A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
That’s not just a cliché or an old English idiom. It’s great food for thought — particularly when it comes to the marketing of your brand (aka: your event).
We’re all inundated with information each day, and in a world filled with endless choices, our brains have been trained to make quick judgments and then move on.
Think about the words you read every day. A Facebook post. An Instagram or Twitter caption. The blog post you’re reading right now. Here is a widely known statistic in the copywriting world: 80% of people only read the headline.
That’s right. Only 20% of readers go on to discover what the rest of the story/caption/article says. Of course, this won’t surprise any of us because we all do this 100 times per day. We skim our online news sources, scroll through social media, and even SHARE articles we haven’t read. But this is still a staggering data point, and one that event directors can’t afford to ignore.
Help Participants Choose Your Event
As an event director, you have to think about your images — as the headlines. When someone goes to your website, or your Facebook event page, they’re looking for information that will help them decide. Your event, or the other one. If the images are good, representative of your event, and professional, there’s a chance the potential attendee will keep reading.
If the “headline” doesn’t deliver, they might not get any further.
Build Your Brand, Fill Your Event
If you’re marketing your cycling event on BikeReg, make sure you’re using every tool at your disposal. Did you know that you can create a custom image for your event? As we may have mentioned already, this image is really important. It shows the professionalism of your event (someone took photos last year and they’re beautifully done). It provides some context to accompany the description, showing the most compelling parts (Dirt! Gravel! Beer! Pizza!). A well-chosen image is also an integral piece of your overall branding. And in 2019, no matter how amazing your event, this is a must have.
Think of the cover photo as your headline. And bonus: if you’re event is featured on the front page of the BikeReg events, that custom photo will show up there too.
Do It
Ok, so it’s all fine and good. But how exactly do you capture the essence of your event with JUST ONE PHOTO? Well, it takes a little planning, but it’s worth the extra effort.
First, use yourself as a case study, and start paying attention to the branding that catches your eye and makes you sign up, share, leave a comment, etc. Look at other events (in and out of cycling) that are doing this well. Our brains are seeking an easy choice between one thing and another. So if you want your event to win out over the other events happening on the same day or weekend, you’ll need to stand out.
Next, get some amazing photos of your event! Hire a professional or pay someone with a little skill to take hi-res (they’ll look much better online) photos day of. If you prioritize this step, next year when you go to market your event, you’ll have an incredible selection to choose from. Request a wide range of shots, showing beautiful scenery as well as the wide range of participants and skill levels represented. Is this the first year you’ve run this event? BikeReg has a selection of stock images you can use!
Finally, add your chosen image to the BikeReg event page. To do this, go to ‘Event Setup’ –> ‘Cover Photo’, and then upload away. Show potential participants what they’d be missing if they don’t sign up for your event. There are choices galore. Events every weekend with the same amenities, prize lists, etc. If you want people to choose yours, you better stand out.
We’re Here to Help
As always, we’re here to support you. With a few tools and techniques, and a little support from AthleteReg, you’ll be ready to jump in and successfully promote your event this year.
If you have questions about event promotion or feedback on how to improve our event director support, please call us at 888.956.9560 or email support@athletereg.com.