Using Facebook’s Event functions, you can invite users to any event, be it real or virtual. Events are
great for rallying Page members around a timely happening, whether it is a sale, movie opening, menu
revamp, or new product launch. Plus, because Events have a dedicated tab on your Page, Page members
can easily see what you’re up to.
Events are quick and easy to set up, perfect for creating a quick response to a time-sensitive issue. This
makes them a no-brainer for inclusion in your Facebook marketing strategy. On the flip side, they are
also easy enough for anyone else to make, leaving a lot of Event clutter on the site. This makes it harder
(but not impossible) to use Facebook Events effectively. You just need a little extra effort to make your
Event stand out.
When to Use an Event
The best way to use an Event is as you would use a printed invitation: when you have an actual event to
promote. Using Facebook to send event information is a lot faster (and cheaper) than printing
and mailing invitations to all your contacts.
Facebook Events can also make a great accompaniment to an email announcement or an actual invitation.
You may want to send select people an announcement or invitation to a store opening through
the postal mail (like restaurant reviewers or fashion bloggers) and then follow up with the more general
population online. Your various contact lists will most likely overlap, but it’s wise to message people in
different ways to ensure a large turnout. Send an email announcement about an upcoming sale, then
follow up with a Facebook Event invitation as the date draws near.
It’s OK to create a Facebook Event for every real-life happening you host. If you have a lot of parties,
sales, or promotions, you definitely want to use the Events tab on your Facebook Page to promote
them. Don’t go overboard with actually inviting people or messaging Page members, however. Just
because you created an Event doesn’t mean you need to invite everyone you’ve ever met. That’s a
surefire way to drive unlikes of your Page.
Creating an Event
Setting up a Facebook Event is one of the easiest things to do on the site. Perhaps that’s
why there are so many unfinished and unmonitored Events littering the social network. Don’t contribute
to the mess: create your Events correctly.
Keep Your Event Public
Make your Event searchable. Use search engine optimization principles to come up with a name, and
include keywords in the Event description. Think of popular searches or topics that might appeal to
people whom you want to attend.
Allow Interaction
Keep your Event as open as possible. One way to do this is to allow your invitees to invite other people.
This opens up your Event to a much larger network. Allow all your invitees to post videos, links, and
photos of the Event. You can use this strategy to drive interest leading up to the big night and to grab
content for your Page afterward, when attendees are likely to post photos they took at the Event.
Encourage conversation among invitees by keeping the Wall open to allow discussion. Don’t forget to
participate yourself!
Breaking Through the Clutter
A lot of people use Events for things like lost phones and silly surveys, so correct setup is
key to Facebook Event success. Events are very easy to spread because other people can pass them
on and invite people from outside the original creator’s network. This easy transfer also means, however,
that users may be exposed to many Event messages on a daily basis.
Because most users have caught on to how easy it is to create an Event, you’ll have to make yours better
than all those pesky phone-number requests. Luckily, most of these “throwaway” Events are riddled
with typos and not hard to outdo. Here are a few tips to break through the Event clutter:
Upload an image.
The first giveaway that an Event is likely to be a bust is the blank calendar graphic, the Event equivalent
of the question mark Profile picture. Upload an inviting image, and you’re already ahead of the
game.
Fill out all fields.
Accurately describe your Event. This will help with search results, while also demonstrating that
there is value to attending your Event.
Respond to invitees.
Actively participating in pre- and post-event discussions will help keep people excited and increase
the chances of their attending.
Sending Invites
Now that you’ve created your Event on Facebook, here’s the (slight) catch. As a marketer, you should
be using a Page to talk to your fans on Facebook, but a Page can’t invite people to an Event. Only a
personal Profile has that capability.
You have a few options here. One would be to break the Facebook Terms of Service and create a
Facebook Profile for your brand as well. Not only is that not a great idea, but you’ll also waste a lot of
time and energy. A better solution is to use your own Profile to personally invite some friends you think
might be interested in the Event. Start small and encourage them to invite their friends. You can also use
your email list to invite people to an Event. This can be tricky, as you can invite only 100 people in one
invite blast, and Facebook allows only 300 pending invitations at any given time. Still, your email list can
be a great way to seed the Event with some of your major supporters.
