Facebook PR | Marketing Local Events with Social Media

Thinking of promoting an event on Facebook? Why not try it? It’s as easy as fill in the blanks. But, like most communications, being strategic brings better results. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my first attempt at creating a Facebook event for Chicago’s Social Media Club.

Nine days after posting the event on Facebook, the Chicago Social Media Club kick off site recorded 88 confirmed guests, 53 maybe attending, 65 not attending, 67 awaiting reply. Over 60 guests crammed into the Pepper Canister.

In July, the group created the Social Media Club Chicago Facebook site. To promote the kick off, we invited all the members to attend and added a link to the home page.

It was definitely worth the few minutes it took to set up the event site. We found that the Facebook [and accompanying twitter] connections added an automatic ice-breaking element to the event.

One recommendation: visit the event location and meet with the management before you host the event. Make sure they can hold your crowd and work out how bar or food tabs will be paid before you get there. Thanks so much to Amber Naslund of Altitude Branding for helping work out the logistics on this one and to all of the folks who attended this event. Looking forward to the next one!

How to promote an event on Facebook – what you need to know

Mechanics

Dave Taylor shows how to create a new event in Facebook.

Troubleshooting

Facebook Event frequently asked questions.

Social Media Event Strategy

Title 

Come up with a catchy name for the event: Chicago Social Media Club Kick-off – states the purpose

Tagline

“Let’s put Chicago on the Social Media Club Map” is a call to action that invites and shares a common goal

Description

Wow! We have a big group here – let’s get together to launch Chicago’s Social Media Club Chapter.
Interested? RSVP to this event.
Follow @smcchicago on twitter.com
Add your name to the Chicago Social Media ClubWa’s Chapter on the wiki: http://socialmediaclub.pbwiki.com/ChicagoIL password = media
See who you know in this group and come to the kick-off together!

Here, a brief description works as a way to convey purpose, invite action and offer multiple ways to engage.

Topic

The more interesting, the better your turn out.

People 

Grow your group before the event or connect with other groups you think might be interested in your event. Not sure? Contact the group’s admin to see what they think.

Word of Mouth 

People will tell their friends about your event – one person who came to ours invited a dozen friends

Association

Team up with a larger group or start your own chapter.

Timing

Would the response have been better with more notice? You’ll have to test the timing that works best for you and your group.

Twitter

Set up a twitter account for the event and make sure to monitor it daily. Recruit some twitter colleagues who will promote the event before and after.

Follow Up

The day of the event I sent a message to all guests with a map and parking information. After the event, send out a message to let people know that pictures are up and also when the next event will be.

What Else?