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  • Event Promotion Tips

How to Use Facebook Ads to Promote an Event

  • By Ryan Moss

  • 25 May 2022
  • 6 min read

Planning to run your own event? Looking to use social media sites, the likes of Facebook, to get the word out? If you answered ‘yes’ to both questions, we highly recommend making use of Facebook’s paid ads feature. 

Whether it be a stand up comedy show, a vintage craft or antique fair, a brunch event, a live music festival or even a one-off club night, Facebook Ads can be hugely beneficial in getting your intended shindig in front of existing and potential future customers, at a price that suits your budget.


So what exactly is a Facebook Ad?

A Facebook Ad is essentially a paid-for online advertisement, targeted primarily to social media users whose interests align with the theme or genre of your event. These small-scale advertisements can appear on Facebook’s main feed, on the Messenger app, and even on non-Facebook apps and websites, and enable you to describe the details of your event in your own voice.

Known amongst event planners for their impressive targeting capabilities, Facebook Ads utilise the enormous amounts of data the platform keeps on its users, to assist in ensuring your message or advertisement is seen by the right people. You can be as vague or as broad as you like when it comes to setting your targets, and the choice of demographic feature you can choose from is boundless – from gender and location to the user’s field of work and their interests. 


Now we have a basic understanding of what a Facebook Ad is, let’s take a look at how to get the most from them…

Facebook, like every other social media platform, has its own algorithm to contend with. Not just limited to the posts you publish everyday, the algorithm also applies its built in rules to the content featured within your ads. To get the most out of your paid ad, it’s worth knowing exactly what Facebook’s algorithm is looking for before making it live. 

‘Meaningful Interactions’. Remember this term. The most recent rejigging of Facebook’s algorithm now means the focus is on engaging the platform’s users. Therefore, the objective of your ads should be to inspire conversation amongst your fans and future customers, to help gain visibility.

You could use your ads to ask questions dependant on the demographics of your customer base. If referencing a music festival, for example, you could ask who your customers are most excited to see. The ad subsequently turns into an opportunity to collect further data to help improve events in the future. A two for the price of one.

Don’t be afraid to get super specific with targeting and your questions. The more in tune you are with your customers needs, the better the chances are of seeing a return on investment on your ad. 

FACT: A survey of social media marketers showed that of all the social media platforms out there, Facebook provides the best return on investment.

It’s also worth noting the importance of selecting the correct marketing objective or campaign goal. This is one of the first things you’ll come across when setting up your paid ad. Options include Brand awareness, App instals, Gathering lead information – email addresses or phone numbers – and gaining engagement with your post or your Facebook page. The objective you choose could affect the cost of your ad, so be sure to select the correct option to maximise your return of investment. 

Credit: Will Francis / Unsplash.com

Setting up a Facebook Ad

Whilst you won’t need a business page on Facebook to set up an ad, you will need an account. The ad’s you set up from your account must be created and monitored via Facebook’s Ads Manager Tool. 

Upon agreeing to the terms of use, you’ll arrive at the Ads Manager home page, where you’ll begin creating your ad by first choosing your campaign goal, as previously mentioned. Upon choosing your objective, Facebook will determine the correct ad set to help ensure it’s visible to the correct audiences. You’ll then begin building your target audience before looking at a posting schedule, the overall cost of the ad and its intended lifespan, ultimately concluding with its design and aesthetic.

And that’s it. You’re all set. A very simple and yet powerful marketing tool that when used correctly, can create buzz around your events and lead to a notable boost in sales and revenue. 

IMPORTANT – Remember to monitor and document the progress of your Facebook Ad during its lifespan, and make note of the things your users respond well to. This will help you get the most out of your budget when building any future ads. The Ads Manager Page has a wealth of insightful tools that can assist you in changing your strategy and/or design should the need arise.


About Skiddle

Skiddle is currently the UK’s biggest What’s On guide, providing a free facility for event promoters across the UK to list their events online and sell tickets through our independent ticketing service. We currently work with over 35,000 UK and European promoters, at over 30,000 venues. We specialise in helping events through that critical growing phase by providing the marketing and technology support that you need. Start listing your events today!

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