An association law organizes most of the time events: festivals, shows, dances… The goal is to make known its activities, but also to collect funds necessary to its good functioning.
But, in order to make an event, it must have an effective communication strategy which obviously requires excellent preparation. How to communicate on your event to reach your objectives? Tips and tricks to make your different events known, but above all to better distinguish yourself.
Even if organizing an event allows to finance an association, it also allows to make known the activities of the association law, to recruit volunteers… The organization of such an event is nevertheless not always simple. Indeed, this operation requires a lot of time and energy. It is, therefore, necessary to take into account several essential points to ensure the smooth running of this event.
Define the target audience
Before putting your heart and soul into establishing a communication strategy for your event, it is essential to first define your target audience. To do so, ask yourself the right questions.
Who will the event be aimed at: the general public, students, seniors. By doing this beforehand, it will be easier for you to define the appropriate communication tools and media for the target audience.
For example, if you decide to organize a show for students, make promotional actions near the universities. Also, don’t forget to leave flyers in places frequented by students such as bars, restaurants, and theaters. On the other hand, if you are targeting older people, promotion on social networks can be completely useless.
What you should not forget is that it is more effective to opt for local media rather than general and national media: it is more impactful. Local radio and TV, the regional press will be your best allies to communicate effectively about your event.
Build a good readability
To reach the maximum number of people in your association’s event communication, you must work on readability. To do this, you must first build a graphic charter in the colors and values of your association for all communication media of the event. Then, it is important to create the message to be conveyed by making sure to choose the catchphrases and the elements to be highlighted.
Then, it is only lastly that you will determine the useful and adequate support for your communication. Only posters and flyers or organizing a small press conference? Advertisements on the local radio or an invitation to a TV station in your area?
Choosing the right communication medium for your event
Moreover, before thinking about the right communication medium, all communication documents must be sufficiently attention-grabbing in order to have an impact on professionals and on the general public.
Which media to turn to?
As mentioned above, in order to communicate effectively on the event organized by an association, it is preferable and recommended to turn to the local media. Indeed, these (TV, radio, press) play an important role in a city or a region.
If an association chooses the local media, it will undoubtedly succeed in communicating its event. Who knows if a local radio station will give you an interview or, better still, the regional TV station will contact you to invite you to appear on the news: this will be a must!
To get in touch with these media, it is important to establish a small list of media in order to find the right contacts. Why make a list? By targeting the right recipient, you will gain inefficiency. Know that a personalized email is convincing.
You should also know that to contact the media, you will need to prepare a press release that summarizes your association’s event in a few lines, and in a very concise manner. Do not hesitate to include all the information about your event and any essential information.
How to reach the public?
To reach the general public, the association can turn to the traditional channel of posters and flyers distribution. As the target audience has already been defined, it is important to define its usual places of frequentation before implementing the poster and leafleting mission. This way, you put all the chances on your side.
Furthermore, with the advent of technology, it would be a shame not to take advantage of the benefits of the internet. Inexpensive, this communication channel allows you to easily reach a large portion of your target audience. This is the time to inform the participants of the past events of your event by sending them a personalized email.
If your association also has a website, you can mention your next event by publishing an article on your blog about each step of the organization of the event for example. Publishing on social networks is also recommended, especially if your target audience is young.
To minimize your communication expenses, you can very well set up partnership files with local companies with of course in return the mention of their name during your event. For example, you can ask to collaborate with the local printer.