Gone are the days of using printed flyers and newspaper ads to promote public events. Technology has rendered those tools almost as archaic as a town crier. Social promotion apps and Web sites now allow planners to publicize their events nationwide with just a few clicks. Here’s our guide to some of the newest products that can help spread the word about events digitally.
GetPromotd
GetPromotd launched in 2011 and describes itself as “your online publicist for events.” Planners input information about their event, including location, photos, and links to registration, and GetPromotd automatically posts it to event Web sites such as Zvents and Yelp, local event Web sites, and online calendars related to the appropriate industries or topics. Planners monitor results from a dashboard that shows where the event is listed, the number of clicks it has received, and top referring sites. Pricing is tiered, starting at $5 for five listings on national sites up to $250 for 30 listings across the full system as well as press release distribution and follow-up analytics. Planners can also pay for additional services such as Facebook ad management. Founder Tim Kern said that in November GetPromotd will be updated with options such as integration with Eventbrite and other registration systems, banner ad management, and Google search advertising.
Photo: Courtesy of GetPromotd
Eventster
Eventster is a free app that launched in June for iPhone and iPad, and an Android version is under development. Eventster populates the app with more than 600,000 listings from Zvents, but individuals can also list their events for free. Users can give a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" vote to each listing, which moves those events to the top of the directory. Co-founder Luke Stangel said that, in the future, the system will analyze those votes along with an individual's iTunes library and Facebook "likes" to create personalized event recommendations. Users can filter events by keyword, location, date, and category; view them in a list or on a map; and save events directly to their calendar.
Photo: Courtesy of Eventster
TimeRazor
TimeRazor can work with brands to create custom promotions for their events, such as a recent campaign for Universal Pictures to offer a limited number of free tickets to a screening of Pitch Perfect. However, co-founder Victoria Clark said the app is "focused on the hyperlocal space" and has listed more than 10 million events from around the country since it launched in April. Most of those are events pulled in from other event aggregation services, but planners can also input their events for free. Users can search for events by date and location, and the app also analyzes a user's existing appointment times and locations to suggest events nearby that might be of interest. The app also provides drive time based on current traffic conditions.
Photo: Courtesy of TimeRazor
Time to Enjoy
As the name indicates, Time to Enjoy is an app focused on helping users find events during their free time by linking to their smartphones' calendars. The app launched in late March for iOS and is expected to be available soon for Android. Initially it only listed events from Eventful and Tribune Media Services, but C.E.O. and co-founder Jan Anton said they have just released a beta version of a free publishing tool for planners to add their events, which can include photos and a link to the event's Web site. Users can search for events by time, location, and categories such as family events, museums, or music. The app provides directions to events and links so users can share events through their social networks.
Photo: Courtesy of Time to Enjoy
Eventida
Eventida is a social promotion tool that is still under development by the husband-and-wife team of Elise and Lee Whitworth. Planners can list their events for free on the Web site, and each listing includes social media sharing links for Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus, and email. Planners can use the Eventida post as their primary event page or link to a separate page. In the future, Whitworth said they will add new services such as the ability to embed a schedule of events and automatic integration with local event listing sites.
Photo: Courtesy of Eventida
GotEventz
Minh Tran developed GotEventz to be "the Craigslist of local businesses, a community app where people can find what is going on around them." Planners create a free account and can then submit events including location, date, and a link to ticket purchase site. Users download the free iPhone or Android app and set a radius of up to 20 miles to search for events by category. Tran estimates the app lists about 10,000 events per month, from weekly farmers' markets to one-time meetings. GotEventz also generates a QR code that attendees can scan to check in to the event and receive tips from the planner.
Photo: Courtesy of GotEventz
PartyTell
PartyTell is a Web site and iPhone app created by college classmates Sheena Allen and Eric Brundidge in 2010 as a platform to promote nightlife events and venues. Allen said they are now expanding the site to include additional categories such as children’s events and cultural events. Planners can list their events for free, and users can access the directory for free, searching by city and state. Each listing includes widgets so users can share the event on Twitter and Facebook and via email.
Photo: Courtesy of PartyTell
