Tips to Promote your Event in Dallas on a Budget

We all want a ton of people to come to our event, but sometimes we don’t have a ton of money to promote it.   Here are some tactics you can do to generate awareness with a limited budget. Most of these tactics will work for events ranging from restaurant Pint Nights, to a local theater play, to getting the word out about a musician appearing at your local coffee shop.  Some of these are super basic, and you might already have plans to execute these suggestions. Also, none of these ideas require printing out flyers. Ha ha. 

Promoting Your Dallas Event through Owned Media

Before you start promoting event there are a few simple things you should be doing with the marketing you control - otherwise known as your “Owned Media” (i.e.your website, social media, email).  Get these up first and then start promoting the event to a wider group.  

  • Website - This should be the first step on your list.  You can provide more details about the event and answer any potential questions customers might have, so you don’t have to waste your time fielding questions over the phone.  

  • Google My Business- If you have a Google My Business(GMB) listing, post your event there.  The event listing you created will either show up in search results and/or at the bottom of your GMB listing.   Here is how to add an event listing:  

    • Create a Post > Event > then enter in your event details - and that's it 

      • If you have an event image, totally include that here as well as a link with more information about the event.  

  • Social Media (i.e. Facebook Event Page) 

    • If you have a Facebook Business page, then adding the event here is a no brainer.  If you are able to promote the event with a few dollars even better.  

  • Email - If you collect customer emails, and have an email program like Constant Contact or MailChimp you totally should get the word out with an email. 

Using Free Event Local Listings in Dallas 

  • These are my four go to’s for local listings in the Dallas area.  Filling out these local listing forms is easy to do and should only take a few minutes.  Also all of these sites come up pretty high in search results for “Things to do in Dallas this weekend” 

    • Visit Dallas - This is Dallas’ tourism site to find the city's top attractions, restaurants, shopping and much more. It gets good traffic from out of towners coming to Dallas, and its page one on search for finding things to do over the weekend in Dallas.  Here is the link.

    • CultureMap - is the daily source in Dallas for local lifestyle news, including where to eat and what to do.. Here is the link.

    • D Magazine - It’s still a print magazine but has a huge online presence in Dallas.  It’s the best resource for restaurants, recommendations for things to do, local news and commentary on life in Dallas.  You can totally pay for a sponsored event listing or submit for free as well. Below is the free link.

    • Art & Seek - This site belongs to the Dallas local PBS affiliate KERA.  If your event is more artsy I would totally post it here.

Reach Out to Dallas Local Media

  • It’s always worth trying to hit up the local reporters that generate content weekly for events and happenings around town.  Here are a few contacts in the Dallas area. Again these might change, but right now these are some pretty good options to reach out to.  If you ever want to confirm for sure, just go to the site and see who is writing about entertainment, art, and food articles  

    • Dallas News (i.e. GuideLive & Dallas Morning News)

      • Sarah Blaskovich - sblaskovich@dallasnews.com

      • Brentney Hamilton - brentney.hamilton@gmail.com

    • CultureMap Dallas 

      • Alex Bentley- alex@culturemap.com

      • Stephanie Allmon Merry - stephanie@culturemap.com

    • Dallas Observer - I have noticed they all take turns writing over at the Observer so it’s best to check their site and see who is writing the most current articles.  Here are three that are writing about events and happenings around town.

      • Eva Raggio - Click this link to contact.

Use Social Media Influencers 

  • This is a no brainer too, but beware that some Social Media Influencers charge quite a bit for their services.  If you find a couple that are specific to the Dallas area and think the event aligns pretty well with what they typically post about then consider reaching out.  Food Bitch is an influencer I really like in the Dallas area, but read this article we wrote about Social Media Influencers to learn more. 

Other ideas to Promoting your Event Cheap in Dallas 

  • Dallas Reddit Page - You know, its free and it has about 94K members, so why not...I wouldn’t expect a lot of return for posting here, but it’s worth a shot and will only take a few minutes - click here for the page.  Also, there is a member on this page, that posts weekly Dallas events. You should totally contact him/her to get added on to their weekly list - u/JustMeInBigD

  • Event Brite - If you are planning on charging for your event, consider selling your tickets thru EventBrite.  Yeah, I know they charge you a cut of what you make on the event (or charge it directly to the customer) - but a lot of people go there to find out about local events in the area.  They also email their database weekly with “Event Brite Picks”.

  • NextDoor - If you happen to live in a neighborhood close to the event or have employees that do, you should try using  NextDoor to promote the event. Just post up on there and let people know you live in the neighborhood and just wanted to get the word out about an event you are having. 

  • Facebook Group -  Check out Facebook Groups to see if there is a group that might be interested in your event.  

    • All you have to do is go to the “Group” tab in Facebook and click “Discover” to find a group 

    • For example if you are putting on a Kids Event, might be good to look up “Dallas Moms” to see if there is a mom’s group in Dallas 

    • If you find one, try getting added to the group and asking the Group Admin if you can post about the event. 

  • Do214 - These guys email weekly about different events/things going on in town.  Click here for more info. For the most part this is a paid service, but for free events, they might include in their weekly email for free.  They have an email database of about 65K and have a social presence too, if you want more information hit them up at Do214@Do214.com

Don’t have time to Promote Your Event? 

Super Digital Marketing can help. We are a super local digital marketing agency in Dallas, TX specializing in helping small business grow through digital and social media marketing. Please hit us up if you ever need anything!

Hari BhushanSuper Digital Marketing Dallas, Events, Social Media, Digital Marketing, Google My Business