Outdoor events have always been a popular pastime, but they’ve gotten even more popular after everyone was stuck inside for so long during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past few years, more than 50% of the U.S. population participated in outdoor activities at least once — the highest percentage on record!
People are looking for things to do outside, which means it’s the perfect time to host an event. Here are six ways to promote your next outdoor summer event and draw in the crowds.
Create a custom ticket design
Those standard blue and red pull-apart tickets you get at the carnival are boring. Your event isn’t boring, so wow your attendees with custom ticket designs. Since you’re busy planning an outdoor summer event, it helps to use ticket templates to create your designs.
There are thousands of ticket templates available online. All you have to do is browse through the professional designs, choose the one that best fits your event’s style, input your information, and you’re ready to hand them out to attendees! If your tickets are colorful and well designed, attendees will be more excited to come to your event.
Create a Facebook event page
Before anyone attends an event, they want to make sure they have all the details and information. In the digital age, the best place to put all your event details is on a Facebook event page.
A Facebook event page allows you to create a dedicated page that contains anything and everything someone would need to attend your event. Even better, anyone can comment on the page to ask questions and get more detailed information.
It’s also easy to share your Facebook events page with your followers and across social media platforms to invite more people to your event. Potential attendees can even RSVP right on your event page, so you can get an idea of how many people will attend before the day of the event, making the planning process a bit easier.
Get social on social media
The key to any marketing campaign is to reach your ideal audience where they spend their time. In 2023, that place is social media! According to research, 70% of the U.S. population uses some form of social media, making it the perfect place to promote your outdoor summer event.
In the weeks leading up to your event, make sure to post regularly on all your social media channels. Saying there’s a lot of content on social media is an understatement. You want to keep your event top of mind for your followers, so they don’t forget you in the mass of other content. And don’t forget to share your Facebook event page a few times!
It’s also not enough to just post high-quality images and videos to your various feeds. Remember to interact with other users. It’s called “social” media for a reason! Respond to comments and direct messages (DMs), and it never hurts to promote your event by commenting on others’ posts, too.
Harness the power of email marketing
Even though three out of four people are on social media, an incredible 91.8% of people in the U.S. have an email address. It’s one of the most effective ways to communicate directly with your audience — as long as you have a person’s contact information, that is.
If you have time, start building your contact list long before your event. Then, a few weeks before the event, start sending weekly or bi-weekly (twice per month) emails promoting your event. Since these messages will be sent straight to your audience’s inboxes, it’ll be extremely difficult for them to miss learning about your event.
Anyone who receives your messages can also easily reply to the email if they have any questions or want to purchase tickets. Email is one of the best marketing platforms to create a direct back-and-forth between you and potential event attendees.
Partner with local businesses
There are many factors that go into planning and executing an outdoor summer event. From food and entertainment to activities and even (especially) funding, it never hurts to have a little help to make your event the best ever. Partnering with local businesses can help you get everything you need and promote your amazing summer event.
Businesses are always looking for ways to get their name around town. For example, offer to let local restaurants set up stands or bring their food trucks to your event to sell food. Not only can they make a few dollars, but they can also get their brand in front of all your attendees.
For businesses who might not have goods or services that fit your event, you can still offer sponsorship opportunities. For a little monetary support, you’ll put up signs at your event promoting the business. This will help you boost your funds to put on an even better event — or hire a few more hands to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Every business that participates will want to promote your event, too. They’ll market I to their customers and increase your marketing reach exponentially. It’s like getting paid to promote your event!
Hang posters all over town
Digital marketing is great at reaching an incredible number of people, but what good is targeting a global audience on the internet when only people in your immediate area will likely attend your event? One of the best ways to target a local audience is with a classic marketing tactic: event posters!
Posters never go out of style. People always have to go to places like stores, restaurants, schools, and even just walking down the street. Reach your ideal audience wherever life takes them by hanging posters promoting your summer event all over town.
Just like with your customer tickets, you can save time and energy by using summer poster templates that are available for free online. It’s the best way to get professionally designed posters that will wow anyone who passes by without needing professional graphic design skills.
Make your outdoor summer event the best yet
What makes a great event? Plenty of attendees! When you’re ready to start promoting your next outdoor summer event, think about creating exciting custom ticket designs, use social media tools, send plenty of emails, partner with local businesses, and hang plenty of eye-catching posters around town. When all your marketing efforts work together, you’ll have the whole town buying tickets to your event!
