Do you have a charity bingo event soon? Or are you planning to reopen your bingo hall soon? Now is the time to think about how you get the word out. If your charitable organization isn’t sure how to promote a bingo event or reopening your gaming venue, this blog has some ideas to help you succeed!
1. Pick a short and memorable theme for your event
Typically, events with longer names tend to get lost in the shuffle. One reason for this might be that many people consume content through a mobile device, and longer titles typically won't look good on smaller screens. Try to keep your theme title short and to the point so that readers will understand the type of event you're promoting with one glance. Some examples: "A Groovy 60's Night", "Tropical Night", "Crazy Hats", "Carnival", "Family Night", etc...
2. Create an event hashtag #BingoNight
Hashtags, when used efficiently, can be powerful tools to help with event promotion. They can also engage your supporters, encourage them to share with their friends and family networks, and help new audiences discover your event.
Think of a hashtag that is memorable and on-brand with your event. Then, encourage supporters to tag it as they share. Add it to your social accounts during the event duration and commit to including it on any promotional material you send out.
3. Update your social media (All of your social accounts!)
No matter what stage you’re at with your event planning, having a solid grasp on your social media strategy can help bring in more awareness, and attract more attendees to your bingo event.
Check that all of your social media accounts are up to date and contain an excellent description of your organization’s mission, event or reopening. Be sure to highlight the value your players will receive from coming to your event and supporting your cause.
When you’re deciding what to post, don’t forget to think about where you want to post. Specific social platforms are best for certain types of content:
- Instagram: An excellent platform for video and imagery. Create stories to link event details together and use shorter descriptions of the event. Encourage followers to get more info by going to your event page and add hashtags.
- Twitter: Promote your hashtag, and give quick updates and links to your charity bingo event to build excitement. Keep your message short and sweet!
- Facebook: Share event updates, create graphic images, and target specific subsets of your followers. Longer content is more tolerable on Facebook, so share event details and include links to your event landing page and add hashtags!
4. Build Event Momentum
Promote your bingo event in stages. Begin with an event teaser, like a countdown or announcement of the bingo event date. Then, progress to early opportunities like VIP or early bird discounts. Finally, continue to build excitement by releasing giveaways or other event details to create a steady stream of information and keep the momentum going or show any bumps in the road you may have had, leading up to the big day!
5. Take your Players behind-the-scenes
It takes many hands and a lot of hard work to throw a successful charity bingo event. Show your players some behind-the-scenes footage to build excitement. Be authentic by showing supporters and staff making an early-morning coffee run on your way to check out the venue, or share any bumps in the road you may have leading up to the big day!
6. Use cross-promotion
To increase the number of people viewing your event details, ask co-hosts, board members, special guests, and sponsors to cross-promote your content on their social media networks. Getting exposure from these potential new audiences can help bring more awareness and attendees to your event.
7. Promote sharing within your own Social Media network
Create video clips, graphics, pictures, updates, and more for your players to share on their social media channels. This empowers your players to share with their network and explains why your nonprofit means so much to them. While it may seem like a small step, sharing within your own network can increase the level of awareness for your cause and bring in new players!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Check our web site for ideas as to how you can reinforce the cleanliness and safety of your venue – and welcome your players back –with confidence!
CHECK OUT OUR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS: Download and print promotional materials from your computer. Choose from posters, flyers and postcards, add your organization's name. Also, includes safety signage you can use in your hall - printable PDFs.
