In all honesty, there’s a special kind of heartbreak that comes from throwing a community event, ordering way too many sandwich platters, printing flyers in full colour, and then watching tumbleweeds blow through your venue. The effort was there, the heart was in it, but somehow, nobody showed up. Brutal.
Planning a local event is one thing. However, getting people to care about it enough to change out of their pajamas and leave the house? Well, that’s a whole different ballgame. And yeah, you’ll need to have an effective marketing strategy to compel people to come to it. Besides, community members have a million other things going on, school events, dentist appointments, and their dog’s birthday.
So your event needs to be not just known, but genuinely tempting. Here’s how to market your local event to your community.
Table of Contents
Why Early Promotion Beats Last-Minute Panic Every Time
If you only market your local event two weeks before it starts, you’re already behind. Like, way behind, but how? Well, people need time. Time to hear about it, forget it, remember it again, tell their mates, check their calendar, and then commit. Plus, starting early means you get to build buzz instead of frantically begging for RSVPs the night before.
Sure, it doesn’t have to be full-on hype mode from day one, but planting the seed early helps. Tease the date, drop a few fun details, and start making your event feel like something people don’t want to miss.
Not Everyone’s on Instagram
Okay, this is a big one! So, Instagram might feel like the centre of the universe, but not everyone is scrolling reels or checking stories. Some people are much more likely to spot a notice taped to their favourite bakery window or mentioned in the town newsletter. You’re not just targeting one demographic; you’re trying to gather a crowd, and that means mixing it up.
Basically, you’re going to want to think of flyers in coffee shops, a plug in the school bulletin, a shoutout on the local radio station (if it allows for that). But ideally, you need to go analogue and go where your audience actually is.
Don’t Overlook Safety and Security
Is this one actually necessary? Well, it might be. But yeah, this is where things get serious. If your event has a decent turnout, or even just the potential for a big crowd, you’re going to want to think beyond fold-out tables and fairy lights.
Yeah, so you need to think about having a professional security presence is one of those things you’ll be glad you thought of ahead of time. Ideally, you should look into bringing in a team like Zed Security and Guarding since they add peace of mind. But yeah, don’t just go online somewhere and hire some random person, you actually need professionals!
Get the “People People” Involved
Yep, you know the ones. That barista who knows everyone’s dog’s name. The owner of the local gym who always says hi, even if you haven’t been in for six months. These community figures are walking megaphones. If they’re excited about your event, others will be too.
But really, there’s absolutely no shame in reaching out, asking for support, and making it ridiculously easy for them to spread the word. You can even share a graphic you made on Canva, a few talking points, or a free ticket, honestly, whatever gets the ball rolling without making it feel like a job.
This is a contributed post.
