How to Promote Your Fundraising Event Online - 7 Ways
When you have an upcoming fundraising event, about half of your entire effort will be spent on marketing it. In the online world, your promotion is only valid if you know what to post and where exactly to post it.
It’s no secret that events can be pricey, so it’s tempting to forget about putting in any marketing efforts, but it doesn't mean you can’t announce it if you don't have a big budget. Currently, there are tons of marketing channels to choose from, including the good old email, social media, and more.
1. Connieslist
Most businesses have a website, but if you don't have one, you don't need to rush and start building it today. It can cost you a ton of money that you may not have right now. Instead, you can turn to Connieslist.org, a great avenue for posting your events online for free – always.
It’s a simple option where you only need to create an account at the website and create the post from there. Make sure you choose the correct category as you publish the event.
Benefits of Using Connieslist for Your Fundraiser
There are plenty of reasons why joining the site and posting your event here is the best method to promote your fundraiser:
You don't have to create a website or add a page to your existing one to market your event online.
You can freely post the event without paying anything.
Your post can even show up in the Google search results, along with GoogleEvents.
You can add photos and videos to help make your post stand out.
The posts you create can easily be shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Connieslist also lets the users follow one another. It’s a great way to measure who may be interested in your event. This site combines the benefits of social media marketing and having a website, which makes it an excellent option for publicizing your local event.
More Ways To Promote Your Event
2. Email
Email marketing has been around for years, and it’s still going strong. Most of the supporters and donors should hear more about the event several times before you can convince them to commit to offering goods or money.
Pros
It’s easy to track, so you will know whether the campaign is working or not.
Emailing potential attendees regularly can keep them engaged and reminded of the upcoming event – and it’s indeed cost-effective.
Cons
With a one-out-of-five open rate (if you're lucky), not everyone is interested in opening your email.
Spam filters can kill your email marketing efforts.
It requires constant updating,
Email marketing can be helpful, but it is not usually applicable to everyone.
3. Your Website
If you have a website, you can use it to ask your visitors to participate in your event. The key here is to add a separate landing page that’s solely devoted to the fundraiser. It doesn't have to be as comprehensive as your main page, but make sure it contains all the relevant information, including:
Event details
Media gallery
Sponsor information
Auction items or fundraising stories
You can use Connieslist to share the URL of your event. Simply create a post with the site and share its URL to get the direct link. You can now inform people about your fundraiser on your website or any other location online. It’s a time-saver and eliminates the hassle of repeating your posts over and over.
Users may even view your promotion in Google Events, making Connieslist an efficient tool for your marketing and SEO efforts.
4. Google Ads
If you're a nonprofit and you haven't heard of GoogleAdGrants you could be missing out on the opportunity of free online advertising worth $10,000 to promote every month through Google Ad Grants. It’s a program from Google that allows nonprofits to create ads in the search results for free. When people type related keywords on Google, the ad will appear in the sponsored section.
Pros
It’s free!
You can learn how to create an active campaign, thanks to the available documents online and from Google.
Cons
It’s a little challenging to learn how to use AdWords Grant.
There's a fixed maximum cost per click where the keywords are at $2. Since it grants $10,000 for the monthly budget, you can only get a maximum of 5,000 clicks.
Your ad will only be shown on Google and not anywhere else.
Google Ad Grants is only for nonprofits, so if you don't hold a valid charity status, you cannot qualify for the grant. If you're managing a small business instead, Connieslist is the better option. It has the same advantage where your post will show up in the search engine results.
Social Media
When it comes to driving attendance, engagement, and hype, you cannot argue about social media being near the top. There are plenty of choices here, including:
5. Facebook
Before your fundraiser, you can create a Facebook event, which should feature all the necessary details about it. Post things about the fundraiser regularly before it takes place, such as announcements, shout-outs to the participants and volunteers, stories about the impact of the auction, and even sneak peeks of where it will be held.
6. Twitter
For your Twitter promotion, it’s best to come up with a unique hashtag that will sum up the event. It will allow you and your followers to keep track of any tweet related to the fundraiser in real time.
7. LinkedIn
LinkedIn used to be a simple professional networking website where people create their resumes and provide crisp headshots. Today, the members can take advantage of networking and group posts using the site. You can join a local group, such as nonprofits, small businesses, or entrepreneurs in your area. Then you can post the invitation there, along with regular updates regarding the event.
Pros
Advertising or promoting on social media is truly low-cost. In some cases, you don't even have to pay anything since you can just join a social media site and interact with potential participants.
You have a chance to reach out to a big audience since there are millions of social media users.
Cons
It’s time-consuming since you need to spend a lot of time online. You should keep updating your page with suitable content to keep your audience interested, which is crucial before the event takes place. It typically involves you doing research, which also consumes your time.
Social media is powerful and can lead to positive marketing results, but it can also drag your company down. One wrong move can negatively impact your business, and the news will spread like wildfire.
You can easily lose your control over some issues. For instance, a former employee may be unhappy with you, and it can lead to unforeseen circumstances
Summary
Aside from the disadvantages above, not all your supporters or donors will spend a long time on social media sites. Most of them may not even have accounts on Facebook or Twitter. In case they do, it’s likely that they will just scroll down to a few posts without seeing your event invitation. You have a limited time to entice them to join your fundraiser.
To eliminate the disadvantages mentioned, try Connieslist. It has the same feel as the social media sites in a Facebook-meets-Twitter-and-Pinterest digital environment. Just like on social media, users will need to create a profile, follow other people and posts, and write about their event for free. You can also add videos, links, and images or your ticket location – all that in just one free site!
Even better, after creating the post with Connieslist, you can use the share button to spread the word to your followers and friends on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.