In the modern world, organizing events requires a comprehensive approach to their promotion. Technologies are developing rapidly, and this opens up wide opportunities for online and offline marketing. In Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, event organizers need to take into account the specifics of the market and use a variety of tools to successfully promote their events.
What and when to carry out?
The first and, at the same time, one of the key questions is to determine the events and their timing. Is there a high and low season for attendance, are regular offline meetings needed, how to combine online and offline formats? This is just the tip of the iceberg when you enter the sphere of holding master classes, creative evenings, tea parties with famous personalities of the city and other events.
Most business owners claim that the so-called high and low seasons do not exist.
It is important to carefully study the needs of the audience each month, follow current news and take into account the interests and concerns of customers. When choosing a movie to watch, we always focus on the month, holidays, mood of visitors and subscribers.
Here is how the owner of the cat cafe commented on the timing:
“If we are talking about craft workshops and more specialized venues, then clients prefer to attend master classes and creative evenings from October to May.”
A similar opinion is expressed by M.S., a representative of the ceramics studio:
“In the summer and before the New Year, as in many other areas, there is a decrease in attendance. The number of visitors decreases significantly. Therefore, we work actively at the beginning of autumn and after the long winter holidays.”
Опытная специалистка из школы «Organica» отметила интересные аспекты работы с клиентами:
“В декабре, например, мы замечаем заметное снижение посещаемости с 1 по 15 число — люди ищут подарки и не имеют времени для занятий. В середине месяца они понимают, что лучший подарок — сюрприз, сделанный своими руками. Поэтому с 15 декабря и до конца года количество посетителей значительно увеличивается. Однако никто не учитывает, что на создание нашего изделия требуется несколько недель, в силу особенностей технологического процесса.
As for the number of events and master classes, it varies. It depends on the capacity of the studio, the number of masters and the popularity of the school. We hold from 150 to 500 events per month.
Every month we have about 250-300 young potters coming to us. The masters cannot work with a large number of newcomers at the same time. The studio can accommodate up to 25 people at a time. At the open day, for example, we received more than 200 residents.”
What events are we talking about?
Content preparation for online and offline events is similar. Content generation takes about 80% of preparation time, while the remaining 20% is spent on finding a venue and organizing issues.
- Festivals
- Conferences
- Seminars
- Meetups
- Workshops
- Concerts
- Webinars
- Round tables
- Online courses
- Article marathons and other competitions.
All these events require unique content.
What types of content are used to promote events?
Landing page for an event
A landing page is the main tool required for effective work. The success of your event depends on its design, clear use and the content of the text, which should awaken the desire of people to attend your event. If your event is aimed at a small audience or a limited circle of people, it is enough to post information about the event on social networks, contact friends and create a simple page on the TimePad platform. However, if your event is large-scale and requires a wide audience, a smart landing page becomes an integral part of the organization.
Before starting to develop a website, the event organizers get together and define its concept and purpose. If you already have contacts and information about visitors from previous events, conducting a survey can help identify the most interesting topics and current problems. The answers of those surveyed can serve as the basis for the text that will be placed on the landing page. The main goal is to demonstrate the usefulness of the event, its ability to solve certain problems and explain why it is a must-attend event (excluding concerts and entertainment events).
What should be on the event website?
- The name of the event, its format (paid or free). If the event is free, you need to write about it on the first screen.
- Date of the event, duration of the event.
- Brief description (concept in 2-3 words). Long description (about
- than, for whom, benefits).
- Speakers (who, where from, what topic – it is important to emphasize the speaker’s expertise in the text).
- Program.
- Address of the event, directions + types of transport. Ticket prices.
- Registration conditions.
- Name of the organizer, contact details of the organizers.
Texts for mailings
It is necessary to prepare all the content for the newsletters in advance. It is important to divide your subscriber base into those who have attended your events before and those who are registering for the first time. If necessary, you can always make changes during the preparation process.
If you have an email list from previous events, be sure to use it to send invitations to the next event. In addition, organizers develop a series of emails for new registrations to maintain interest in the event and build anticipation for the event.
Preliminary to the event
The higher the ticket price for your event, the more letters you need to prepare. Preliminary information should be informative and well thought out.
Сначала подготовьте письмо «Знакомство и подтверждение регистрации». Предупредите, что будете отправлять полезные материалы.
