For School Owners: How Facebook Events Work

We would like to share with you one of the most overlooked tactics for promoting events online. Are you ready?

Facebook Events!

Yes, we mean those events you see when you log into your Facebook account… Yes, those events that notify you that they’re nearby and almost coming up (even though you never accepted them nor were invited)?

First, stop what you are doing right now. Pick up your calendar and see what events you have coming up for your martial arts school this month. Did you make a Facebook Event for each of those dates? No? Why not? Do it now!

One of the most underused features of Facebook that we have noticed is the lack of events. We all have the ability to post them, so why aren’t we making Facebook events each and every time? It’s just another opportunity for martial arts school owners to spread the word about what they are doing with their community and audiences.

These are the excuses we normally hear…

It’s too early or late to post that event!
I don’t know how to post an event.
No one but my students are interested in going.
Are they really worth my time making them?

It’s never too early or too late to post a Facebook event and it’s as easy as going to your Facebook Page’s event tab and clicking the “Create Event” button.  Even if your students are the only ones signing up, posting that the event is happening accomplishes three things: your student has an extra reminder, their friends find out about the event through the expanded reach, AND people in your immediate area who might be interested now know about it too. Think of a Facebook Event as a billboard to post your exciting events, except this billboard also sends out notifications—and it’s a place where billions (yes billions) of people spend countless hours looking at! Are Facebook Events worth it? YES!

Enough about why we create events, let’s talk about how.

How do you maximize your Facebook Events to exceed those attendance goals?

Here are 3 quick techniques to creating and promoting a good event.

1. Post all important and accurate details. Just like any invitation to any event, people want to have all the details spelled out for them with little to no change on the core details. The more you can answer about the event and avoid any confusion, the better. Important details include: Date, Start/End Times, Address, Contact Number and Email, What-to-bring, Description of Event activities, and Cost (include online payment link if not free).
   
   
2. Have a Simple and Relevant Cover Photo. Social Media is all about visual attention. The more your photo speaks to your audience, the more likely they are to respond. The cover image should be simple and relevant to the event. For example, if the event is for a Jedi Summer Camp the cover image should be a picture of a student on the mat holding a lightsaber—not an image of a student just standing on the mat in gi with no reference to the theme.
   
   
3. Share, Invite, Share, Invite….! The key part of events, outside of just making them, is the ability to pass them along through invitations and posting them on your feed, your groups’ feeds, and friends’ feeds. Everyone involved with running the event should also be involved in sharing and inviting people to the Facebook event. Invite people through the event itself, invite them when you see them in-person, invite them with a link in email… Just keep sharing and inviting until the event is complete!

Hopefully this helps establish the importance of Facebook Events so the next event you plan for will have a Facebook Event included too. Remember, it’s just a click away from another opportunity for more exposure.