Saffire Blog

Sell More Tickets With Influencer Marketing

With 61% of consumers trusting influencers’ recommendations, it’s not hard to understand why influencer marketing has quickly become an essential part of many brands’ marketing strategies. And it just could be the ticket (pun intended) to boost your ticket sales.

By partnering with local influencers who have a relevant and engaged audience, you can leverage their reach and credibility to promote and drive interest in your event.

It’s easier than you might think! Here’s some easy steps you can to get started with influencer marketing:

Identify relevant influencers

The first step in any influencer marketing campaign is to identify relevant influencers who can help you promote your event. Tasha Hyder from Clay County Fair actually invited two different influencers to this year, a “mommy blogger” appealing to families and a food blogger with a large audience in the area.

Set clear objectives

Before you launch your influencer marketing campaign, it’s essential to set clear objectives for what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive ticket sales, or both? Be specific about your goals, and make sure they are measurable so you can track your progress.

Create engaging content

Once you’ve identified your influencers, you’ll need to work with them to create engaging content that promotes your event. Consider giving influencers creative freedom to come up with their own ideas for promoting your event. Authenticity is key to their audience.

Provide incentives

Influencers are often motivated by incentives like free tickets or access to VIP areas. In exchange for creating and posting content to promote your event, consider sending admission tickets, drink tickets, parking passes, food vouchers, or other goodies along with their invitation. Ideally, you would want to provide everything necessary for the influencer to attend, like tickets and parking, then add additional incentives to try and get them to come.

Track your results

Finally, it’s essential to track your results and measure the success of your influencer marketing campaign. Use tracking tools on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to gather metrics including likes, comments, and shares. And take a look at sales reports in your Spark dashboard to see if any boosts in sales could be attributed to their content. This will help you determine what worked well and what needs improvement for future campaigns.

Spend some time exploring who’s influential in your area—did you know almost half (47%) of influencers are considered to be ‘micro-influencers’ with 5,000-20,000 followers? With higher engagement rates and many accounts meeting this threshold, there may be way more influencers around your event than you realize, and much more budget-friendly than you had considered. You can easily find influencers by searching relevant hashtags or nearby locations in your area!

Using TikTok to Promote Your Event

If you’re not already on TikTok, it’s time! Get the scoop on event marketing with the most downloaded app.

With roughly 656 million downloads in 2021, the app’s popularity has skyrocketed. Its short and engaging videos can suck you in for hours, and it is an incredible platform to promote your upcoming fair or event!

Why is TikTok Important for Event Marketing

The #foryoupage (#FYP) algorithm is one that hasn’t been cracked yet, but with the right post you can get your content in front of hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of eyes. TikTok has the possibility to give you the biggest possible organic reach, much more so than traditional social media channels like Twitter and Facebook.

If you still think TikTok is ‘just for the kids’—consider this: in February 2022 alone, TikTok was (again) the most downloaded app in the world in February with a total of 41 million downloads.

Looking to maximize reach while driving engagement? Even if you’ve never made a post before, your content can still be seen by millions of people! Additionally, your window for increased engagement is much larger, with TikTok increasing your content shelf life by 90 days. It’s a great way to start building the hype around your event and engage with potentially new customers.

Join a viral trend: The fastest (and possibly easiest) way to get seen is by jumping in on a trend. From popular audios and hashtags, you can put a spin on a current viral trend! Strive for authenticity and find those viral popular trends that would lend well to your event marketing campaign.

Host a takeover: Have someone else take over your account for the day! Get some perspectives like backstage access or a “day in the life”. If you’re hosting a state or county fair, you could ask 4H guests to post for an entire day, showing pictures of the animals being shown or results from a competition.

Collaborate with an influencer: If there is an influencer in your area, consider reaching out to them. If you can swing it, offer comped tickets in exchange for a post featuring your event. Not only can this introduce your event to their followers, but increased engagement will lead to higher views.

Run a contest: Encourage attendees to participate with the promise of a possible prize! Offering something like free or upgraded tickets for the winner can drive engagement while potentially giving you additional content to repost from your account.

Don’t Forget Instagram Reels: Born shortly after the rise of TikTok, Reels is Instagram’s take on short, vertical videos. Use the content created for TikTok and upload them to your Instagram account to connect with your existing Instagram audience.

