Podcasts - 12 - Some tips for promoting an event

The textual version of the podcast

Good morning everybody from Clappit. Welcome back to the appointment with our podcasts dedicated to event organizers. Welcome to those who approach the world of events, want to acquire some techniques and want to listen to some practical suggestions. Tips for managing ticketing, access control, off-line and online tickets selling, how to communicate, how to promote an event, how to sell tickets.

Here today's podcast is dedicated to how better promote the event on its website, with online and offline advertising, how to create a poster, which is usually the contents that best transmit the sense of participation in a type of event. Before starting, I remind everyone that it is possible to listen to our podcasts on the podcast specific platforms, and also on our official YouTube channel, where you will also find Italian and English subtitles.

So, today's episode is dedicated mainly to the creation of valuable content, useful for promoting the event. As we do for any online activity, even to sell an event, it is necessary to give first, start before, long before, to educate the spectators, educate those who are the customers for the organizer, then spread, increase the desire for participation. Presenting the event in the best possible way, what will actually be found during the show, during the event. Because very often if it is true that it is easier to present an event, for example at the theater because the characters are presented to guests, the plot, it is much more complicated for events that are newer, more specific, more refined.

For example, for food events, make participants understand exactly what they will find when they buy the ticket or buy a package. So describe well what are the expected experiences, what exactly includes the cost of the ticket, the package and what it does not include, what is extra and what is not extra.

Here, the informative side is fundamental, therefore I invite all the organizers to not skimp on the information that must appear both on the site of the event, and possibly on the tickets sale page, in our case may be on the Clappit site.

Because these are all the questions that viewers, users, online or on the phone will do to 110%. They will write you e-mails, they will ask you about your social network contacts, information. It is absolutely important even so, to save time, to give a good service and be more efficient, then it is good to write all the information clearly and comprehensible. Above all, we talk about the online, of course, where there is the indexing of search engines. Where, therefore, all our information has the possibility of being more or less indexed by the engine and found when a user makes a search.

Research that can clearly also lead to a sale, and so it is very important both on the site of the event and possibly on Clappit website, where there is a page dedicated to the tickets sale, to give all the information, also service information.

So, communications for any special rates, information for people with disabilities, like how they can access the event and, in addition to service information, it is clearly very important to create a whole series of more exciting, more engaging content. Obviously, besides the texts that tell about the character, the athlete that will be present. Not only everything that is the program of the event, of the evening, of the day, but, if it is possible, clearly, also the videos.

Videos are a very important tool that can involve the user. They can bring the user to feel great participation, to communicate to send its friends the event quickly.

So images, texts, service information, video content, presentation of guests, athletes, characters, protagonists, both at the textual and video level, and even with interviews. These are all the contents that are really valid, really important, to be able to communicate an event, to be able to support the sale, to enthuse spectators to buy tickets.

We talk about, for example, of a sales page linked to the site. We always hope that all the organizers, of course, have an official website dedicated to selling events, because it is fundamental in our philosophy, in our Full Ticketing model, to activate the sale directly on the organizer's channel.

When you have an event official website, it is a good idea to add it the ticket purchase button. Do not take for granted the usability aspect that a sales site must have. It is essential for a user immediately have the possibility to click, to tap on the button, both from mobile and from desktop, and make the tickets purchase. Because, I have to say it, many times, unfortunately, it is hard to find the button, and this is clearly true for all the online and e-commerce world, sometimes it is still hard to find a button, a blessed button.

Maybe there is a user who wants to buy the ticket but it's hard to find the button to buy the ticket.

This must not happen, we have to facilitate, as usual, we must reduce as much as possible the steps for the purchase of the tickets. And we do this, on our private label where in just a few clicks the user can succeed in completing the quick purchase of the ticket.

The poster from the graphics point of view is certainly the most important element. It must be done with care, it must be done professionally. Let's give some advice. So the first advice I can give having seen so many posters, of different types, for different events, from different sectors, surely the photographic and the brand elements are fundamental.

