In the wake of COVID-19, creators are rethinking how they connect with their audience. In-person events have been forced into the digital realm – and it’s led to a level of resourcefulness and creativity that we couldn’t have imagined even a few months ago.

But the events themselves aren’t the only things changing. The way creators market these events is also evolving. Eventbrite’s Online Events offering has been one of the many tools creators have turned to during this adjustment period. Beyond ticketing, Eventbrite’s features give creators the chance to raise awareness, build excitement, and truly engage their audience  – whether that’s on social media or through more traditional channels like email. 

The creativity on display has been inspiring. So here are just a few ways you can join these creators and promote your online events.

Optimise your event for search engines

The world of online events is pretty crowded right now. To stand out, many creators are using search engine optimisation (SEO) to catch the attention of people searching the web. Winning the SEO game calls for creators to incorporate keywords into their digital marketing so that their event lands higher in search results.

For instance, maybe you’re running a wine-tasting class over Zoom. To ensure anyone who searches for “wine-tasting classes” finds your event, you’ll want to include those words in your event title. Call your class something like “The At-Home Sommelier: An Online Wine-Tasting Class for All Skill Levels.” While the title is catchy and unique, the subtitle is clear, direct, and searchable. Incorporating more simple wine-related language into your Eventbrite event description is a great way to further boost SEO.

Connect your event to Facebook

A large portion of your audience likely uses Facebook on a regular basis. This makes Facebook just about the perfect platform for online event promotion. And in just a few steps, you can add your Eventbrite listing to Facebook and begin connecting with this broad base of users. This feature publishes your event to your Facebook page, which means attendees can easily click-through to purchase tickets or reserve their spot, share the event with their Facebook friends, and put the event on their Facebook calendar so they’ll get a notification when the event is about to happen.  

Promote your event across social media

Maybe you want to do more than just connect your event to Facebook. For creators who want to take their event promotion to the next level, Paid Social Ads are the answer. Eventbrite enables creators to create, launch, and measure Facebook, Instagram, and Google Adwords ad campaigns in minutes. All you need to do is download Paid Social Ads in the App Marketplace and you can begin creating campaigns. 

Once you’re satisfied with the basics of your campaigns, you can start to optimise by building target audiences and installing conversion tracking. These features enable you to pinpoint your messaging to specific groups of users and measure performance on the fly.

Send an email campaign in Eventbrite

Yes, it’s been around forever. But email remains one of the key ways brands engage with their audience. For creators who are promoting their event on Eventbrite, creating email campaigns makes it easy to build interest through a widely-used channel. 

Your customers’ inboxes might be overwhelmed right now. After all, plenty of different creators are reaching out and promoting events. So the ability to customise your email campaigns in Eventbrite allows you to craft messaging that stands out. You can add images and colour, pick a theme, and add a header image to your email with just a few clicks. With Eventbrite’s built-in features, you can launch an email campaign that’s informative, professional, and eye-catching. Along the way, you can monitor the success of your email campaign and optimise your messaging. 

Embed your event directly onto your website

If social media isn’t the primary place where you engage with your audience, you might want to consider embedding your event directly onto your website. With embedded checkout, attendees can buy tickets without leaving your website. This checkout option can also navigate attendees to a separate confirmation page on your website, where you can encourage them to invite their friends or share the event on social media. 

Just because we can’t be together in person right now doesn’t mean we can’t hold memorable events. Along the way, we’re learning that online events aren’t pale imitations of “the real thing” and are instead offering us unique, rewarding ways to forge a connection.

Convert last-minute buyers

Our data shows that during COVID-19, 14% of tickets to online events are sold in the 24 hours leading up to the event. This is double the amount sold the day before in-person events, meaning ticket buyers are twice as likely to wait until the last minute to commit. So don’t be afraid to market right up to the finish line and convince those who are still on the fence. A day or two before your event, post a reminder in your Facebook event to give potential attendees more info about what they can expect during the event and reach out to those who have marked themselves as interested but not yet attending.

Ready to get your event into the world? Create one today.