Getting folks to sign up for events can sometimes be a challenge. How do I drive prospects to my site to sign up without an email list? How do I extend my event marketing reach without a budget? Google has just added a new tool that helps alleviate these concerns and makes it easy to share your event details with the greater Google community, and more specifically, those in your immediate local region.
Recently released and easily accessed when you log into your Google Calendar, is the new ability to “Search Public Events”. Simply add an event to your Google calendar, as well as the “public” calendars, and your event instantly becomes searchable to the Google community looking for an event with your search term, in your area, for a specific date.
To promote your events using Google, you simply add them as part of Google’s public events search to help people find them. If you’ve already got a calendar or event on your site, or in your schedule, you can import directly into Google calendar and mark it “public”. Just like with search engine optimization, content is key. Make sure your title and text are clear and concise and describe your event in as much detail as possible, along with a complete address (including city/state) for your event.
I found searching for events in my area was a breeze. All I did was select my location and date/time range and Google gave me a list of relevant events, based on my defined search. I could preview each event’s details, and then copy a selected event directly to my Google calendar. And I could share it with others – colleagues, friends, family.
This just might be the ticket for those who want to extend their reach, without lots of dollars to put behind their event marketing. Or at the very least, drive traffic to your site for “Googlers” to learn more about your offerings, and maybe even gain an event attendee!
Who ever said there’s no such thing as “free marketing”! Check it out…