Post a personalized hashtag: Post videos with a hashtag unique specifically to this year’s event. Be sure to share this hashtag on your different platforms, so your existing audience can get in on the fun!

Creating a TikTok plan

Before you post, have a plan in place! As you are planning your promotional campaign for the event, schedule time to film and post TikToks! Before the event, work on building the excitement for attendees and during the event capture what makes your fair or concert so fun. While the average length of a post on TikTok is just 15 seconds, you can take advantage of the 30-second or 1-minute feature to get a bit creative. As a team brainstorm some fun trends to participate in, and even storyboard out your ideas. That way when it comes to filming, you’ll be more than ready.

As social media trends continue to grow and new platforms become popular, it’s important to stay cognizant of engaging opportunities. Start connecting with fans from your events and start your TikTok account today!

Marketing Your Event From Start to finish

Marketing your event takes planning and an effective timeline. Learn more about getting the word out about your fair or festival.

After all the hard months of planning the logistics and fine details of ensuring your event goes off without a hitch, now it’s time to market it. Having an effective strategy for marketing your event in the weeks leading up to it will not only get people to attend, but get them excited to!

Taking the average duration of an event’s promotion cycle, roughly eight weeks, we can start to outline a marketing plan. Of course this is dependent on the size of your event; larger events may require planning and marketing year-round, while a smaller or significantly shorter event may only need to be promoted for a few weeks. No matter how much (or how little) time you have planned for marketing, be sure to cover these phases:

Launch event:

Plan with Partners: Is your event working with any businesses or partners in the community? Work out final sponsorship details and provide them with marketing assets, like branded social media graphics.
Make an Announcement: Announce the dates, times, and location details on your major channels. Create social media posts, launch a press release, and send out email invitations.
Sell advance tickets: Start building the hype by offering discounted tickets for attendees who purchase early!

Pre-event

Your marketing efforts should really ramp up in the months and weeks leading up to your event. During this time you may choose to send out reminder emails, create a sense of urgency by hosting a flash sale, and get people excited that they will see you soon. You will want to create a timeline of exactly what messages are being sent out, what platform is being used, and when posts will go live.

During the Event

Send out updates: Keep attendees updated on changes with the event as it’s happening. Whether it’s a delay due to weather or a change in attractions, attendees will value their event experience when they feel kept in the loop.
Keep selling tickets: Keeping tickets on-sale during your fair or festival is a huge way to drive revenue but is often overlooked. Remind potential attendees tickets are still on sale and how they can purchase them.
Promote a hashtag specific to your event! South by Southwest uses the hashtag #SXSW year-round, Indiana State Fair uses the evergreen #IndyStateFair, and recently the Rose Parade used the hashtag #2022roseparade to tag their photos from this year’s parade. Be sure to use your hashtag in posts and encourage attendees to do the same. This can be a simple way to drive more visibility to your event.

Following the Event

Just because your event ends doesn’t mean your marketing should too! Post pictures on Facebook or Instagram of the event and be sure to send out emails to attendees thanking them for attending. In this email you could also send a survey and gather responses about satisfaction with the event for when you begin planning for your next fair, festival or concert.

The most important part of successfully marketing your event is creating a plan and sticking to it! Schedule out social media posts, compose emails or newsletters ahead of time, and get people excited to show up.

How to Take Great Photos with Your Smartphone

When it comes to taking great photos, you don’t need the most expensive, high-quality camera. Today, most of us can take beautiful, quality photos with equipment that can fit in our pockets! In the past few years, smartphone cameras have come a long way. Today, iPhones and most Androids can take pictures that rival professional … Continue reading “How to Take Great Photos with Your Smartphone”

When it comes to taking great photos, you don’t need the most expensive, high-quality camera. Today, most of us can take beautiful, quality photos with equipment that can fit in our pockets!

In the past few years, smartphone cameras have come a long way. Today, iPhones and most Androids can take pictures that rival professional quality cameras. Gone are the days of fuzzy, pixelated cell phone photos. With a little education and editing magic, you can take photos that will look great on your website and social media!

Here’s how:

Focus on a single subject

A loud background and multiple different objects stuffed in one image can make for a crowded and confusing photo. Instead, try making a single thing the star of each picture. Crop out distractions, shoot against a simple background and focus your lens on the star of your photo. Remember, you can always take and post more than one shot if you have multiple items to shoot!

