Where Advocacy, Special Needs Parenting, & Life Collide
How to Promote your Cause, Giveaway or Event?
Guest Post: 5 Tips to Create a Buzz about Your Event
Cendrine Marrouat is a well-respected blogger, author and poet, and an amazing friend found through the power of social media. When I asked her to pull something together for me, she jumped at the opportunity. Then, she asked me what to write about.
Um.
Seriously, though, Cendrine is an amazing marketer, blogger and journalist and is full of knowledge that would help any blogger trying to find their footing when it comes to promoting their event. So that is what I asked her to write about.
She rocked. As usual. Stay tuned for my review of her great new E-book, noted at the end of this article. I know you will find a few tidbits worth utilizing.
Enjoy the article and feel free to ask questions and leave comments for Cendrine after reading.
And Now … the Guest Post You’ve been Waiting for!
Here are a few tips for you. They require some work, but the results may well exceed your expectations!
Blog About Your Event
The first step in creating a good buzz for your event is to blog about it. I usually start early, at least six weeks before the event happens, and then post a couple more reminders as the date draws to a close. This helps index the news in search engines
Share Your Event on Social Networks
Now that you have started building momentum on your blog, it is time to harness the power of social networks!
Create an event on Facebook and invite your friends to join. Share it on your profile and Fan Page (if you have one) once or twice a week, preferably on Saturdays and / or at noon (ET).
Use Caltweet to promote your event on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, StumbleUpon and Digg. The service sends up to four automatic reminders daily into the streams of your Twitter followers.
Create a video trailer for your event with a free service like Animoto. Then, upload it to YouTube, Vimeo and / or DailyMotion and share it on social networks.
Embed the video on your blog and / or website and “pin” it into your Pinterest boards to generate backlinking.
Write a Press Release
Press releases are written statements about events, services, products or people that are usually sent to members of the media. They are excellent promotional tools because they create quality backlinking as well as search engine exposure.
I usually have mine ready three weeks before my events.
Your press release should be devoid of overused buzzwords like “award-winning,” “visionary,” “innovative,” “outstanding,” “leading,” “famous,” “renowned,” and “world-class.” Write your story in third-person and make sure that the first paragraph always includes answers to the following questions: “Who? What? When? Where? Why?”
Proofread your press release extensively then submit it a service like PRWeb or PRLog.
Add a Link to Your Event in Your Email Signature
One of the best ways to spread the word about your event is to link to it directly from your signature block. It is free and only takes seconds to implement.
If you are a Gmail, Yahoo, AOL or Hotmail user, you may want to check out WiseStamp. This free tool allows you to customize your email signature with your personal social media profiles, and to feature neat things like your most recent blog post or latest tweet.
Contact Bloggers in Your Niche
When it comes to promoting news, bloggers have become major players in the media scene. So, do not hesitate to contact them for potential interviews and/or guest posts.
When emailing a blogger:
- Introduce yourself briefly: Who are you? What do you do? Why is your event likely to interest them?
- Be professional and polite: Start with “Dear [name]:”; use polite phrases such as “Thank you for your time”, “Best regards”, or “Sincerely”.
- Check the spelling of the blog’s and the blogger’s name.
- Attach your press release to your email and include its content in the body of your message.
Good luck with your event!
The tips in this article are adapted from Cendrine Marrouat’s “The Little Big eBook on Blogging: 40 Traffic Generation Tips.” This eBook will be available for purchase on March 6, 2012. For more information, click here.
About Cendrine Marrouat
Cendrine Marrouat is a journalist, reviewer, blogger and author with nine years of experience in the freelance industry. Her articles have appeared in a number of websites and blogs, including Examiner.com and Digital Journal. She is also the founder of Creative Ramblings, a social media blog with a specific focus on entrepreneurs and independent artists.
For more information on Cendrine, visit www.cendrinemarrouat.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
Katrina Moody
Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More
I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.
@KatrinaMoody
Wife; Mom to 3 guys w/ARS, autism, epilepsy & awesomeness; Advocate. Writer, Graphic Designer, Wordpress addict, social media nut. Site: http://katsmedia.com &
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Hi,
I’ve just red your article and I suggest you here another tool to promote event via social media
This tool’s called “Tweet Wall Pro”, a live buzz tool for your event !!
Or “Another Tweet on The Wall” – a free version but without particular features !
Have Fun
Bye
Antoine
Antoine – thanks for stopping by – I love hearing about new toys … er, I mean tools to use online. Can you tell us more about what this service does?
Hi Katrina — love your blog!
Thanks for inviting Cendrine to be your guest author. She’s full of fabulous ideas … especially when it comes to tips and tools for promoting events.
Cendrine is a true pro and a dynamite blogger!
Melanie Kissell recently posted..Toilet Paper and Toothpicks
Hello Melanie! Thank you for stopping by and your very kind words!
Thanks Melanie! So glad to see Cendrine popped in already
— this was an excellent post and that is because Cendrine is an excellent writer! I was fortunate and blessed to have her for a guest post here at the Cafe!
I think you can use the advantage of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to help you promote your event and invite more visitors.
Absolutely, and even newer to the game, Pinterest is still driving a lot of traffic to lots of different sites as well.
I am wanting to know what the best form of advertising will be for my site. It is coupons, deals, reviews, savings, & giveaways.
Denise, I would think the best answer would come from knowing what kind of traffic you are getting and how engaged and loyal your audience is. Do you know your target demographic? Are you already an affiliate for products? Looking to get into Google Ads?