Event promotion doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. And with a few basic social media tricks, it needn’t cost you a penny. Once you’ve settled on the perfect London venue, booked speakers or performers, sorted out the catering and all the other details and set up any ticketing options, it’s time to tell the world about it.

1 – Which social network?

Before you can use social media tactics to build anticipation for your event, it’s a good idea to select the most effective channels and use them wisely. Facebook is a good choice for large-scale public events, festivals or sporting venues since you can target your promotions very specifically to your ideal audience. LinkedIn is great for corporate events and the ability to encourage attendees to network with each other. Instagram is perfect for high quality shareable images in a more informal context.

2 – Create a unique event hashtag

Devise your own event hashtag to create extra buzz around your event, and use it everywhere on relevant social media posts. The sooner you start using it, the more your attendees can contribute to the conversation. Check that your hashtag hasn’t been used elsewhere and that it’s short, memorable and relevant to your event. Keep the hashtag front of mind at all times, by adding it to printed materials or using it as the WiFi password during the event.

3 – Create pre-event content

Create interest and boost your event promotion with a range of content types including blog posts, case studies, testimonials from previous events, interviews with speakers, sneak previews, images and video and so forth. This will help you engage different audiences who, in turn, can share your content with their own friends and followers. The trick is to keep sharing content on a regular basis, with timely updates and insightful posts.

4 – Social media during the event

To encourage the flow of conversation on social media during the event itself, consider installing a social media wall where posts and photos are displayed along with your event hashtag, which can all be updated in real time. Make sure you stay on top of the conversation by having your social media people on hand, replying to social media interactions as they come in.

5 – Keep the momentum going

After your event, use social media to thank your attendees for coming, post memorable event photos and videos and ask for guest feedback. Why not ask your attendees to post their own images too? That way, and remembering to keep using your hashtag, the conversation is kept going long after the party has finished, making a longer lasting impression on your audience. At the same time, you are able to collect valuable information that you can use to help improve your next event.