Whether it’s a gig you’re charging £20 a ticket for or your best mate’s secret birthday party, Facebook event pages are a key part of organising an event these days. Not only is it a great way to get the word out, the page is also a fantastic forum for exchanging ideas and promotional material, and for driving advance ticket sales. Here’s a few tips to help you make the most of your event page…
1. Invites
An obvious way to get your Facebook event page up and running is by using invites, but it isn’t as straightforward as you might think. As a way of preventing spam and driving promotion to their ad platform, Facebook limits the amount of invites an account can make to 500, and if they notice you regularly using that quota with little response, they’ll limit you further to a maximum of 50. So choose who you invite carefully; invite people who’ll be advocates and influencers for your event and the page should then grow organically.
2. Sponsored Posts
Sponsored posts can be beneficial and moulded to your budgetary requirements; even £3.00 can reach up to 3,700 people so it’s well worth giving a go. From previous experience I’ve found that the targeting feature on boosts and ads can reach your market really well, especially when your organic reach is low. However, working your fan page is equally important so posting great content and engaging your fans is an inexpensive and invaluable way to promote.
3. Utilise your Banner (714 x 264 pixels)
The banner is the first point of contact for your customers, whether they’re clicking on the event page or seeing it on their timelines, so it’s important for it to be attractive and to the point. Make sure it is professional, stylish and includes all the key event info that you would normally put on the flyer. Updating your banner to reflect important news or changes is also a good way of improving engagement. 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook are visual so important messages will hit home better through visual content.
4. Information is Everything
An informative but to the point event description is essential; people don’t generally have the time to read a huge chunk of text (we’re not after War and Peace) so get the relevant information across clearly and quickly. Don’t just chuck your press release in, be as concise as possible. Always add relevant links in your description too, this will drive traffic to respective pages and give interested people an easy way to buy their tickets. Linking to performances, appearances or content from performers too helps potential attendees get an idea of what to expect.
5. Keep Posting Content
Don’t think it’s job done just because people have RSVP’d to your event or bought a ticket. Continuing to post content to your page helps keep the interest and build excitement. If your customers are like me, they’ll click attending months before the event and forget about it until the night before, so keep prodding them.
6. Link to the Venue Correctly
Facebook has an extensive venue database, so when using the location bar make sure to enter a Facebook-recognised address. If the venue isn’t listed, create it. Adding a recognised venue (and map) means that your event will be recommended to friends of attendees and people in the area.
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