaways

Contests and giveaways are an effective way to generate excitement and engagement on social media. Offer free tickets, exclusive merchandise, or VIP experiences as prizes to encourage people to participate and share your event.

Respond to Comments and Messages Promptly

Monitor your event’s social media pages regularly and promptly respond to comments and messages. Show appreciation for positive feedback and address any concerns or questions attendees raise. Engage in conversations and encourage discussions to build a sense of community around your event

Encourage User-generated Content

Create a branded hashtag for your event and encourage attendees to use it in their posts. Run contests or giveaways that require participants to share content related to your event and then share and engage with user-generated content to foster a sense of community and excitement

Master the Art of Social Media Event Marketing

Social media has revolutionized the way events are promoted. By leveraging the power of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, event organizers can reach a wider audience, generate buzz, and achieve better results. 

Following the tips and strategies outlined in this blog post, you can effectively promote your event on social media and ensure its success. Want more tips and tricks for scaling your event marketing strategy and doing more with less? Check out our new guide: