8 Ways to Turn Social Media Followers into Event Attendees

When it comes to event promotion online, social media has its place for getting you new attendees and supporters. Especially if you’re targeting a Black event audience. 

What’s the key to harnessing the full potential of social media for your event? You’ll need to grasp the multiple pathways that can transform thousands of passive online followers into enthusiastic event attendees. From choosing the right social media platform to creating compelling video content and leveraging the power of influencers, each method is meticulously crafted to engage your audience and drive attendance. 

In this article, we delve into unique approaches that go beyond traditional event promotional methods, providing you with actionable insights to elevate your event promotion game. Each recommendation unlocks new perspectives on how to amplify your event’s reach but also convert social media likes and shares into event ticket sales and promotion. 

Social media and events are where digital influence meets real-world engagement. Set your event promotion apart by diving into these eight strategies.

1. Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Event 

Selecting the best social media platform for promoting your event is a pivotal decision that significantly influences attendee turnout. You’ll need to tailor your approach to the strengths of specific platforms to yield more targeted and successful outcomes. 

Some things to consider in your social media platform selection are audience demographics, content type, engagement preference, and advertising options. Here are more specific social media features and insights to think about when advertising your event:

• Instagram’s Visual Appeal: Event ticket sales thrive when visual content is at the forefront. Leverage Instagram’s photo and video-sharing capabilities to showcase event previews and highlights.
• Twitter’s Real-Time Updates: Red carpet events and highly attended conferences tend to find success with constant updates and real-time interaction from attendees, sponsors, and event organizers. Utilize X’s (formerly Twitter) hashtags and live-tweeting mechanisms to provide concise event updates that keep your audience informed. By the way, is it Black X or still Black Twitter? Get it right when promoting your event!
• LinkedIn’s Professional Networking: Business-focused events and learning environments often reach attendees that want to grow their professional network. Try LinkedIn to deliver in-depth details about speakers, industry insights, and exclusive networking opportunities on-site. 
• Meta’s Community Building: Meta’s original social media platform, Facebook, excels in community building. Create an event page in addition to your event ticketing page to start engaging with attendees right away. This helps generate a buzz and could even help attendees find event buddies before the day of. 

Walk Good LA is a great example of an organization that aligns their community event promotions with the unique features and user base of Instagram. Just like them, use this information as a guide to maximize the potential for attracting attendees who resonate with your event’s specific offerings.

2. Video Content is King 

Leveraging video content is paramount in converting social media followers into enthusiastic event attendees. The way in which people share their interests and events they want to go to through videos they’ve seen online is unparalleled with any other content in the industry. 

The right event promotional video can captivate audiences and effectively communicate your event’s value proposition. If nothing else, a high-quality video recap or behind-the-scenes footage of your event like We Are Black n Out in Austin, TX can serve as a great tool for branding. 

For events requiring in-depth content, such as tutorials, interviews, or product launches, YouTube or user-generated content are powerful tools. Create and share high-quality videos that provide a deeper understanding of your event’s value proposition, attracting an audience seeking comprehensive information.

3. Event Influencers are Key

Event influencers are essential for ensuring your event’s success. Their endorsement introduces your event to a broader audience. Selecting the right influencer for your event is a strategic process that involves careful consideration of various factors. It doesn’t have to be difficult either. Here’s a guide to help you make an informed decision:

• Relevance: Review potential influencers’ accounts to ensure they already have content that aligns with your event’s theme or values.
• Engagement: They typically will provide a one-sheet that includes their impressions and reach; however, analyze the influencer’s engagement metrics with your own eyes. Seeing likes, comments, and shares can help gauge their audience’s responsiveness and connection.
• Audience Demographics: Examine the influencer’s follower demographics to confirm they match your target audience. Your influencer doesn’t always have to look like your target audience if they already have their trust — think ATLlovesMo.
• Content Quality: Watch the influencer’s content to determine quality and skill level. Make sure it aligns with the visual and messaging standards of your event, enhancing the overall promotional campaign.

You want a symbiotic partnership with event influencers because they could become event ambassadors that enhances your event’s visibility and resonance over a long period.

Tip: Volunteers can assist with various aspects of an event, from guiding attendees to managing social media interactions. However, consider social media takeovers by volunteers leading up to the event. This provides a behind-the-scenes look, generating excitement for event partners, and leverages their authentic voice to connect with your target audience. 

4. Hashtags are Still In

Utilizing hashtags remains a powerful strategy for promoting events on social media. Hashtags not only categorize and organize content when searching for events, but also facilitate increased visibility and engagement online without too much work. 

Leverage hashtags effectively with branded hashtags, also known as, Hashmojis on X. These are great for event attendance and engagement during live-watch events like the Superbowl or a series premiere, as well as webinars. Also, encourage attendees to tag the speakers with quotes from their sessions or keynote to really get the party started online. 

This type of content can be used for recaps and PR material when seeking sponsorships that lead to great event partnerships.

Tip: Research Popular Hashtags within your event’s industry or niche. Incorporating these into your posts exposes your content to a wider audience interested in similar topics.

By incorporating strategic and branded hashtags into your event promotion, you create a digital thread that connects attendees, influencers, and participants, enhancing the overall online presence of your event and encouraging active engagement across social media platforms.

5. Create an FAQ

Creating an Event FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and/or a visually appealing infographic proves invaluable for enhancing attendee experience and disseminating essential event information. 

Compile a comprehensive FAQ document covering logistics, schedules, venue details, and special instructions to address common queries proactively. Since its inception, Something in the Water Festival has done a great job to ensure easy accessibility on your event website and share across social media platforms through their FAQ webpage. 

Tip: Consider crafting an infographic that visually conveys key details in a digestible format. Infographics, with their visual appeal and shareability, serve as an effective tool for presenting complex information. The easier to share, the more likely your event will receive organic promotion.

6. Create Value with Exclusivity

Creating value through exclusivity is a potent strategy to entice social media followers to become active event attendees. By offering VIP or private pre-event experiences, you not only elevate the perceived value of attending but also cultivate a sense of exclusiveness that can drive engagement. VIP experiences might include exclusive access to speakers or performers, private networking sessions, or behind-the-scenes tours. These exclusive offerings can be promoted strategically on social media to generate excitement and incentivize followers to convert into attendees. By positioning these experiences as premium and limited, you tap into the psychology of exclusivity, making your event more appealing and encouraging social media followers to take the step from passive interest to active participation.

At the Flytime Fest in Lagos, Nigeria every December, they offer top-tier VIP experience including on-stage with the artist. Beyonce has premium experience during her Renaissance tour as well. While they appear to segregate certain attendees, it also builds community and loyalists of your event brand. The allure of special privileges and unique opportunities often proves to be a compelling factor in transforming followers into committed attendees, contributing to the overall success of your event.

7. Interview/Highlight Speakers or Event Partners

Interviewing or highlighting speakers and event partners on your social media pages proves to be a solid event promotion tactic. By incorporating these interview formats and highlights onto your event promotion plan, you not only add variety to your content strategy but also create a multifaceted narrative that resonates with your target audience.

To diversify bland event content and maximize engagement, consider the following approaches:

• Speaker Spotlights: Conduct interviews that delve into their expertise, discussing key topics, personalized experiences, and valuable insights related to the event theme in snippet or short video form.
• Go Behind-the-Scenes with Event Partners: Explore their involvement, emphasizing how their contributions and offerings will add to the event experience.
• Sponsorship Stories: Craft content that illustrates the mutual benefits, emphasizing how these collaborations elevate the event. The anecdotes, successes, and unique aspects of the event sponsorship will overstate their significance and importance to attendees.

These approaches not only engage followers but also strengthens the connection between your event and its key contributors that helped fund the program.

8. Be Very Strategic with Paid Advertising 

Without a highly strategic approach to using paid advertising for effectively promoting your event, you could lose a lot of money. So let us help direct you to the right place and get started. 

Start by conducting thorough audience research, understanding demographics, interests, and online behaviors. Your event team can utilize versatile advertising options on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, leveraging their capacity for precise audience targeting based on various criteria. 

Incorporate compelling visuals, clear messaging, and persuasive calls to action in your ads to capture attention. If time allows, implement A/B testing with different ad creatives and targeting options for optimization based on real-time data. Monitor campaign performance closely to make swift adjustments and refine your strategy. Street Team: Understand demographics, interests, and online behaviors.

• Social Media Platforms: Utilize advertising options on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for precise targeting.
• Event Platform: Consider your event ticketing platform platforms for reaching users actively searching for similar events in their city or nearby. Eventnoire offers email marketing to our subscribers of your event.
• Mobile Flyer Promotion: Capture attention with engaging visuals, clear messaging, and persuasive calls to action that are rolling around on a rideshare advertising screen or a paid mobile truck playing music. Both grasp attention as a reminder of what potential event attendees are seeing online.
• Radio and Podcasts: These are some of the top traditional ways to advertise your upcoming event. Experiment with different ad creatives and targeting options for these avenues for the best outcomes.

Additionally, consider more traditional yet effective platforms like Google Ads, which can reach users actively searching for events similar to yours. Strategically investing in paid advertising on the right platform increases the likelihood of converting social media followers into active and engaged attendees.

Promote Your Event with Eventnoire

Now that you’ve made it to the end of this guide, we’re positive you have a head start on your event competitors when it comes to turning social media followers and likes into event attendees that could become event ambassadors. Oh, the possibilities!
If you’re looking for even more Black events and festivals to book a flight for, check out Eventnoire. Eventnoire is the premier platform where Black culture and events intersect — directly connecting Black attendees and Black event organizers to each other.

Create, Discover & Experience Events For The Culture At Eventnoire. Follow Us On Instagram @Eventnoirehq, Follow Us On Twitter @Eventnoire, Like Us On Facebook