Have you reached your audience?

Your advertising budget may be limited, but there’s no need to settle for limited event ticket sales. Consider where your energies are directed, evaluate the effect of past and current campaigns, and branch out to new markets whenever possible.

For many promoters, Facebook is a godsend. It allows you to send friendly reminders to a large group of followers at no cost. The limitations? You’re bound by the number of fans you already have on Facebook. If thousands of people have “liked” you, then you’ll reach a large percentage of those people with relatively little effort. If your fans number in the hundreds, you may want to invest some energy into increasing your online following so you can sell more event tickets in the future.

Have you considered advertising in university media? This is very often free, or inexpensive, and enables you to reach a large group of potential patrons with time and money to spend on entertainment. If there is a university near your venue, don’t overlook the importance of this crowd. Check the student calendar when you’re scheduling your event: students may be less likely to attend during their exam week, or may leave the area on holiday.

How about sponsorship? You may be able to reduce your own costs by finding a corporate sponsor. Add their logo to your advertising materials and they may provide you with some free advertising themselves. Look for organisations that already have a strong marketing machine in place, and consider whether you can create some sort of tie-in with their products or services for a mutuall beneficial relationship.