Use the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a technique used by photographers and artists to create balanced and eye-catching shots. To use this technique, turn on the grid in your camera. In iPhones, you can do this by going to Settings > Photos & Camera and enabling the Grid switch. You should place the most important things in the photo along the lines or on the corners where the lines intersect so that your photo is naturally balanced.

Utilize white space

White space (or negative space) is the empty space around your image. Leaving plenty of white space will draw attention to your subject and leave your photo feeling clean and focused. Tip: If you know your image will be used in conjunction with text (for example: on a flyer, website graphic, Instagram story etc.) plan to leave plenty of white space on the sides or top of your image to ensure that there will be a readable place for your text.

Find good lighting

Good lighting is the foundation of any great photo. We recommend using soft natural light whenever possible. Standard overhead lights can create harsh shadows and unnatural yellow hints. To combat this, take photos outside (just before sunset is best!), in a well-lit room or next to a window.

Consider Final Layout

If possible, it’s a good idea to consider the final placement of your image before you even take the photo. This will help you decide photo dimensions and orientation – should it be square? Landscape? Will it be a long photo used for Instagram photos?

Depending on the type of photo this can also help you decide on any extra camera features that might be useful. Blast mode will help you take great action shots and portrait mode is always recommended when taking pictures of people.

Experiment with apps

When you have your photo, it’s time to create some editing magic. There are a lot of different apps to help you edit your photos, but we recommend Facetune, VSCO and the Photoshop app to help you get your photo just right!

We know if you follow a few of these tips, you’ll be shooting pro photos in no time! Do you have another favorite app or tool that gets your photos just right? Send us a note and let us know what photo magic you can’t live without!

Facebook Top Fan Badges: What They Are and How To Use Them to Increase Engagement

Do you ever feel like your favorite brand’s biggest fan? Well, now you can prove it! You might’ve already seen one of Facebook’s newest features, the top fan badge. What’s the deal with these badges and how do you use them? Top fan badges, which pop up with a little star next to a … Continue reading “Facebook Top Fan Badges: What They Are and How To Use Them to Increase Engagement”

Do you ever feel like your favorite brand’s biggest fan? Well, now you can prove it!

You might’ve already seen one of Facebook’s newest features, the top fan badge. What’s the deal with these badges and how do you use them?

Top fan badges, which pop up with a little star next to a user’s name, will display top fan status when a user comments on your posts. To get them, a user has to be one of the most active people on your page. Facebook hasn’t told us EXACTLY what it means to be “most active,” but we know that a mix of clicking on posts, liking things and leaving comments will do the trick.

Basically, if a user seems really interested in your page, Facebook will reward them with a tiny badge of honor. It’s positive reinforcement at its finest.

For you, it means your followers are more likely to interact with your page and feel proud doing it. It’s a win-win!

Here’s the fun part: If you want to encourage fans to earn top fan badges and ultimately engage more with your page, there are lots of fun games you can play to encourage interaction.

Our social media client, Tulsa State Fair, has been encouraging people to become top fans by offering random giveaways to Facebook top fans during fair season. So far, the page has seen a huge spike in interaction with more than 60 top fans now active on their Facebook page!

For pages hoping to follow in their footsteps, a giveaway of any sort will do! Tulsa is giving away free ride passes, but food vouchers, tokens, meet and greet passes, swag or any other fun item will work.

Another more discreet way of encouraging top fans is to send messages, thanking them for their interaction. You can even offer them a discount or a free item! This encourages them to stay active on your page.

To turn on top fan badges, go to your business page, click Settings in the top right corner, then click “Facebook Badges” in the left-hand sidebar.

Saffire will be having a bit of fun in the following weeks with top fans on our page! We encourage you all to join in on the fun and to come up with other creative ways to interact with your fans on your own page!

The Best Apps to Up Your Marketing A-Game

Social media apps make a marketer’s job 100 times easier by giving the tools needed to create content that is branded, engaging and much more fun. A marketer without their apps is like a cowboy without his rope! One of the most common questions we get about social media is how to create engaging … Continue reading “The Best Apps to Up Your Marketing A-Game”

One of the most common questions we get about social media is how to create engaging content that doesn’t break the bank. For us, the answer comes down to choosing the right apps! After testing out many apps on our own social media accounts and helping clients find their perfect matches, Saffire put together this list of our own go-to tools to help you choose the right apps for your organization.

