Don’t you just love events? The friends, the food, the entertainment and lasting memories? Well… participating is one thing and actually running the event is a whole other thing. You probably can’t imagine a world without Instagram right now. I know I can’t. It’s an amazing and powerful platform that shouldn’t be ignored… especially when it comes to the success of your next big event. Hey, I’m Emily, Marketing Coordinator here at Fesyk Marketing. I’ve had some pretty solid experiences working on large-scale events in the past and I hope what I have here for you today will be a huge help when it comes to tackling content planning for those pesky social media channels. So let’s get started with 5 Instagram tips that you NEED to make your next big event a success!
Step 1: Start spilling the tea… slowly!
Building the anticipation is just half the fun of getting people excited about your event. You might ask yourself, how in the world do I do that? Well, I’m glad you asked! Get people buzzing by revealing- or as I like to say, ‘spilling the tea’ on special event guests, performers, chefs, signature cocktails, cute dogs… the options are endless! Start by planning these posts out well in advance or as soon as you confirm all the event goodies! You will want to get in the habit of spilling a bit of tea every week prior to the event. This will result in getting people talking and selling more tickets!
Step 2: Early birds get the worm!
In the case of events, early birds always get the worm. I can’t stress enough how important it is to regularly post about early bird deals. Why? Because it builds urgency. You want people to feel a little rushed so they can first, buy their tickets, and second, convince their friends to buy tickets- because who doesn’t like going out with their friends? You need to be active on your account daily to inform prospective attendees about when the deals are happening and when they’re going to end- I personally LOVE the countdown feature for this on Instagram stories.
Step 3: Feed the FOMO (fear of missing out)
Maybe it isn’t your first time running your event. Maybe you had people who were on the fence about attending your last event and now they are still unsure. Feed that feeling with sharing some event throwbacks to your grid. Is your event brand new? Maybe start with a little contest for tickets or offer discount codes to new followers to your page. Give attendees a chance because we all know that we only get so many chances. You really want to make them regret not coming- as sassy as that sounds!
Step 4: #Hashtag it up!
You will need to create your own custom event hashtag (or a couple) to really pin yourself to the digital map. You will want everyone and their mother sharing that hashtag to their personal pages to get you that organic growth that we all need and love.
Step 5: Document the day!
Not only should you be sharing everything above on your Instagram story but you should be posting to your story as the event is happening! This goes hand-in-hand with that FOMO stuff. You want to showcase what’s happening behind the scene and maybe make some people a tiny bit jealous in the process. To make live story posting successful, dedicate this role to someone who will live document the set up, opening, live entertainment, speeches, and anything and everything under the sun at your event. Have detailed notes prepared for that person so that nothing gets missed! Pro tip to find yourself a Gen Z for this role because a few TikTok dances never hurt anyone.
Looking for inspiration? We’ve got you. Check out our starter event social media checklist: Event Social Media Checklist
Well, here we have it. I hope that these 5 Instagram tips to make your next event a success will bring a big boost to your big event. Remember that if you have any questions about marketing and social media to reach out to us here at Fesyk Marketing to get more advice on how to build your brand and create your community!