When it comes to raising the visibility of an event, you need to do more than just sending out a news release and creating a few social media posts for social media.
Here at B2 Communications, we work with events that happen once a year (like the Krewe of Sant’ Yago Knight Parade), events that haven’t occurred in the Tampa Bay area for a long time (like the Monster Energy AMA Supercross), and events that have never happened locally before (like the U.S. Navy’s Navy Week).
With this experience in mind, here are five tips that can be helpful as organizations plan their next big event:
1.) Plan ahead. The more advance notice you give the media and the people helping you promote the event, the better. This gives everyone time to come up with a plan on the best ways to get the word out.
2.) Create a social media strategy. Your event should be all over social media prior, during, and after the event. Use different platforms to target the groups you wish to inform, and figure out how often you need to post.
3.) Be ready to maximize interview possibilities. Often, a client may need to get media training for interviews and/or be up early for a morning show interview. This is worth the effort.
4.) Establish and build a brand. Create an overall theme that encompasses what your event is about and why it’s important. By establishing a strong brand and showing how your event makes a difference, you’ll be able to get more support.
5.) Find different angles for stories. For events that happen every year, you’ll want people to stay interested and excited. Come up with new stories to tell about your event, about the people who participate, and about those who benefit.
[caption id="attachment_3486" align="alignnone" width="768"] The Krewe of the Knights of Sant' Yago has hosted its Ybor City parade every year since 1974, and it is considered the largest of its kind in the Southeast.[/caption]