Вот пример отличного содержания — здесь представлены подробная и краткая версии мероприятия, а также организационный файл, содержащий ответы на все вопросы и напоминание о возможности приобрести запись.
Необходимы также прогревочные письма — серия сообщений о вашем мероприятии. Вы можете рассказать о спикерах и предоставить полезный контент по теме, такой как видеоуроки, тесты или чек-листы. Вот прекрасный пример от Светланы Деминой, организатора и вдохновителя Email Show. Кроме того, Светлана записала серию подкастов с каждым спикером Email Show (и я также принимал участие в них). Она раскрывала личность каждого спикера не только как профессионала, но и как интересного человека.
Don't forget to send a reminder the day before and on the day of the event. Provide detailed instructions, the event program, directions, and contact information. On the day of the online event, emails can arrive 2 hours before the event and 15 minutes before it starts.
What other tasks need to be completed?
Collect information and tell about the event sponsors: their products, discounts, special offers for participants and other details.
Create a list of partners who are ready to promote your event to their target audience and prepare partner mailings.
During the event
If the event lasts for several days, it is recommended to make a short summary of the previous day, announce the speakers' presentations and remind about important points. Make sure that registered participants are informed about all news.
My recommendation is to prepare templates for such letters in advance and gradually add the necessary details and particulars to them. This way, you will be able to complete everything on time.
After the event
It is recommended to send a warm letter of gratitude to all participants. Letters with feedback from participants, promo codes and gifts from sponsors are also effective.
Announcements in the media
Develop press releases about the upcoming event and send them to leading media outlets and popular bloggers in your industry.
Use social media to spread the word about the event through posts and advertisements, drawing attention to upcoming performances and exciting features.
Affiliate programs
Partner with other organizations or influential individuals in your industry. Invite them to participate in the event or ask them to spread the word about it to their audience.
Develop a referral rewards program that rewards event attendees for inviting their friends and colleagues.
Streaming on social networks
Create a live streaming schedule on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. Organize interviews with speakers and showcase interesting content related to the event.
Actively engage with your audience during your streams, answer questions and comments to create engagement and interest.
Photo and video content
Create compelling photos and videos that capture the atmosphere of the event and highlight key moments. Post them on your social media pages and invite event attendees to share their photos using special hashtags.
Create after-sales videos that include speaker interviews, reviews, and attendee testimonials to continue generating interest and attracting new attendees in the future.
Social Media Highlights
Create engaging and informative highlights that showcase important moments from the event. Highlight key moments such as speaker talks, interesting facts, or exciting moments and share them on your social media pages. This will help to attract the attention of potential attendees and generate their interest.
Special hashtags
Create unique hashtags for your event and encourage attendees to use them when communicating on social media. This will make it easy to track and collect content related to the event and create a conversation around it.
Chatbots
Use chatbots on your website or social media to communicate with potential attendees. Chatbots can provide event information, answer questions, and assist with the registration process. They can also send notifications and reminders about upcoming events.
Reviews and user-generated content
Encourage attendees to share their experience of the event and post reviews on social media or special platforms. User-generated content, such as photos or videos of the event, is a powerful promotional tool as it demonstrates real experiences and attracts new potential attendees.
Outdoor advertising and leaflets
If the event is offline, use outdoor advertising such as billboards or advertising boards to attract the attention of passersby. Hand out flyers in offices, universities, crowded places or other relevant locations to get the event to a wider audience.
Combining all of these strategies will allow you to promote your events as effectively as possible and attract the attention of your target audience both online and offline.
5 Common Mistakes in Attracting People to an Event Online
Привлечение людей на событие онлайн — это задача, которая может показаться сложной, но можно избежать ошибок, которые совершают многие промоутеры.
Mistake 1. Excessive text and complex registration
Упростите страницу регистрации. Главная цель этой страницы — сделать регистрацию привлекательной и упростить ее процесс.
Use visual elements as they are quicker and easier for the brain to process than text which can be perceived as a lot of small images.
Attraction through social networks
Use information that people will remember. If you add a picture, they will remember up to 65%. Remember, these numbers are made up, but they create a more convincing impression. You don't have to make it up, just use visual tools.
