So you've planned and organized a local event that you're really proud of. Congratulations! The work isn't done, though. Now you need to put all your energy into promoting your event in your area, and get people through your doors. After all, all your effort would be pointless if there are not enough people at your event to enjoy it.

Event promotion is absolutely crucial in raising public awareness about your event and it gets people talking. It also raises attendance which in turn can make your event a roaring success.

So, how should you go about your event promotion? Well, for a local event, you'll need attendees from your area or neighborhood. Luckily, because your audience is close by, you can use both online and location-based marketing strategies to get them to come.

In this article, we've compiled a list of strategies that will get people to your event instantly. Read on to find out more!

1. Get the word out

You need to start by building intrigue and interest about your event at the very start of your campaign. The best way to do that is through putting up posters and handing out flyers around your neighborhood.

Through posters

Your event posters should reflect the theme of your event, not just with words, but with graphics as well. This is what will pique your audience's interest and get them to read the details.

When making a poster, remember the three C's. Your posters should be:

• Colorful
• Concise
• Correct

The colors will draw people in. The conciseness of the text and graphics will make it easy for your audience to digest the content without feeling overwhelmed. And finally, all the essential information i.e. the name, date, and venue, should be correct. The last thing you want is a misguided attendee.

Put up your posters in all easily visible places around town. These include:

• College campuses
• Museums
• Libraries
• Coffee shops
• Parks

For private establishments, make sure to get permission before you put up your posters.

You don't have to hire an expensive graphic designer to make your posters either. There are plenty of sites online that allow you to make a poster with a convenient template. For instance, PosterMyWall has an incredible poster maker that can help you make a fresh new poster in minutes.

Through flyers

You'll also find a flyer maker online, which you can use to make small flyers. You can also resize your posters and print them on paper to make a flyer.

Do a flyer run and go door to door to deliver your flyers. According to one study, about 60% of consumers read door-dropped flyers. So this is an effective strategy.

You should also distribute flyers outside grocery stores, movie theatres, colleges, or any other place where lots of people go at one time.

2. Make tickets easy to buy

The more convenient it is for people to purchase your tickets, the better. Work extra hard on getting your event tickets in the hands of as many people in your area as possible.

Leave your tickets at various known locations in your neighborhood. These include but are not limited to:

• Malls
• Small stores
• Local cafes
• Schools
• Universities

Ask the owners of these establishments to place the tickets and a small poster for your event near the cash register so that people can see. Then, use online means such as social media to let people know that they can go to these places and get their tickets.

Of course, you will have to offer an incentive to business owners to get help with this. The best strategy would be to partner up with them. Allow them to set up a booth at your event so they can sell their stuff. Or come up with joint promotional offers e.g. if someone buys two cinnamon rolls, they can get the event ticket at a discounted price.

For maximum reach, you should also sell tickets online. Sites like Eventbrite allow you to sell tickets from their site easily, and keep a track of the sales.

3. Promote your event on social media

Facebook and Instagram are godsends when it comes to event promotion. What's more, these sites have tons of location based tools that you can use to market specifically in your area.

Facebook has almost 3 billion active users so it's obvious that part of your online marketing should be concentrated here.

Create an event page on Facebook. This will help you keep track of the number of attendees, and it will allow you to share all important information about the event in one place.

Use the page as a one-stop solution for anyone who's interested in your event. Post daily updates on who's coming, what kind of food will be available, and other fun stuff. Also use the page to field any questions that people might have.

Make sure to boost your event page within your area. Facebook lets you market within a specific radius so you can focus your advertising to a particular area.

Instagram has about 1 billion active users, so you need a strategy for that as well. Use location-based hashtags to do your promotion e.g. a combination of your event name and where it's happening would be ideal. Use it as your official hashtag and promote it as much as possible through posts and stories.

Moreover, use your stories and reels to let people in on the process of the event's organization. If you're a part of the community you're marketing to, you will know what its culture is like. Use that to get people to attend.

For instance, if there's a pizza place that everyone in the area loves, let people know it'll be available at your event. Make a fun little video for the reveal and post it. This will increase hype around your event.

4. Partner up with local business and influencers

Local businesses and influencers are deeply entrenched in your community and have the trust of many of its members. Use that to get people to come to your event.

Partner up with local businesses and give them a booth at your event. In return, ask them to promote your event on social media (using the official hashtag).

You should also reach out to local influencers via DM or email, and get them to partner up with you. Offer them free tickets and PR packages in return for social media promotion. You can even go live with them on Instagram so that their fans can get acquainted with you firsthand.

Final thoughts

These are just a few strategies that will help you promote your event in your locale. Remember the main takeaways:

• Get the word out and raise awareness through posters and flyers
• Make your event as accessible as possible through easy ticket purchase
• Use social media tools to reach more people
• Integrate with your community by getting local businesses and influencers on board