One of the things that has gotten on my nerves recently is how poorly people disseminate information to the masses.
Since I focus primarily on burlesque shows, my experiences as essentially a “link collector” have made me realize how poorly people use the social networks available to them. Also folding into this small section is good utilization of website design and advertisement. While this applies to burlesque events, it could apply to band promotion efforts as well. This isn’t to say that there are not golden examples of perfect promotion – I’ve seen some recently that I am really impressed by. While these tips would definitely make my life easier, that isn’t the point of this entry. I’m hoping this helps people promote any kind of event consistently.
1) This might seem simple and silly to even mention, but whenever you list an event, list your website/event posting (more on this below), the Venue, Venue Address (including city/state), Date of Event, Time (if known), and Cover Charge (if known). Every single time. Even if you think every single person that visits knows EXACTLY where to go, list the address anyway. The web is global. You never know when Bob the Insurance salesman might be rolling into town for the weekend looking for something to do. He doesn’t know which venues have been in town for years. You’re not trying to attract people who have been to the venue before, are you? I’m assuming here that you want new people to discover whatever talent it is you have to display. Bonus points if you actually link to the venue website – after all, they’re hosting your event. Shouldn’t you want to scratch their back? Venues like it when customers say, “I came here because I saw they linked to you, and I really like your website.” Also, some (most) people like to view the venue website to get an idea of how sketchy the area/venue is before they go there. Nothing like rolling into a biker bar in a full suit because you assumed that “Dan Friendly’s Speakeasy” was in fact, a Speakeasy.
2) If you do not have your own URL, get one. It’s not hard. WordPress hosts free blogs – which is really all you need these days. Even if you only create that blog for the one event, it’s worth having something to point to. It’s easy to customize, and gives your event a “base of operations” rather than hoping that the venue posts your event on their calendar. (Your event is your destiny, and leaving it to the venue to promote is a lost cause in the social media hurricane). A URL really is a luxury item – it’s nice to have (exclusivity!) but absolutely not necessary. Also, it’s pretty short sighted to expect that a Facebook event post is your only attempt at promotion. Even if you only post the items from Step 1., making a “base” allows people to get the most up to date info in a single place. As an example, there are media outlets (who are ALWAYS hungry for content) who have linked to MY site when they mention an event. Great for me, good for the event, but really, shouldn’t they be linking to the event owner? I’d love to think that I’m on top of all changes to the event, but I’m not. *
3) If you go to the trouble of creating a sweet flyer for your event – MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE AND READ THE FLYER. I’ve spent countless hours of my time scrutinizing the main event image of a happening on Facebook, then tracking down someone involved with the event who actually posted a readable version of the flyer in their personal photos. It seems pretty rare that event creators post the full size flyer anywhere near the event page. The event “wall” is a great place to post a full size version of the flyer. Alongside this, make sure that the flyers online are optimized. That means, make sure that the flyer is of reasonable size. Everyone’s monitor displays differently, I get that. But making a flyer that is 1500 pixels wide and 1.5 MB is too freaking big.
4) Be consistent. Consistency is good for promotion. Make a checklist. When you update one source, update them all. Making twelve different flyers is great, but having twelve different flyers with twelve different sets of information spread across the wide, wide web, makes it extremely confusing for the average person who might be interested. If you’re in a time crunch, just keep with Step 1 and 2, and then the most reliable information will always be available at whatever URL or blog you’ve set up.
Nobody said promotion was easy. I guess I am though. It is easy.
* I didn’t mention Twitter, but I’m kind of old school. I don’t have a smart phone, and really could give a crap about it. There are applications and websites that allow you to schedule tweets – which are definitely of use (send out reminders to your followers about your upcoming show 2 weeks out, 1 week out, 2 days out, 1 day out, then day of?). I just don’t have much use for it.