Do you need to get the word out about a Catholic event? Whether you’re hosting a conference, Theology on Tap, retreat or Bible study, it’s always difficult to think of ways to attract more people.

That’s why I’m here to give you tips and tricks to promote your events better to attract more event attendees! If you want more tips and tricks by email, click here to sign up.

5 Surefire Tips to Get More People Attending Your Catholic Events

Why It’s Important

What makes your event so important? There are a lot of events that I can go to over the course of the year, but why do you want me to spend my time, energy, and money on your event?

Make it clear to the potential event attendee: What will they get out of the event and why do they want that?

I used to work in business-to-business sales for a Fortune 100 Company. Even with a great product, customers always wanted to know WIIFM: What’s in it for me? They knew the product would sell well for them and they wanted to bring it in, but they needed me to tell them -exactly- what they would get out of it.

WIIFM= What’s In It For Me?

 

So you’re going to tell people facts like these:

• Why they should go to the event
• Why they should want to go to the event
• What will happen at the event
• How they will be involved or called to action at the event

Along with details like:

• Date & time
• Pictures or videos from similar, previous events (***see more on this below)
• A good description (***see more details on this below)
• Links if necessary

Surely you know why you’re hosting this event. Now make sure that when you’re marketing the event you focus on why people should attend the event and what they will get out of it. Remember: WIIFM?

How it Looks

Imagine you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed. There’s a post with a bunch of words right above a video of a panda eating food out of a zookeeper’s hand. Isn’t that panda so cute?

Oh the post with a bunch of words was your event. You’re trying to promote your event, but maybe it’s all wrong. In this day and age, people like color, pictures, videos (especially ones with cute, fuzzy animals 😉 ), different fonts and graphics, and exciting headlines.

This is how you’re going to start to draw in your audience. This is how you’re going to set yourself apart from the panda video.

Sure, your fundraising luncheon might not be as cute as that panda, but if you do it the right way you can still attract the attention of social media eyes.

What Does It Say?

Although you don’t want your event marketing efforts to be super wordy, you still need to have a good description! Here’s how to take your description to the next level:

• Paint a picture with images and descriptions. Use previous event pictures if possible
• Make it easy to read with short sentences and bullet points
• Provide an FAQ for those who need more details

Does it sound simpler than what you usually provide or more detailed? Try looking at your most previous event with new eyes. Do you skip around reading the description?

Now check out another event’s marketing efforts by reading their event description. What’s the difference between their marketing efforts on different social media channels? On DioceseEvents.com? Eventbrite? Is the event not listed on one of those channels… should it be?

Learn from what others are doing. Become a sponge for best practices. Write down what you see that you like and what you don’t like. You now have a better direction.

Who is Your Attendee?

If you want more people attending your event than just your significant other or mom, take a step back and consider who your attendees will be. Your marketing efforts will surround that. Pictures in the event advertisement will need to fit that attendee description and your wording will too.

For example: avoid slang words for a retiree fundraising luncheon.

Once you have an idea who your attendee is, consider how to find them. This is probably the biggest concern for Catholic marketers out there right now, whether you’re marketing an event, business, or product.

Let this little acronym help you: NOP. It stands for Network, Online, Print

Let me break it down:

Network

Start with the people around you. Do you know people who can help you get the word out? If you’re promoting a youth event, can a local Catholic school help get the word out?

Once you start thinking about who you know, keep a list and mention how that person can help you connect with others. (Don’t forget to return the favor!)

Online

If you’ve done previous events, have a website, or social media, then you probably have an email list. Use it wisely, but not necessarily sparingly. Keep your subscribers up-to-date on your events and be sure to send them reminders before the event (1 month before, 1 week before, and that morning).

If you have people marking “interested” on your Facebook events, reach out to them with a private message and tell them you hope to see them there! Ask if they want to stay connected and get on your event email list.

Absolutely make sure that you promote your event on social media and DioceseEvents.com. DE is a niche Catholic events website and your bread and butter. Emails go out to subscribers for your diocese weekly and these reminders will get your attendees in the door!

Print

The last of our sweet NOB marketing acronym is Print. Some event hosts only use this method and they’re falling short of their event attendee potential.

However, this is an important step to remember… Psst! It’s in your bulletin!

I read our parish bulletin (practically) cover to cover. Granted, I’m in the event business and I like to see what events are happening, but I’m sure I’m not the only one. Get your events in there and in multiple parish bulletins if possible.

It’s also worth looking into advertising or writing an article about your event for your diocesan newspaper or website. Get it in front of more eyes!

Call to Action

When I was working in sales, the most important part of a sales call was to close the deal. If you have a potential event attendee interested so far and they know why they’re interested in this event, close the deal and offer a call to action.

• Get their email address and send them a reminder for the event (DioceseEvents.com sends email event reminders weekly for people subscribed to that diocese)

• Have them RSVP. Even a simple signup form using a Google Form will do it (collect email addresses for reminders and to tell them about future events)

• If the interested person is only on social media, send them a private message a day before the event reminding them about it

I hope that you’re learned some tips and tricks to attract more attendees to your Catholic events.

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