Whether you want to create a nifty graphic to share on Instagram, make a cool video for Facebook or schedule and preview your posts ahead of time, the right app can make your process a breeze.

These our five favorite apps of the moment for upping your marketing a-game:

The Best App for Scheduling Posts: Later

Where to find it: Later.com or in your mobile app store.

Later is our go-to app for scheduling social media posts using our phones or internet browser! Our favorite feature is the preview setting, which allows users to see how posts will look on Instagram before posting, for that perfect curated look. We also love the calendar view, which can be viewed in both weekly and monthly formats and is perfect for an on-the-go content calendar that automatically posts to social media.

The Best App for Designing Graphics: Canva

Where to find it: Canva.com or in your mobile app store.

We know you’ve probably heard of Canva by now, but it continues to be our favorite editing tool! Canva is a mobile app and in-browser website that allows you create your own beautiful graphics without any fancy software. It’s user-friendly and fun without losing any tools you’d expect in a good design software. Unlike some of the other apps we used that only had select fonts, colors and templates to choose from, Canva allows you to create your own graphics either with a template or from scratch. It’s one of the reasons we love Canva and use it almost every day. Not to mention, Canva has a huge library of royalty-free images and icons that come in handy for whatever graphics you dream of creating! If you’ve used Canva in the past but not recently, you’ll find that they have added some handy new features like a mobile-only video editor, compatibility with Dropbox, direct upload to MailChimp and more!

The Best App for Creating Stories: Over

Where to find it: In your mobile app store.

Over is great app for Instagram stories that allows you to overlay text and graphics onto your photos and videos. Like Canva, Over has tons of templates, stock photos, fonts and graphics to help you create the perfect on-brand content. We love Over for its Instagram story templates that allow you to make perfect curated stories that look just like your favorite influencer’s.

The Best App for Editing Photos: VSCO

Where to find it: In your mobile app store.

VSCO is a fan-favorite editing app for good reason. Add a pop to your photos by cropping, adjusting brightness and temperature and adding tons of free filters for a fun or more polished look. Our favorite feature is the favorites tab, which lets you save your favorite presets and filters to use at the click of a button.

The Best App for Videos: Biteable

Where to find it: Biteable.com.

Biteable is a video creation tool billed as the “The World’s Simplest Video Maker.” While it’s only available on desktop for now, we can vouch for the fact that it’s pretty easy to use and can make some really cool videos. Whether you’re selecting from pre-designed templates or making a video all on your own, Biteable has great features including a video library, animation and text options to help you create an engaging video in just minutes. With their free plan, you can create five video projects a month, or upgrade for more flexibility.

There are so many cool apps to take your digital marketing to the next level, so don’t be afraid to try them out and let your creativity shine! Remember, on-brand graphics and engaging posts will always be in style. If you download these tools and decide you need more than just an app, Saffire is always a quick email away to help you reach your social media goals.

This article previously appeared in IFEA’s ie Magazine.

Are Boosted Posts Worth It? The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads

If you’re new to Facebook advertising, you might be wondering about boosted posts – like what they’re used for, how to set them up and whether they’re the same as Facebook ads (spoiler alert: they’re not!) While boosted posts sometimes get a bad rap, they can still be useful in your social media strategy. … Continue reading “Are Boosted Posts Worth It? The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads”

In this guide, we’ll explain the ins-and-outs of boosted posts, what they’re used for and how to set them up.

Boosted Post Vs. Facebook Ad: What’s the difference?

Boosted posts are the most simple way to run an ad on Facebook. They don’t have the same types of targeting, features and power you can expect from a full Facebook ad, but they are a great option for anyone who is new to the ad world.

People love boosted posts because you can quickly and easily create them from content you already have on your feed! Just post your content, click “boost this post” and boom – you’re pretty much done. Once started, boosted posts allow you to target for engagement (more likes or comments), traffic (more clicks to your website), or messages. With as little as a few clicks and $10, you can reach more people and increase your engagement with a boost!

Facebook ads are a little more tricky, but in turn they offer you much more power. To get started you’ll have to create an Ads Manager account and take some time to learn the ins-and-outs of the Facebook Ads world.

