Joshua van Aalst’s blog

August 5th, 2007

Top 10 tips for promoters and event organisers

Posted by Joshua van Aalst in Josh and Friends

Hi everyone,

You might find this interesting if you are promoting on www.joshandfriends.com.au or www.gayscene.com.au

Top 10 tips for promoters and event organisers

1) Create a news article about your event and you will be listed on the top of the home page. This is the most unused section on the site and it is also the most viewed! Also now that only 2 weeks worth of events can be seen in the “What’s on” list (in the left nav), it is even more important to promote your event if it is far away.

a. Click the “Create News” link from the “News” menu.

b. Click the “News” menu and then click the “Create” button in the middle of the ‘News” screen.

c. Click on any event on the site and click the “Create Another News” button at the top of the screen.

2) NEVER put information straight on the forums! Only a percentage of our readers go to the forums. Make sure you maximize your readers by creating a News, Interview, Competition, Review or Event item.

a. A forum thread will automatically be generated for you.

b. Your item will be listed on the home page.

c. A notification email will be sent to users who are interested in what you have listed.

3) Create a competition or giveaway for your event. We now have a new menu and forum just for competitions and giveaways. This has been one of the most requested features from the users – To add a competition do 1 of the following:

a. Click the “Create Competition” link from the “Competitions” menu.

b. Click the “Competitions” menu and then click the “Create” button in the middle of the ‘Competitions” screen.

c. Click on any event on the site and click the “Create Another Competition” button at the top of the screen.

4) Always put text in the description of your events and other items. Our site is highly optimized for searching and when search engines index it they can only read text! There is nothing better than typing in Google “What’s happening this weekend for Trance in Sydney” and your event appearing first. There is also no point uploading an event with just a title and a date. People can’t get excited about it if they know nothing about it!

5) Link your events to all your DJs! If your DJs don’t have profiles on the site then email them and tell them to get their profiles up! Linking is important as it makes your item appear more important in the eyes of search engines and more likely to appear at the top of their results. It is also important as it makes your event more visible throughout the site. When people visit DJ Arbor’s profile they’ll see him listed as performing at your event. Also when you link to DJs their fan clubs will be notified via email that their favourite DJs are playing at your event. We can’t do this if you don’t link to all your DJs!!!

6) Get your event listed early. People plan their weekends and often groups of site members will arrange to go out together. If your event is not up it’s not an option! – To add an event do 1 of the following:

a. Click the “Create Event” link from the “Events” menu.

b. Click the “Events” menu and then click the “Create” button in the middle of the ‘Events” screen.

c. Click on any event on the site and click the “Create Another Event” button at the top of the screen.

7) Sponsorship. We are currently offering sponsorship for events (free banner, feature ads and inclusion in the mail out). If you would like your event sponsored then please email josh@joshandfriends.com.au .

8) Upload photos of your event. We have a wonderful photo gallery that is really easy to use and lets anyone upload photos. You can find how to use it here: http://www.joshandfriends.com.au/forums/photos-movies/4867-all-users-can-now-create-albums-upload-photos.html

9) If something is not working tell us! We can’t fix it if you don’t notify us. Please email me here josh@joshandfriends.com.au .

10) Create a company profile and email your fan clubs! We have a cool feature that allows you to email all your fan club members at once.

a. Click the “Create Company” link from the “Companies” menu.

b. Click the “Companies” menu and then click the “Create” button in the middle of the ‘Companies” screen.

c. Click on any company on the site and click the “Create Another Company” button at the top of the screen.

d. Once your company has been created and you have fans then scroll down your companies page and you’ll see an “Email Fan Club!” button just above your fan club.

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