Marketing Your Event on Social Media: A Step-by-Step Guide to Boosting Engagement and Attendance

Social media has become an essential tool for event promotion, and for good reason. Whether you’re hosting a grand opening, launching a new product, or organizing a recurring event like a live music series, social media offers a powerful way to reach a wide audience, create excitement, and drive attendance. I've seen firsthand how events can explode in popularity purely through the power of social media marketing. In this blog post, I’ll break down some of the best strategies for promoting your event on social media.

1. Keep People on Your Radar with Countdowns

Countdowns are one of the most effective ways to build excitement and urgency for your event. People love the feeling of anticipation, and countdowns help keep your event at the forefront of their minds.

However, don’t overdo it! Aim to create a few key countdown posts leading up to the event. Here’s a simple plan:

• Initial Announcement: Create a post announcing your event with key details (date, location, etc.)—this is your starting point.

• 1 Week Before: Share a reminder post with a countdown sticker. This is a great opportunity to highlight specific features or special guests of the event.

• 3 Days Before: A reminder post on your feed with a countdown to build the hype.

• Day Before & Day Of: Use stories on the day before and the day of the event. These posts can be quick updates or last-minute teasers to keep people engaged and excited.

The key here is balance—don’t overwhelm your audience with too many countdown posts, but make sure the event stays on their radar.

2. Give Sneak Peeks to Build Excitement

A great way to drive anticipation is by offering sneak peeks of what’s to come. Depending on the type of event you’re hosting, you can tease your audience with content showcasing special vendors, performers, or products that will be available at the event.

For example, if you’re hosting a community social and you’ve got a taco vendor catering the event, you might post a short video of those tacos being made or served. Caption it something like, “Don’t miss out on FREE Torchy’s Tacos at our community social happening July 27th!” People love seeing sneak peeks of what they can expect, especially if it’s something they’re excited about.

This tactic works well in the countdown phase, building excitement as the event gets closer.

3. Incorporating Influencers and Partners

Collaborating with influencers and industry partners can expand your event’s reach, especially if you’re launching something new or don’t have a large following yet. Influencers have established audiences that trust their recommendations, and they can help generate buzz for your event.

Here’s a great example: I saw a local coffee brand that hyped up its launch with influencer collaborations. They invited local influencers for a sneak peek event, which created a massive buzz online—people were talking about it everywhere! However, they weren’t quite prepared for how successful the social media buzz was—so many people showed up for the grand opening that it almost became overwhelming. Talk about a success!

To approach influencers:

• Start by reaching out via direct message (DM). Keep it human, not robotic. Personalize your message by showing you’ve engaged with their content and explain why you think they’d be a great fit to promote your event.

• Offer them an exclusive experience, like a sneak peek or special access, to make the partnership feel more valuable.

Also, make sure your partners—whether they’re vendors or sponsors—are actively involved in your social media strategy. They can share event details with their own followers, further expanding your reach.

4. Community Building Through Engagement

Social media isn’t just about broadcasting your event to the masses—it’s also about building community and creating a sense of excitement leading up to and after the event.

In your Instagram Stories or Facebook posts, use interactive features like:

• Polls: Ask your followers what they’re most excited about. Will it be the tacos? The music? The giveaways?

• Slider Stickers: Create excitement with “How excited are you?” sliders.

• Countdown Stickers: Remind followers that your event is coming soon and let them participate by setting a personal countdown.

Additionally, be sure to respond to any comments or DMs you get about the event. If someone asks, “Is the event dog-friendly?” respond quickly and helpfully. The more engaged you are with your audience, the more likely they are to attend the event.

5. Paid Advertising and Boosting Posts

While organic reach is great, sometimes a little extra help through paid advertising can increase your event’s visibility. You don’t necessarily need to create a full Facebook ad campaign, but boosting a well-performing post can help get it in front of a wider, targeted audience.

Focus on boosting posts that highlight key information—like event announcements or special offers. You can set your boost to target specific demographics such as age, location, or interests that align with your event’s audience. This will help you reach people who may not already follow you.

6. Create Engaging Content for Social Media

The content you post leading up to the event is key to keeping your audience excited and engaged. Here’s how to make sure your posts stand out:

• Eye-Catching Visuals: Use high-quality photos or videos that resonate with your event’s theme. Whether it’s a stunning flyer or a behind-the-scenes video of your setup, people love visually appealing content.

• Teaser Videos: Give your audience a taste of what’s to come with teaser videos. Show quick clips of event preparations, rehearsals, or special guests. Keep them short and punchy!

• Behind-the-Scenes Content: People love seeing the process behind the event—whether it's prepping the venue or setting up the stage. This adds an element of exclusivity to your social media content.

7. Use Hashtags and Keywords for Discoverability

Hashtags are key to making your event discoverable by a larger audience (if it is open to the public). Research relevant and trending hashtags related to your event, city, or industry. Use a mix of broad and niche hashtags to increase the chances of reaching the right people.

For example:

• #AustinEvents

• #LiveMusicAustin

• #CommunitySocial

• #EventName2024

Don’t forget to create an event-specific hashtag (e.g., #MyEvent2024) and encourage attendees to use it when posting their own content. User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful way to build community and promote your event organically.

8. Event Countdown and Live Coverage

The countdown to the event is an exciting time for your audience, and it’s important to continue building anticipation. In the final days leading up to the event, keep your audience engaged by posting live updates.

• Live Coverage: Go live on Instagram or Facebook during the event to give followers a real-time glimpse of the action. This can be particularly effective for events like performances, product launches, or behind-the-scenes moments.

• Real-Time Updates: Share regular updates on social media during the event. If a guest speaker arrives or if a particular activity is happening, make sure your followers know about it.

9. Post-Event Engagement

Your event doesn’t end when the doors close. Post-event engagement is just as important as pre-event marketing. Here are a few strategies to keep the momentum going:

• Share Highlights: Post photos and videos from the event, showing off the best moments.

• Attendee Testimonials: Share testimonials from attendees who had a great time. If people are happy with the event, they’ll love to be featured!

• Thank-You Posts: Show appreciation to everyone who attended, helped promote, or supported the event. This strengthens relationships and leaves a positive impression for future events.

10. Measure Your Success

Lastly, it’s crucial to track the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts. Monitor key metrics such as:

• Engagement rate (likes, shares, comments)

• Reach and impressions

• Click-through rates

• Conversion rates (e.g., ticket sales or sign-ups)

Use tools like Instagram Insights or Facebook Analytics to help you gauge what worked and where you can improve for future events.

Marketing your event on social media doesn’t have to be overwhelming—by following these steps, you can create a strategic and engaging campaign that will get people excited and drive attendance. Remember to keep your content visually engaging, use countdowns and sneak peeks to build excitement, collaborate with influencers, and stay engaged with your audience throughout the process.

Now that you know the strategies, it’s time to put them into action! Let me know how it goes and share your event marketing successes with me!