Anyone that’s ever been in the Facebook Ads Manager knows that it can be a long confusing process. Unlike boosted posts, Facebook ads open up a whole world of possibility when it comes to targeting. While you may target people who have been to your website with a boosted post, with Facebook ads you can get even deeper – like targeting people who have been to your website, are also moms with young children and who live in Texas. Plus, you’ll get many more ad objectives like conversions (getting people to take a specific action on your website like buying tickets or signing up for a newsletter), event responses and video views. And don’t even get us started on all the different templates you can choose to show content in!

Just remember that Facebook ads won’t show up on your regular feed. Instead, they’ll be shown only to a specific audience that you select through targeting.

Should I Create a Boosted Post?

While full Facebook ads are always a good idea for organizations looking for more than just engagement, like merch or ticket sales, boosted posts still have their uses. They’re a great way to increase engagement on content already posted to your page in an algorithm that makes it hard for businesses to get noticed. Plus, they are cheaper and easier to use.

We recommend boosted posts to anyone who is just starting out. They’re a great way to get familiar with Facebook targeting and optimization, and it’s better to run boosted posts than no ads at all. Use boosted posts as a stepping stone until you’re ready to run full-blown Facebook ads. They will help you get comfortable with the ins-and-outs when you’re ready to take the leap!

If you find you’re still scared of setting foot inside the Facebook Ads Manager, there are tons of resources to help you get started with full Facebook ads (and Saffire is always here to help!)

So, I’ve Decided to Boost A Post. What Now?

Boosting a post is easy! Just follow these simple steps.

Post your content. Include your photo or video and some fun, interesting text!
Click the bright blue “Boost Post” button.
Select your objective: Do you want to send people to your website, get more engagement on your post, or encourage people to send you messages?
Choose your audience. Choose between targeting specific demographics, people who like your page or people who like your page and their friends.
Select your budget. The minimum is $1 a day and at least $10. After you select your budget Facebook will give you an estimate of how many people they expect your post to reach.
Set your post duration. This is how many days you want your post to run.
Click boost.
Congrats! You have a boosted post.

In the end, boosted posts are a great starting place, but we don’t recommend sticking with boosted posts forever. When you are ready to start creating full ads, reach out to Saffire or read more about getting started.

What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas

We’ve all been there: It’s been days, maybe even weeks since you’ve posted on social media. Then, that dreaded notification pops up from Facebook: “[So-and-so number of] people who like your page haven’t heard from you in a while. Write a post!” So, what do you do when you know it’s time to … Continue reading “What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas”

We’ve all been there: It’s been days, maybe even weeks since you’ve posted on social media.

Then, that dreaded notification pops up from Facebook: “[So-and-so number of] people who like your page haven’t heard from you in a while. Write a post!”

So, what do you do when you know it’s time to post something, but your brain is drawing a blank? After checking your content calendar, of course, try using one of these five ideas to help you get creative on social media!

Here’s What to Post on Social Media When You’re All Out of Ideas:

Participate in Fun Holidays

Who knows what day National Ferris Wheel Day is on? Hint: It shares the same day as everyone’s favorite date night! (Valentine’s Day!)

There are tons of fun holidays from National Ferris Wheel Day to National Best Friend Day that are perfect for adding to your social media calendar! Not only are they quick and easy content, but they’re a perfect way to participate in timely and highly shareable content!

As a festival or event, using national holidays to promote food and fun at your event is a no-brainer. Destinations and venues can find luck in highlighting local eats, partners and shared posts from your community.

User-Generated Content from Your Fans

There are lots of fun things about running social media for events, festivals and destinations, but possibly the best thing of all is running into people that ADORE spending time there! Luckily for us, people who love spending time at your event often love sharing photos.

User-generated content is a great way to fill your feed with content that is valuable, trustworthy and on-brand.

We recommend setting up a hashtag and asking your followers to tag you in their photos, that way there is an easy-to-find space where fans can share their posts.

Promote upcoming events or specials

Got a sweet event coming up that your followers just can’t miss? Post about it!

Even if your event is a few weeks or months away, try getting the excitement going with sneak peeks or behind the scenes footage! Not only does it open up the opportunity to create hype and promote your event – sneak peek content gives you another way to build a more authentic relationship with your followers.

Ask Questions, Create Polls or Play Fun Games with Your Followers

Asking questions is one of the best ways to increase engagement on your social media! The best thing about using questions and polls is that it not only encourages comments, but it also gives insight into the personalities and preferences of your customers.

