Using Social Networking to Increase Attendees at Your Event: Will It Really Work For You?

Some years ago, most people would have laughed at the idea of getting more than a million people hooked onto social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Today, social networking is not a matter of choice but a necessity for most users. We are using social networking sites for a host of purposes - from reconnecting with friends to building links with prospective clients. As an event planner, you can no longer undermine the potential of this new age media that reaches out to millions of users all over the world.

Online communities within social networking sites are extremely useful for event planners like you. These communities are formed by people sharing similar interests and preferences. For example, you can target a community of teenagers to promote a rock fest you are organizing. Not only is this a convenient means by which you can promote your event, you also get to save a lot of money on advertising.

You can make the most of social networking by understanding your target audience. Here are some useful tips that can help you to capitalize on the popular networking sites to promote your event:

CREATE ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

This is the first step that you need to take to explore how social networking can help you to increase attendance at the event. Your Facebook or LinkedIn page should immediately catch the attention of your prospective attendees. Remember, unless it catches their attention, they will not come back again to know about your events.

Make your Facebook page interesting by adding necessary information regarding the events that you host, registration details etc. It is a good idea to include a link to the registration page so that interested attendees can sign up for the event instantly.

POST EVENT DETAILS ON MULTIPLE SITES

You can post event details at multiple sites free of cost. Post your event details at all the major social networking sites. This will help you to reach out to a large number of people who might want to attend your event.

GENERATE AWARENESS ABOUT YOUR EVENT

Your social networking account helps you to promote your event in the most effective manner. Popular networking sites, such as Facebook and Orkut have millions of users all over the world. Thus, you can post your event details on these sites to inform people about your event.

When you inform your target audiences about the event, don't forget to add the link to your website or the webpage containing information regarding the event. This is important because prospective attendees might want to know about the event in more detail. Moreover, you can build traffic to your website with this option.

USE EVENT PROMOTION TOOLS

Observing the growing popularity of social networking sites for marketing, business development and lead generation, networking websites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn have now added special tools to aid marketing professionals and event planners. The "Event" section on Facebook and LinkedIn helps you to notify your group members about an upcoming event. This feature helps you to target people outside your network as well!

Social networking offers endless possibilities for event planners like you. Hence, use your creativity to reach out to your target audiences.