TIPS: The Importance of Promo

I'm not going to lie... this one hurts (my ego) just a little bit to write right now. But I think it's going to help in the future/long run, so I am going to suck it up & tell you the tips I learned from the mistakes I made when it comes to promoting an event for your ministry. (Yes, I have given myself grace... don't worry about me) Here are my tips to help with promotion.

-- Hit Them From All Sides // There's more than one form of communication when it comes to promoting an event. All forms of social media; church slides; video announcements; word of mouth (on stage and going classroom to classroom); emails; handouts; mailers; etc. HIT THEM ALL to ensure you've contacted everyone.
-- Communicate // This goes with the advice above. Let them know what you're about to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. Then repeat that process about 4 more times. If you think you communicated, you didn't. If you think you might need to communicate more, do it. If you think you're being obnoxious with all the communication, you should probably send out one more email the day before... just in case. You can never over communicate when it comes to getting event information out there to students and their families.
-- Event Graphics Matter // I have always thought this was important, but it has been ingrained in me. If your graphic designer is not making you happy and you're *this* close (cue fingers very close together*) to just settling with a design you know is no good. Go. With. Your. Gut. & don't settle. Event Graphics can sometimes make or break your event. People say "don't judge a book by it's cover", but they don't follow their own advice... so just be sure the graphic is dope as heck!
​-- *Eye Emoji Here* // Videos help build anticipation!! Whether it's a 15 second bumper or a 2 minute video explaining the event -- videos can be the visual push you need to get those students signed up!
-- School Promotion // If you live in a city/state where you are still able to go into school lunches & clubs to promote your event... take advantage of it! Bring registration forms to schools, put up posters, pitch the event to a class... do whatever it takes! If you do not have access to schools, it is vital to tap into your key students in leadership. Give them registration forms to hand out, invite cards to shove in lockers, posters to hang up, food items that have a stick with the event info to give to other students, etc. 
-- SWAG // As Michael Scott would put it, "Stuff We All Get". Or, in this case, stuff we all get when we sign up for this event! Having a promo item with your logo on it to give away upon completion of registration is such a smart move, if you have money for it. Whether it's a t-shirt, pop-socket, or just a pen... people love free stuff! Use this fact to your advantage to promo your next big event!