Here’s some fun ideas to get you started:

Would you rather…?
This or that?
If you could….?
Fill in the blank
What is your favorite…?

Participate in Daily Hashtags

Daily hashtags are popular hashtags on social media for certain days of the week. You’ve probably seen some of the popular ones like #MotivationMonday, #TravelTuesday or #ThrowbackThursday.

When in doubt, combine a daily hashtag with a fun photo! They’re a great way to fill your feed with content that is fun, shareable and creates extra reach.

There you have it: 5 ideas for posting on social media when you have no idea what to post. Get creative with these ideas, and we’re sure you could fill a whole calendar with them!

Good luck and happy posting!

How to Actually Sell Tickets with Facebook Ads in 4 Easy Steps

Billions of people use Facebook every single day. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Facebook is one of the best places to sell tickets for your event! Facebook ads offer an affordable but effective way to get your event in front of thousands – and even millions – of people online, all … Continue reading “How to *Actually* Sell Tickets with Facebook Ads in 4 Easy Steps”

Billions of people use Facebook every single day. With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why Facebook is one of the best places to sell tickets for your event! Facebook ads offer an affordable but effective way to get your event in front of thousands – and even millions – of people online, all without ever leaving your office!

Here at Saffire, we truly believe that selling advance tickets online can make a world of difference for your event. Every year, we work with hundreds of different events. Though all of our clients are unique -different types, sizes and audiences – we all have the same goals: selling out fantastic events & making the process fast, easy and fun for customers! What’s easier than buying your ticket online and showing up completely worry-free?

Setting up Facebook ads for your event can be intimidating, but it is one of the best ways to get advanced sales up and running. We hear from clients every day wondering “Where do I go? What do I click? What should the ads look like, and who should I target?” The great news is that setting up ads can be easier than you think. Plus, if you are interested in running more advanced ads or need some additional help – Saffire is just one call away.

Here’s How to Create Facebook Ads That Actually Sell Tickets in 4 Easy Steps:

Plan

Before you dive right into your Facebook ads, begin by creating a plan for your content. Creating a strategy will help you cut down time, reach the right audience and stay on track with your goals. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

What Is Your Goal for Each Ad?

Before you get started, it’s important to create a specific and actionable goal for what you’d like to accomplish with your ads. This many seem obvious. “We want to sell tickets – duh!” But keep in mind that people rarely buy tickets the first time they hear about an event. That’s why Saffire recommends creating a series – or “campaign” of multiple Facebook ads used to inform and excite your customers before eventually getting them to buy. For this reason, Facebook offers a few different types of ads meant to promote your event in different ways.

Whether your goal for this specific campaign is to gain awareness (we recommend running awareness campaigns three to six months before your event) or to get off the ground running with ticket sales, choose a goal that is measurable and realistic. For an awareness campaign, your goal might be something like reach 5,000 people. For ticket sales, try something like sell 500 tickets in two weeks.

What Is Your Budget?

There are a couple of different things that will affect the reach of your ad including your audience, engagement and budget. Decide on a budget early so you can plan out your campaign effectively. Generally, we recommend budgeting about $100 for a two-to-three week ad.

Create Content

Once you’ve got your strategy planned and ready to go, it’s time to actually create your content. An effective Facebook ad requires two things: an eye-catching photo or video and copy for your description.

For your photo or video, we recommend choosing something eye-catching from a previous or similar event. Make sure that your graphic shows potential customers what there is to love about your event. What makes your event special? The amazing food? The superstar talent? Or maybe you’re running a really great deal or giveaway! Whatever it is, choose one FOMO-worthy feature and focus on that. Then write a description that draws people in. We recommend keeping it short and sweet, and don’t forget your call to action!

If your having trouble coming up with ideas, checking out ads from your competition is a great way to keep yourself in the game with fresh ideas. Check out Facebook’s new Ads Library to check out active campaigns.

Target

Targeting is one of the most important pieces of creating an effective ad. What’s a great ad without the perfect people to show it to? When it comes to targeting your ad to the right people, there are a few things you should be thinking about:

Area – Targeting your ad to people who live close by.
Demographics – Targeting your ad to people who fit your audience demographics. This might mean targeting parents if your event is a family-friendly fair or targeting 21-35 year-olds if your event is a hip music festival.
Interests – Targeting your ad to people who have liked similar things on Facebook. This might mean targeting people who already like your Facebook page, have liked similar events in the past or even people who follow your concert talent or partners!

