The Facebook Event platform is one of the most effective ways to publicize your event over the internet. Facebook Events provide a way to share detailed information about your event to large groups of people, predict interest and turnout, and provide updates as the event nears.
A large benefit of Facebook Events is that they can be easily shared, both on Facebook, and on other websites outside of Facebook. A properly-published Facebook Event can publicize your event to over 10,000 people or more with little effort and zero cost.
Here are some steps to set up an effective Facebook Event:
- You will need a Facebook account to act as the host of the event. This can either be a Profile (your personal Facebook profile), a Group (a community that people can Join), or a Page (a business page that people can Like). Choose which type of account will be the host of the event, and log into the homepage of that account (not the general newsfeed).
- Open the events section of your account, and click the Create Event button.
- IMPORTANT: If you are using a Profile as the Event Host, there will be an option to create a Public or Private Event. Set this to Public now; once the event is created, it cannot be changed. If you are using a Group as the Event Host, and your group is set to Closed (non-members cannot view the group contents), you should use a Profile to create the event instead so it can be shared publicly.
- Complete the Basic Info section thoroughly, including a photo or video, the official name of the Event, the exact location of the event, and the start and end date and time. If you are using a Page or Group as the Event Host, you can also set the frequency of the event schedule for recurring events.
- Within the details section, make sure to give a complete description of your event. Be sure to include information about who is hosting the event, if the event is benefiting a charity, what type of vehicles are welcome, any applicable registration fees, and make certain to include the name, telephone number, and email address of the primary point of contact for your event.
- If you are using a Page as the Event host, you can also set a Category for your event. If your Event is a benefit for a local charity, you could choose “Causes.” The field is optional, so you don’t have to select anything. You can also optionally add Keywords to your event, which are useful for searching. Finally, be certain to set the “Kid Friendly” checkbox in the details section as appropriate. This setting has a large influence over how Facebook shares the event information to other users in your area. If you have a website for your organization, or an online preregistration system, be sure to enter the full URL of that website into the Tickets URL field.
- Once you are satisfied with the Event, click the Create button. This will activate your event, and you’ll be able to start publicizing it.
There are two ways to share your event:
- From Facebook, you can directly share your event to groups or individuals. Just click the Share button and find the appropriate option. You can also share the Event ID code as a URL, which can be sent through email, added to flyers, or send to Pages via Facebook Messenger. The URL for your event is displayed on your web browser in this format: https://www.facebook.com/events/144616086200392/
- You can also find the URL from the Facebook Mobile application by click the More button and selecting Copy Link.
For more information about setting up Facebook Events, check out this link from the Facebook Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/help/210413455658361