15 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR EVENT STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Fundraising events are a great way to raise money and awareness for your cause and really engage with your supporter base. But with so many charity fundraising events out there – not to mention thousands of profit-making events also competing for your supporters' cash and attention - it's never been harder to stand out from the crowd, especially on a limited budget.
 
Having been involved in promoting charity events for well over 10 years, we thought it'd be handy to compile a list of marketing ideas for smaller charities all in one place.

If your event marketing needs a boost or you're struggling to hit recruitment targets, or even if you just want a handy checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten anything, try these ideas for size…

First things first - visual is everything

1. Make it look nice – these days people are more and more turned off by text and increasingly skip over the copy that you so carefully craft. On social media, websites and even in print, your visual assets are everything. Beef up your event with exciting imagery, inspiring short videos and fun animations. Check out Canva – a great programme for easily creating professional graphics even if you’re no designer.
 
2. Get creative with new events – if you haven't run your event before, you'll inevitably be limited by a lack of real imagery, but it's vital to get around this. Rope in volunteers to take posed photos, create animated graphics or get hold of stock images if needed. Pixabay is a really useful site for free stock images.

Color Run have really perfected how to sell their events visually. Photo by Chris Phutully from Australia, via Wikimedia Commons

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We know it sounds obvious but...

3. Maximise your contacts – so many people could help you spread the word if only you took the plunge and asked them. Make sure you ask all your colleagues and your trustees to lend a hand, even if their role doesn't usually involve any fundraising. Make the effort to sit down with each person for five minutes and prompt them to think about what help you need and who they know - you'll be amazed by the results. Personal contacts - family and friends - can be a big help too.

4. Don't bury the key info – it's amazing how often charities hide away key details of their event like the date, time, location, entry fee and fundraising target. People will get frustrated if they can't find this information or have to click several times to see it, so keep things clear and simple.
 
5. Website – have you listed your event on your website, made it easy to navigate to, and made the key info easy to find (see above)? If it's a big event that you want to launch with a splash, more people will see it if you unveil it with a news story on your homepage.

6. Social media – with so many different channels to potentially post on, it can be hard to decide how to use your time wisely. Think about the type of people that are likely to sign up for your event, and which channels they use most regularly, then prioritise them. Make your content fun, exciting and interactive so people are more likely to respond to it and share it with their friends. Try to reach key 'influencers' with big followings – their retweets could be like gold dust. Consider trying pay-per-click advertising to reach new people or boost posts if you have the budget.
 
7. Email marketing – email newsletters are often still the best way for smaller charities to engage with their supporters. Include regular plugs about your event – keep text to a minimum but always include a strong image and link to a webpage. To really drive ticket sales, send a short stand-alone email only about your event to supporter groups that are likely to be particularly interested.

Sumo Run: an old favourite here at Lime Green

Still worth a go...

8. Telemarketing – if you use software like MailChimp, the advantage of including links in your emails (see above) is you can track who's clicking on them. These people will be curious about or interested in your event, so pick up the phone to them (if you have permission) and have a chat bout it. In today's digital-dominated world, don’t underestimate this as a recruitment tool.
 
9. Flyering – another traditional but effective method, flyers and posters of course get a low response rate but are cheap to produce and distribute. Flyering can also gives you an opportunity to talk to people about your event and build a local buzz. Try to be strategic, focusing on areas which fit your target demographic. Ensure your flyers are well designed, engaging and contain all the key info.
 
10. Paid advertising – if the free approach isn’t working, you could pay to place adverts on websites or in printed publications. This can be expensive so do your research first, find affordable options that are most likely to help you reach your target audience, and be sure your advert is good quality.

Think outside the box...

11. Free messages that reach everyone – you may not realise it, but you're broadcasting messages to people every single day that you could use to shout about your event. Add a line about your event to your email signature, out of office message, social media profiles and even your voicemail message - loads more people will hear about it and you'll barely have to lift a finger.

12. Free online publicity – many websites provide local event listings that you can add your event to for free. Try googling “free event listings” to find the best local options for you. You can also search for online forums for people with relevant interests (for instance cycling forums for your sponsored bike ride) and post in them. Even better if you're active on any forums already – you're less likely to see your post removed as spam!

13. Press coverage – quirky and visual events can attract interest from local or even national media. Use any press contacts you have and consider working with a PR company to secure that all-important coverage. You can find some extra tips in this blog.
 
14. Corporate support – companies can support your event by sponsoring it, promoting it to their staff and providing freebies for participants, particularly if you have a prior relationship with them. Have a think about who your best corporate contacts are and what benefits they would get from being involved in the event. For more ideas, check out this previous blog.
 
15. Student support – if your event is suitable for students, a discounted student entry rate could be really appealing. However, inside support is always very helpful, so consider approaching university RAG societies or recruiting student 'reps' to work with you.

Good luck with your fundraising events and if you’ve got any other great event marketing tips, please do share them in the comments below!