Amplify Your Message
Every event is fighting for space in the minds’ of racers. People are busy, schedules are packed full, and the date you’ve chosen on the calendar likely puts you in competition with other events just like yours.
Social media platforms provide a clear communication channel to your past and future participants. When used in a clear and consistent way, your messaging will show and tell your desired audience why they should choose your event over all others. Tools like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you:
- Promote your event by reaching more people
- Stay in touch with participants and supporters
- Provide updates on the day of your event
- Gather feedback from participants and sponsors
Built-in Social Media Support
At AthleteReg, we believe in comprehensive event director support from day one. To help you promote and manage your events, our Bike, Run, Ski, and Tri registration platforms have built-in tools for improving your social media presence and event management process. Is fundraising a focus? We’ve also embedded social media tools in our peer-to-peer fundraising platform.
Tip: Stay Consistent
Whether you choose to employ multiple social media platforms, or focus your efforts on one in particular, consistency is key. Again, you’re likely competing with other similar events, and participants are looking for a way to choose.
Make sure your messages are clear, on brand, and consistent across platforms. This means that when someone finds you on Facebook, the logo, color scheme, contact information, and style of writing is the same as they would find on Instagram, Twitter, or through your page on our event platform. The last thing you want is for a potential participant to be confused about who you are or what your event is offering.
Tool: Social Media Settings Panel
Our ‘Social Media Settings’ panel allows you to upload a custom event image that will be used when participants share through their social media platforms directly from the event page. To get to this panel, look under the ‘Marketing Tools’ menu on the right side of the screen when you’re logged into the event.
Tip: Capitalize on the Features of Each Platform
In general, the most popular social media platforms make it easy to share information and market your events. However, different platforms offer slightly different functionality and work best for particular messaging.
Instagram: Build out the visual identity of your event.
Best for engaging followers and potential participants through imagery, inspirational quotes, short videos, and “stories”. The use of consistent hashtags can help people find your event, and share their own photos and videos day-of. The target for Instagram trends younger than Facebook or Twitter.
Facebook: Build your brand and engage your followers.
Best for sharing longer pieces of content and long-form videos. If you’re interested in paid media, the Facebook advertising platform is intuitive and effective.
Twitter: Keep your followers informed and up to date.
Best for linking to news and blog posts, or for quick updates (due to the 240-character limit). Twitter can also be used as an alternative to video coverage, as a tool for live updates on the day of your event.
Tool: AthleteReg Twitter Hashtag and Handle Support
When you host your event with AthleteReg, you can include your Twitter handle and event hashtag on the registration page. Like the custom image, this can also be set in the ‘Social Media Settings’ panel.
When your participants sign up for the event, they’ll have the option after check out to automatically share their registration to Facebook or Twitter. This feature is simple for participants to use and adds a little free hype for your event. As an event director, you can encourage participants to use this feature when they register for your event. Use your social media channels to inform them of this option, as they may not know it exists.
Tool: Social Sharing on PledgeReg
We’re invested in providing easy-to-use tools for event fundraising, which we made evident by creating a completely separate platform focused on these efforts. You want to raise as much money as possible for the causes you care about, and your participants want the ability to seamlessly share their goals with friends and family. To ensure your fundraisers are reaching the most people, we offer options, both on your event registration page and on their personal pages to accomplish this. There are buttons on the event page to share the event itself, as well as on personal pages, so fundraisers can share their stories and solicit donations.
We’re Here to Help
Social media can be an incredibly useful and rewarding tool for promoting your events and keeping followers and participants informed. With a few tools and techniques, and a little support from AthleteReg, you’ll be ready to jump in and successfully promote your event.
We’re here, and we’re happy to help.
If you have questions about event promotion or feedback on how to improve our social media support, please call us at 888.956.9560 or email [email protected].