Замените сухие цифры на информацию, представленную в виде инфографики, если это возможно. Вместо описания внешнего вида продукта, такого как «изысканная прозрачная кастрюля из стекла», лучше покажите его на качественных иллюстрациях, где можно увидеть, как готовится еда и как кастрюля выглядит на столе.
And, of course, try to make the registration form simple, with a minimum number of fields. The fewer obstacles people have to overcome to register for an event, the less likely it is that an error will occur.
Error 2. Not enough time
Plan enough time to attract people to the event. Keep in mind that various online engagement methods will take time to work.
Start promoting your event a month in advance through accessible and inexpensive channels like social media or email newsletters. Use paid channels like targeted advertising or media advertising closer to the event date, but give them at least two weeks to work.
Mistake 3. Single-channel approach
Используйте все доступные цифровые инструменты, чтобы объявить о мероприятии. Не стесняйтесь быть эффективным промоутером. Рассказывайте о предстоящем событии повсюду — на вашем сайте, блоге, страницах в социальных сетях, используйте электронную рассылку и гостевые публикации.
Use the capabilities and formats of various social networks to their full potential. For example, launch a series of stories and videos on Instagram, use memes on VKontakte, and share all the benefits of the event on Facebook. This approach will help increase your audience reach and avoid annoying users who follow you on different social networks with the same type of content.
Mistake 4: Focusing only on advertising
Думайте не только о рекламе — стремитесь воздействовать на аудиторию. Механическое выполнение задач по списку не является лучшим способом продвижения мероприятия.
Your content should have an impact on people. You should make them want to attend your event. They should be confident that your event offers what you promise. Publish reviews about you, this will also help people make a decision:
Attraction through social networks
Ваша аудитория может быть разной — «горячей», «теплой» или «холодной», и каждая из них требует своего подхода. Универсальными материалами являются отзывы благодарных клиентов. Они впечатляют всех типов аудитории и полезны для любого бизнеса.
«Горячая» аудитория уже готова записаться на ваше мероприятие, поэтому им не нужно долго рассказывать, что и как делать. Главное — создать условия, чтобы посетитель мог легко оставить заявку.
Для «теплой» и «холодной» аудитории реклама не так эффективна. Необходимо использовать контент, который привлечет их внимание. Расскажите о особенностях события, о проблемах, которые они смогут решить на вашем мероприятии, и устраните их сомнения.
Как узнать, когда лучше не проводить прямые эфиры и конкурсы, что раздражает и что привлекает подписчиков коммерческих аккаунтов, можно узнать здесь: «Как прогревать аудиторию в социальных сетях — рассказывает SMM-стратег Елена Бельченко».
Mistake 5. Not catching up with visitors
Use retargeting. This means you show paid ads to people who visited your landing page but for some reason didn’t convert. Maybe they got distracted by a call or had to do something else urgently and forgot about you. Retargeting will help remind them.
How to Attract People to an Offline Event
Be careful with retargeting so as not to annoy those who have already signed up for your event.
Here are some more tips for working with targeted and retargeting advertising:
Сегментируйте аудиторию. Да, это важно. Создайте сегменты пользователей, похожих на ваших клиентов. Сегментируйте аудиторию по социальным, географическим и демографическим признакам — интерес к мероприятию у бизнесмена, вероятно, отличается от интереса домохозяйки.
Use standard advertising techniques. Create a catchy headline, add urgency, use a countdown timer, provide specific numbers. If you want to talk about reasonable savings at an event, show how your previous clients' financial situation improved in percentage, provide evidence in the form of feedback from visitors. Include keywords in the headline and don't forget about a clear call to action.
Test your ads. Always.
Conclusion
Successful event promotion in Tashkent requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the specifics of online and offline channels. Online promotion allows you to reach a wide audience and use a variety of digital tools, such as a website, social networks, email newsletters and content marketing. However, do not forget about the importance of following and attracting attention offline, for example, through printed advertising materials, direct contacts and participation in local events.
Common mistakes to avoid include under-utilizing various communication channels, focusing only on advertising, and under-exposing your audience. It is recommended to segment your audience, use retargeting, and create compelling ads with a clear call to action.
Successful promotion of events in Tashkent requires constant testing and analysis of results, as well as adaptation of the strategy in accordance with changes in the requirements and preferences of the target audience. Modern digital tools and technologies provide many opportunities for effective promotion and attraction of participants to events in Tashkent.
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