The good news is that, although you can invite only 100 people at a time, an unlimited number of people
can RSVP to an Event. So you can create a post on your Facebook Page with a link to the Event or
send a mass update to Page members. As long as you keep the Event open and public,
members can simply add themselves to the guest list.
Integrating with a Page
Because most of your Facebook marketing will happen directly on your brand’s Page, you’ll want to
incorporate Events as much as possible. This helps increase attendance and Event success, while also
showing Page members that you are committed to building a better Facebook experience for them.
Remember, you want to continually give them reasons to interact with the Page.
Use the Event tab.
When you create the Event, make sure you do so from your brand Page and not your personal
account. You need to post updates as the brand, not yourself. You also want to make sure that the
Event tab is prominently displayed. If you don’t see it, check the hidden tabs behind the
arrows on the right of the Page. From here you can drag Events to a new position in the tabs.
Post the Event link on your Wall.
Include a little tease to the Event, and invite your friends to visit the unique Event URL to add themselves
to the guest list. Promote the Event periodically over the days or weeks leading up to the big
day, making sure to vary the language you use and the time of day you post in order to maximize
visibility and excitement while minimizing fatigue.
Send an update to Page members.
Updates are often overlooked (they are somewhat hidden as a subset of inbox messages), but you
should send one out with an Event link, much like the Wall post. It doesn’t hurt to message people
in different places.
Promoting Your Event
Setting up your Event correctly—including keywords, images, and open invite settings—will go a long
way toward organically gaining some attendees. While integrating the Event with your Page
will promote it to your current audience, promoting your Event outside Facebook can help you attract
new Page members and potential customers. Here are some ideas.
Send an email blast.
Yes, this is still your current customer base, but they may not all be Facebook Page members.
Emailing an Event gives them yet another reason to click Like for your Page, while also providing
them with a piece of content that is easy to forward to their friends.
Tweet about it.
Sometimes Twitter and Facebook don’t play nicely with each other, but in this case, it’s OK to promote
a Facebook feature on Twitter. Facebook is really just your landing page. Tweet a link to the
Event (be sure to use a URL shortener) and encourage people to retweet and invite their friends.
Link it from your site.
If you’re going to host a lot of Events, you should integrate those announcements somehow.
Add a page to your website just for Events, and direct site visitors to Facebook to sign up for the
Facebook Event there. This way, you won’t end up with two guest lists or require users to sign up
for a separate site to RSVP.
Event Follow-Up
At the Event, you’ll get a chance to meet some fans of your brand. After it’s over, you should have some
great content and stories to share with them. Post this content to your Event page so that attendees
can see their photos, and people who couldn’t attend this time can see what they missed. A few simple
uploads will keep them engaged with your brand and also help you immediately begin building excitement
for the next Event.
Post photos and video.
Upload any media you gathered at the Event to both your brand Page and the unique Event Page.
Make sure every Event has its own photo album, video, or both on your brand Page, and clearly
label and explain the Event. You can also link to the Facebook Event Page. Adding
photos creates social proof and tells people your Events are fun and worth going to. It also keeps
attendees engaged as they try to tag themselves in photos and share with friends.
Send a thank-you note.
Say thanks for attending in the form of both a status update on your Page and a mass update to
Page members. It’s a nice touch and a courtesy that still applies in the digital age. You can also
link to the photos from your Event and encourage attendees to tag photos and comment on their
favorite part of the night.
Use what you got.
Use the photos and comments from one Event when you plan the next one. Include mentions of
“the last time” so attendees remember how much fun they had and to entice newcomers to get in
on the action.
Summary
The ease of Event setup creates a lot of spammy or poorly written Facebook Events. You can break
through the clutter with proper punctuation and grammar, informative Event information, and an eyecatching
image. Also, keep your setting public for maximum Event visibility.
To ensure your Event is a success—in real life and on Facebook—use your other marketing channels
in conjunction with it. Make the most of this simple and free Facebook tool. Promote the Event to your
email list and on your Facebook Page. Don’t just expect people to find the Event and invite their friends.
Make sure they know what’s going on, when it’s happening, and that you want them to bring friends.
