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When and where to get the word out about your event
The most exciting event in the world will succeed only if people
actually attend. In fact, a major cause of failure is too much time
spent planning and not enough promoting.
Reaching Your Target Audience
There are many ways to get people to come to your event. Consider
the following list, and decide which methods are most appropriate for
the audience and the event:
- Save-the-Date cards: Sent to your mailing list three to four
months before the event, these are a great way to get the word out
early and build some buzz in the community.
- Personal notes: Your target audience probably gets a
lot of invitations. Yours have a much better chance of getting a
positive response if you have your board, fund raising and event
committees add personal notes and put their names above the return
address on the envelope. You can have these key people go through your
mailing list in advance and indicate anyone they feel would be
attracted by a personal note from them. Then simply pull those names
from the general mailing, get the notes written and mail those
invitations first class.
- Mailed invitations:
- Your mailing list (everyone or just a targeted portion?)
- Contacts suggested by your fundraising committee and event committee members. They may also be able to get you names from club or community directories.
- Other mailing lists that include your targeted audience
- E-invitations
- Phone calls, letters, or a pre-event gathering in addition to invitations to create early buzz among key audience members
- Newsletters — yours and others
- Fliers and posters (consider placement to maximize effectiveness)
- Notices in utility bills
- Press releases sent to media, including newspapers and TV and radio stations, that target the audience you want to reach
- Public service announcements (PSAs) on TV and radio stations that serve your audience; PSAs have to be carefully worded, especially when promoting an event, but they are an option.
- TV appearances
- Community calendars
- Ads (expensive but you might get them donated)
- Websites — yours and others
- Social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, particularly if your target audience includes young adults and other technically savvy folks
Some Promotional Pointers
- Promoting a community dog walk is very different from promoting a formal dinner for your major-gifts prospects. You began your event planning
by identifying fundraising goals and a target audience and then
selecting an appropriate event based on this information. Promoting the
event to this audience requires similar strategizing.
- Don't forget the importance of your event committee. Including members with direct links to your target audience may do more than anything else to bring in the people you want.
- There's a lot of competition for your target audience's time and attention.
Be sure to put together the most appealing invitations and other
materials you can afford. If possible, find a graphic designer to do
the work for free.
- Be sure to include promotional activities on your event planning schedule. Media
outlets have strict deadlines for advertisements and calendar
submissions. They are also unlikely to run press releases or PSAs that
arrive at the last minute or ask a reporter to follow up for a story on
your event at the eleventh hour. Any graphic design and printing work
will also have a schedule that is not controlled by you.
- Be kind to yourself, and allow enough time to promote your event effectively.
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