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Event planning requires a great deal of work before it takes place. But that doesn’t mean that you can sit and relax on your comfortable couch. You need to devise an eleventh-hour campaign to promote your event and drive maximum attendees to your event.

It might feel surprising for some newbie event planners, but the promotion really works at the last minute. People are connected on the go and they can miss not a single news or update. Even if only a week is left, you can still put together a sound strategy that boosts your brand.

If you are looking for ways that can help you promote your event at the last minute, have a look at them.

1. Create a Special Offer

Creating a special offer can help you sell your unsold tickets rapidly. For instance, you can create an offer on tickets like buy 2 get one free or get one and get other at half price. You may lose some revenue as you are selling tickets at a fraction of the price. However, it will increase the overall sales and will definitely fill more seats at the event.

The offer should also benefit those who have already purchased the ticket. For example, you can offer a free ticket to those who have already purchased two tickets. Alternatively, you can offer ticket for half the price for those who have purchased only one ticket. This way they don’t feel penalized for being an early bird buyer.

2. Hold a Contest

Apart from giving freebies or half cuts, you can also create a contest to win a ticket as a compliment. For example, you can create a contest on the social network by sharing a picture and asking people to find a particular hidden object. Make it as engaging and intriguing as possible.

You can also hold a contest on Twitter asking people to answer the question. Those who answer quickly will be rewarded with a free ticket. This method works best for the live webinar where listeners can be tested with a quick question and answer session to help them stay attentive.

Moreover, if you like to get more exposure to your event, ask the participants to share the event on their Facebook timeline. Those who get a maximum number of shares and likes will get a free ticket or some kind of gadget.

3. Create Hype on Social Media

Social media is sometimes ignored by event planners and they don’t recognize the power of it. Apart from Facebook and Twitter, other social networks are completely ignored. While Facebook and Twitter are only used to share, like or sending the post.

You need to think out of the box and look for what might instigate audience. For instance, you can share some memes related to the event, post videos with slapstick or create hype by giving away prizes, a giveaway of your product, or offer a free trial for the first year. Make sure to use every social networking website and bookmark them on Tumblr, Reddit, Stumble Upon and others.

4. Involve Sponsors

Event planning is incomplete without sponsors. Asking sponsors for promotion is not admired by most of the event planners. However, sponsors are equally interested in the event and want their brand to get more exposure.

Moreover, sponsors have more clients than you have and can reach out to a bigger audience. Whatever special you have to offer, make sure to ask the sponsors to promote it on their channels such as social media, websites, blogs, and videos.

5. Engage in Forum Discussion

Discussion forums are a great way to promote your event at the last minute. Forums are a great way to connect with the untapped audience. Even if you can’t find any forums related to your event, you can create your own forum on the website.

People like to participate in forums and you can’t promote your event on the first hand. Most of the forums ban the users who start promoting themselves as soon as they do signup. Make sure, to involve in some activities like commenting on other discussions, answering questions and other related activities. The best way to not to be banned is by reading the guidelines given on the forum. Follow those rules strictly.

6. Speaker Bios and Pictures

Great and well-renowned speakers can attract the crowd like a magnet. You can post pictures of speakers coming to your event with a brief bio about their experience and work. Share it on your website as well as social networks. You can also create a poll asking people which speaker they like the most. Moreover, you can also share the videos of speakers giving a speech at a different conference. This will help draw more attention if the audience is not very much aware of them.

7. Pre Event Email

Email has the power to attract an audience and if you have the list, your work is reduced to half. If you have no list, you can ask sponsors, friends, speakers or partners to mention the event in their email.

What to include in email is the biggest question and needs to be taken seriously, especially if you don’t know how to write compelling copy. Firstly, pick the subject line that would instigate the reader to open it without waiting. Secondly, sending an email on weekend pays off more, make them feel less stressed and willing to spend few hours to attend an event.

Include a video thumbnail with the image of a speaker. Videos can largely improve click-through rates and get more attention to an email as compared to plain text. Make sure to send event marketing emails at least thrice – at a specified interval.

Conclusion

If you want to attract more people to your event, make sure to follow the above-given tips. Not limited to the above-discussed strategy, you can devise a plan in your own way. Think out of the box and find ways that would attract and drive people to your event. However, one thing is for sure that you can’t be successful if you don’t market your event the right way.

Ray Parker

Ray Parker

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and tech enthusiast who loves to incorporate new technologies to get more efficient outcomes. When he's not marketing his latest venture, he keeps himself busy in writing technical articles to educate peers and professionals.
Ray Parker

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