FREE ADVERTISING FOR YOUR NEXT MARINA EVENT

Are you listing your marina events on social media? Here’s where and why you should.

Gone are the days of sending out fliers and listing events on that bulletin board behind the glass. With a multitude of online resources, posting your event and getting more people to attend has never been easier. If you want to reach the largest group in the quickest way with shareable posts, social media is the way to go. Here are a few places to post your events that you may not have thought about.

1. Facebook– Okay, you may have actually thought about posting to Facebook. This one is kind of a no brainer. According to the Facebook newsroom, the social networking giant currently boasts over one billion active users. It’s pretty safe to say that many of your slip owners and community members have a Facebook account and use it to find out about what’s going on. A bonus is that it’s an incredibly user-friendly platform and it’s free, unless you choose to boost your event to get more eyes on it. A boost can cost anywhere from $4 to $75 or even choose your own amount and number of days you’d like the post to last. If you haven’t already, create a page for your marina and start posting events from your page.
2. Eventbrite– While not as popular as Facebook, Eventbrite (eventbrite.com) is a great place to post your event. You can post for free if your event is free but there is a small processing fee if you charge a ticket price or cover for your event. You can also choose to buy a premium membership that provides you with customer support and even on-site staffing. This site is extremely user friendly. It’s popular enough that people know to go there to see what’s happening. There’s even a search feature that makes it super easy to find your specific event.
3. Instagram– While this may not seem like the traditional place to post an event, Instagram can be an invaluable asset for promoting your marina. The platform is almost entirely visual so it’s a great way to showcase the beauty of your marina and its surroundings for zero dollars. A great way to promote an event would be to make short videos about the event in the days and weeks leading up to the event. There’s also a feature that allows you to share your Instagram post directly to your Facebook page, which is a nice time saver.
4. Various – There are a crazy amount of free event posting sites out there. Here are a few more that maybe aren’t as user-friendly or don’t have the particular draw of the others but still may be useful if you have the time and inclination to post in multiple places. It never hurts to spread the word in as many places as possible.

• Eventful
• Your Event Free
• In the Calendar
• My Event Guru

Wherever you decide to post, creating an event specific hashtag is a great way to get your event trending. And if the platform allows sharing, like Facebook does, then make sure you encourage your followers to share on their personal pages. It’s a great way to encourage friends to connect at your marina.

And remember, you’re selling your event so go beyond the routine details of date, time and location. Make it fun and exciting. Make sure they know your event is a must-attend!

Check out our 5 Tips for Social Media Marketing on how to best use social media for more helpful tips.