If you have been involved in the fundraising field for any length of time, you know how important events can be to the fundraising process. But a constant concern is how to maximize attendance and, in turn, the financial impact of the event.

To get the most out of your event, it is important to take a close look at your event promotion strategies. Sometimes going back to basics and reviewing each step in the process is important.

Here are five ways to ramp up your event’s impact.

1. Save the date 

People are busy and calendars fill fast, so you want to make sure your event is on your attendees' calendars as early as possible. Once you have the basic logistics (when and where) nailed down for your event, let all your desired attendees know with a save-the-date email. For invitation-only events, send an email and/or mail a save the date postcard to future guest list calendars. 

If your event is open to the public, you can and should add social media marketing to the mix by posting the date and details to your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. When using social media marketing, particularly Twitter, link to an event homepage so people can find out information beyond what you can fit in 140 characters. You can host the event homepage on your own site or build one using an online registration system, such as the one we offer at Constant Contact. 

2. Send an email invitation 

About six to eight weeks prior to your event, send out an official invitation to your contact or target guest list. A personalized invitation makes the recipient feel wanted and can compel them to register for your event. The invite should clearly outline the key event details and explain the benefits of attending from the recipient's point of view. Keep the invitation itself short and to the point. To provide additional information about your event, link to an event homepage. 

3. Promote your event through social media 

For events that are open to the public, use social media marketing to spread word as soon as your invitations go out. Using social media allows you to promote your event multiple times a week, which you can't do with email. Change up your wording a bit for each pitch to your social networks so it doesn't look like you're constantly posting the exact same thing. And, like with your save-the-date email, link to an event homepage to give would-be attendees more information. 

One variation on this idea is to offer limited-time exclusive access to your event to email subscribers—providing a benefit to your most loyal constituents—and hold off on the social media marketing until the exclusivity window has passed. 

4. Send follow-up reminders to non-registrants and registrants 

Within a few days of the event, send a follow-up email invitation to those on your original invitation list who have yet to register. Change the subject line to add a sense of urgency, such as "Only two days left to register" or "Five seats left—register now." 

For those who have registered, send them an email reminder and provide any last minute details. For free events, a reminder can help drive attendance and lower the no-show rate. 

5. Ask your attendees for a little promotional help 

Word-of-mouth referrals are the holy grail of marketing, so why not get a few referrals for your event? Ask attendees to tell their social media friends and followers that they are attending your event. Make it easy by giving them the text and a pre-shortened link to your event url so they can post it on Twitter and Facebook. For Twitter users, add a hashtag to brand individual tweets about your event. This lets Twitter users (and you) easily see who else is tweeting about the event. 

Planning an event is a time-consuming process; follow these five tips to ensure all that hard work pays off. Using every promotional channel available to you will maximize attendance at your gathering. 

Lisa Kember is Constant Contact’s Regional Director in Canada East. Through the seminars, workshops and learning events that she delivers, she helps some 15,000 small organizations per year improve their marketing activities and produce better results. www.constantcontact.com