Event website, check. Email marketing blitz, check. Social media updates, check. If your event promotion checklist feels more like a yawn-fest, then it’s time to spice up your NYC event marketing strategy. We have the inspo you need with event promotion hacks that will break through ruts and maximize your event ROI.
Wield Branded Hashtags Like a Jedi Master
Use your branded hashtags with a mix of relevant niche hashtags. If your branded hashtags serve as an anchor that keeps the focus squarely on your event, then the relevant niche hashtags you use serve as a fishing line that lures a wider audience to your content. These “companion” hashtags will be more effective if they are highly relevant to your event and contain a variety of highly competitive and less competitive hashtags.
Keep your branded hashtags consistent across platforms. But tailor your “companion” hashtags to each platform. Like every other element of your brand, your branded hashtags should generally remain consistent across platforms. But the companion hashtags you choose should be relevant to the platform on which you are posting.
Always be on the lookout for trending hashtags that can boost your event. The tides of social media are constantly on the move. Pay attention to the day’s top topics, and be on the lookout for themes that can boost your event’s visibility. Incorporate these trending hashtags into your posts. Use discretion when attaching your event’s brand to a trending topic. Ensure the topic is relevant to your event, and take care not to embroil your brand on the wrong side of controversy.
Enlist Your Audience for User-Generated Content
You already know that user-generated content is a grand slam when it comes to social media marketing for events. However, its popularity means you have to work harder to keep your audience interested. Keep cranking out the usual suspects of user-generated content, such as polls, testimonials, reviews, and caption contests. But if you’re looking to spice up your UGC game, try these fresh ideas.
Generate a live feed of your social channels at the event to encourage attendees to join in the fun. Attendees will want to share in the excitement of seeing their posts broadcast at the event.
Encourage employees associated with the event to generate content. According to KRC Research, 35 percent of employees will create unsolicited social media posts about their employer. And when employers encourage social sharing from their employees, the number goes up to 50 percent.
Take the selfie wall up a notch with props. Bring the inner child out with oversized event-related or branded props. Or use photo cut-out boards to amp up the fun. Your photo booth will get more engagement if it includes interactive elements that encourage attendees to get creative.
Use QR photo booths. Make it easy for attendees to take entertaining selfies by using a QR code. The code allows them to add backgrounds, stickers, and other bling and then effortlessly share it on social media.
Display your event’s branded hashtag prominently throughout your venue. Amid the stimulating conversation and (perhaps) cocktails, attendees can easily forget or misspell your branded hashtag. Make it easy by featuring it throughout your venue.
Contests & Giveaways Are the Ultimate Win-Win
Contests and giveaways can fatten up your follower count. But like user-generated content, they can fall flat and fail to generate excitement. You can infuse your contests with new life with some creativity. Here are some ideas to get your juices flowing.
Get creative with your photo contests. Challenge your audience by incorporating themes, challenges, or other boundaries into your photo contests. Constraint is the mother of creativity, and your audience is more likely to participate if the photo contest challenges their imagination.
Host a scavenger hunt at your event. Create a list of items for attendees to find. Once they find the items, they take selfies as proof and upload them to social media.
Host a social scavenger hunt. Your scavenger hunt doesn’t have to take place in a physical location. Challenge your audience with a social scavenger hunt in which they find clues or items hidden within your posts and photos.
Host a video contest. Enlist your audience to submit videos for a chance for free event tickets or branded merchandise. Just like with photo contests, use themes to inspire creativity.
Run a poetry contest. Elicit short poems or haikus inspired by your event. Encourage your audience to be funny or clever, and get the laugh emojis rolling.
Go Live to Promote Your NYC Event
Generate buzz for your event by going live on social media. Live social media events humanize your NYC event and engage your audience in real time. Maximize the power of going live by hosting live events before and during the event. Use these ideas for inspiration.
- Give your audience a behind-the-scenes sneak peek.
- Host a Q&A with the event’s speakers.
- Invite industry influencers to take part in your live event.
- Livestream a portion of the event.
- Give your social media audience a backstage pass.
- Use a branded hashtag to encourage attendees to livestream their experience.
Get a Front Seat to the Latest Event Promotion Trends at The Event Planner Expo 2025
Keeping your NYC event marketing strategy fresh is tricky. Tried and true techniques like lead magnets and content marketing are old hat because they’re effective marketing methods. But creativity is the lifeblood of the NYC event planner’s soul. Put the fun back into your event’s sales funnel with imaginative event promotion hacks.
The Event Planner Expo will be chock full of industry experts brimming with event marketing hacks. You can learn the hottest event promotion tips and get a bird’s-eye view of what’s coming over the horizon in event planning. The Event Planner Expo is a three-day extravaganza featuring thousands of event professionals, vendors, and dozens of speakers. Don’t let the latest event planning trends pass you by this year. Buy your tickets today.
