If you're trying to market your event, you know that it's not enough to post some photos on Instagram and hope for the best. If you want to get more exposure and build a following of people who love what you do, then you need a plan.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to market your event with Instagram if you have the right approach.
Here are four tips that will help your business grow through social media:
Start with a plan
Planning is the first step in any successful project, and event marketing is no exception. If you don’t take time to plan, your efforts will be scattered and inconsistent.
Planning allows you to achieve your goals by creating a structure for achieving them. That includes planning everything from social media engagement to promoting speakers.
As your event approaches, the planning process should include:
- Identifying your goals for the event and how you want to use social media to achieve them.
- Creating a calendar for posting on all of your platforms.
- Deciding who will be responsible for which posts (and which platforms).
Choose your content format
There are many different ways to share your event with your followers. You can choose the best way to engage your audience by mixing up the content format you use. This will help you reach different audiences and increase awareness of your event on Instagram.
You want to use a mix of photos and videos, as well as different formats for each post (square, landscape and portrait). If you're sharing an image from one of your events, make sure it's cropped correctly so that it fits into the square format without looking stretched or distorted.
When posting about specific details like tickets or sponsorships, it helps if they're in landscape format so they show up clearly when someone scrolls through their feed.
Use hashtags to connect with people attending the event
For the best results, use hashtags that are relevant to your event and audience.
For example, if you're hosting a workshop on how to use Instagram in business, then you might add #marketing and #socialmedia to your posts. If you're hosting a concert for teenagers who love country music, then you could add #countrymusic or even #teenagersforlife as hashtags.
Using too many hashtags can be spammy though and you want people viewing your post as an actual person rather than just another branded post. However, using just enough will help connect with other users who share similar interests and keep them informed about what's going on at the event.
Another great way to use hashtags is hosting a contest! Create some sort of prize (a free ticket or something similar) and tell them how they could win it by reposting one of your photos with the right hashtag. This will get people excited about sharing their own content related to your event and help spread word-of-mouth publicity for you as well!
Get your audience involved in advance
One great way to get your audience involved in advance is to use Instagram Stories. One of the main reasons why people love using this feature is that it feels less formal than a post on a normal feed.
You can ask them questions, like “What would you like me to talk about at the event?” or “What are some things I should include in my presentation?”
You can also use a poll sticker to get people’s opinions on what they want to see at your event. This will give you some good insight into what your audience cares about most, allowing you to create a presentation that is tailored specifically towards them.
Promote your event through live sessions on Instagram
If you want to promote your event in a fun and engaging way, one of the best ways is by hosting a live session on Instagram.
You can invite influencers from your niche to join you for a live session where you discuss relevant topics related to your industry.
Utilize this feature to collaborate with event vendors, speakers, and event guests who can join the conversation. This will help you build relationships and create more buzz around your event. Remember to keep the content fresh and relevant by adding new content often.
You can also use Instagram stories to share behind-the-scenes footage from your event. This will give people a sneak peek of what’s happening and make them more interested in attending your next event.
I advise that you create a live sessions calendar to ensure that you have a consistent schedule of live sessions to promote your event.
Make an Instagram event marketing plan to boost your success.
Before you start marketing your event on Instagram, it's important to make sure you have a plan in place. Some of the key elements that should be included in your Instagram marketing plan include:
- A budget for how much you're willing to spend on the campaign.
- A team of people who can help execute the campaign for you.
- A goal for how many attendees or tickets you want to sell by a certain date.
- A timeline for when each stage of the marketing process needs to be completed.
Conclusion
If you're planning an event and need inspiration on how to market it, we hope these Instagram marketing tips have been helpful. A successful Instagram campaign starts with a solid plan, so if you're ready to get started on yours now, don't hesitate!
Join us at The Event Planner Expo this year and get some inspiration from the experts!