Don’t forget to retarget, retarget, retarget! It’s easy for people to get distracted online. Sometimes all they need is a nudge (or 3) in the right direction. Studies have shown that people are 80% more likely to respond to a retargeting ad than a regular campaign! Don’t take that number for granted. It’s one of the most important reasons Saffire recommends creating a campaign instead of running just one ad – and it can be extremely effective!

There are a few ways you can use retargeting to work in your favor including: retargeting people that have interacted with another ad in your campaign, retargeting people that have bought tickets to a past event using custom audiences and retargeting people that have been on your website recently.

Test, Refine & Do It Again

Finally, it’s time to let your ad run! Once your ad has been running for a day or two, you can check its performance in the Ads Manager. Over time, your analytics will be your guiding light to help you tweak your ads for the best results. Remember, Rome was not built in a day – and neither is a successful ad campaign. Testing and tweaking are the keys to figuring out your audience and creating ads the resonate.

If you’re still having trouble creating the perfect ad, have no fear! Saffire’s marketing team is available to help craft an ad that is just right for your event. Chat with your coach or salesperson to learn more about our ad services.

Spring Cleaning: How to Freshen Up Your Social Media this Season

For some of us, spring weather means one thing: spring cleaning! Many of us rush to clean out our homes, our offices or our closets, but don’t think about what spring cleaning can do for our business. As event marketers, we know how important social media can be for selling tickets. For us, spring cleaning … Continue reading “Spring Cleaning: How to Freshen Up Your Social Media this Season”

These chores are quick, but they will make your new profiles feel (to quote Ms. Marie Kondo) like a “spark of joy.”

Throw away old images

If your pages are filled with old logos, grainy header images or improperly sized photos – it’s time to throw them all away. Bad profile photos are a quick route to a sloppy and unprofessional feeling page. Luckily, this small change can make a huge difference in the way people view your profile. Take this time to make sure all of your profiles feature the same perfectly-sized logo, and that your images are nice, crisp and up to date. While you’re at it, look over your About sections and business descriptions. Make sure the text is current and consistent across all of your platforms.

If you haven’t changed your cover photos in over a year, it’s time to give your profiles a mini makeover. Cover photos are an opportunity to wow your audience with eye-catching photos and create a striking first impression. Even if your cover photo looks snazzy already, it’s a good idea to add a new photo every-so-often to give your page a fresh clean feel. Frequenting fans will notice.

Organize your fans and followers

Do you know who you follow on social media and who follows you? It’s important to make sure that you are following business partners, clients and important industry leaders. Not only does this ensure that you are up-to-date on industry news, it gives you another opportunity to engage with key connections.

Start with your list of partners and clients. Are you following the key players? Are they following you? If not, make sure to hit the follow button and start connecting. It’s not a bad idea to like a few recent posts if a page you are connected with is not following you back. Just don’t get too gung-ho. Spamming their page or appearing stalkerish is a no-no.

Then take a look at your general followers list. Are there any irrelevant or inactive accounts that you should unfollow? Anyone just outright inappropriate?

Now is also a good time to look at your demographics page. See if the demographic data is similar to that of your average customer. If not, now is a good time to tweak your content strategy to create relevant content and attract the audience that you want.

Dust off your strategies and goals

It can be easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind and lose sight of why you’re doing things in the first place. Everyone knows that posting on social media is important, but busy companies often forget to decide why. There are many ways social media can tie back to your organization’s overall mission. Is your intent simply to connect with customers? Provide customer service? Educate your clients? Maybe your goal is strictly to sell tickets online. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to select one (or a few). Then, create monthly or quarterly goals to serve as your guiding light.

A successful social media strategy will help your company connect with more customers, create brand loyalty – and yes, even sell more tickets! Focus on your organization’s overall goals. A social media strategy can help you begin to see a real impact with your efforts.

Focus your attention on de-cluttering your account this spring and make sure all your information is up to date. Then get busy sharing your fresh new content with your audience. We bet you’ll be happy you joined us for spring cleaning!

This article previously appeared in IFEA’s ie Magazine.