Then, clearly, the brand of the official event must be visible and in good quality and must maintain, as all the brands, an area of ​​respect. In this way, no other element comes into contact and comes to influence what is the visibility of the brand that represents the event.

Another fundamental aspect of the poster is the image. The image is, or at least we say the montage of multiple images, in short, what is the photographic element must be of good. High quality, do not absolutely use low-quality images, grainy images.

This is what most perhaps affects the effectiveness of a poster. Using images that you can't see well, that you can't understand well what they are. It's better to use a single image, clear, sharp, and clearly visible and well recognizable, rather than a set of small images that it is a tangle of something that you can't quite decipher. So the photographic element is fundamental.

Another aspect that I can mention, from the graphics point of view, the poster is that element from which all other communications derive. So from the private label to the images of any advertising campaigns, flyers, online banners, any graphic element is inspired by what is the poster and the brand of the event.

It is better to have both a vertical and a horizontal version. I know very well that it is an additional effort to produce, but it is really important because in any case, it will surely come into contact with advertising situations. In short, with a social promotion that they claim to have, they need to have formats, both vertical and horizontal, or panoramic.

For example, we can think about Instagram, which needs a square format, the possibility of maintaining a focus on the center of the image is important to be able to quickly decline both vertically and horizontally.

Having high-quality images, so buying or taking pictures in high quality, means having at least 300 DPI of resolution. Even if they are going to be declined for the web and have to be optimized, they will have a better optimization at JPG or PNG level. In short in the main formats used for online publication.

Another very important aspect of the poster is to make it clear in an unequivocal way the place, date, and venue of the event. Because, especially in events involving more than one date, it is essential to have a clear distinction and the possibility of choosing a date rather than another.  Because that, even online, is one of the first errors that unfortunately happen to users. For distraction, for speed, for lack of clarity of the pages, so immediately give a clear and precise indication of what is the date and the venue of the event.

A thought also for the sponsors of the event that are always present, the supporters, the supporters of various types, genres and levels. There are, of course, a series of brands, brands to manage, their official logo must all be sent, if possible, in vector quality. With the information about how the logo must be managed both on a light, dark background, an image, if it is possible to use it in white or black, depending on the background or color.

The important thing here, one thing that I sincerely will never like, is to have a series of white squares where all the sponsors' brands are positioned to be protected from the background. We must find a way to combine, amalgamate and respect brands but without using these white or black squares to allow brand visibility. In my opinion, this is a graphic effort that the agencies absolutely have to make, or in short, those who create the poster and the images of the event.

So: high-quality content, start as soon as possible to spread what are the main points of the offer, of the event program, the event protagonists. Then use any channel, both presentations in physical places, and of course if it is possible to make a pre-event press conference, with some journalists, that will be able to make articles and press releases.

Clearly, not all organizers can do that, it depends on the level, on the size of the event.

Then there are clearly all the advocacy speeches, public support speeches. So now I have to talk in a general way, but even if you are a small organizer who wants to promote a small event, you have to behave, you have to think big, so you have to try to follow what the main steps are.

The organizers have to think big, he must use online campaigns if he wants to sell online, online campaigns are fundamental, probably we will dedicate an entire podcast to this activity because today we have already said a lot of things. The minutes pass and we want to give precise directions without being too vague, as this is our style.

We want to be very practical, very pragmatic, so we will definitely dedicate a podcast to how to create an online campaign to buy tickets for an event.

I recommend if there are requests, doubts, the desire to obtain clarification with respect to some subject, do not be afraid.
Write to us, contact us on our social channels, commenting on YouTube or on our platforms.

In short, you can find us everywhere, with a simple online search you will surely find Clappit in search engine results. Ask us, we are here to help all the organizers to find a suitable solution for what the event is. Each event is an experience, a story of its own, the organizer needs to manage the particularities of his event.

It is time to say goodbye, for now, I will give you the appointment as usual on Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m. for the new podcast. For today, have a good week and greetings from Stefano and Clappit. Bye!