Social media junkies can whip up a Facebook event in five minutes but it can be daunting for beginners. We take you through the process step-by-step.
You might ask – what’s the point of setting up a Facebook event? There is, after all, something to be said for calling guests and organising things the old-fashioned way. The problem is time (or lack thereof) and the fact that a social media invitation is the usual means of communication for a whole generation of customers.
Here’s how to create a successful Facebook event:
Personal Account
1. On your home page, click on Events. You can find it below your profile picture in the column on the left hand side of the page
2. Once you’re in the events page, click on + Create Event
3. A pop up will appear, titled Create New Event
4. Fill out the details of your event. You can edit this later
5. For now, choose Invite Only for the privacy setting
Recommendation: Invite guests last. You don’t want them seeing an unfinished page.
Business Page Account
This is basically the same as making an event through a personal account, except a business page account has an additional Ticket section for you to add a link for guests to buy tickets. This is only relevant if your business event requires guests to pay to join.
Most of the organising and correspondence will be done through tabs on the top right corner of the page.
Further pointers
1. Title and description
Make sure your title and description of the event is short, precise and relevant. Go to Edit and fill out the Name and Details section.
2. Date and time
If you haven’t already chosen a time or date for your event, do so. Choose a time that you feel will suit everyone. Go to Edit and then to When, so you can fill in the details.
3. Map
Choose a venue that is convenient for guests to attend. A map is essential. Go to Edit and then Where to type in the address.
Choose a picture that sums up the whole event. For example, if you’re selling cats at this event, don’t put a picture of a dog. Click the Settings tab and choose Add Event Photo. Alternatively, hover your mouse over the picture and Add Event Photo will appear. Click that.
5. Hosts
If you’re hosting this event with another person, you can give them the authority to edit the events page. Click the Settings tab and choose Edit Hosts. Type in their names. As you type you’ll see a list of the people you connect with on Facebook. Click on the person you wish to become the co-host for this event.
This really depends on the event you’re running. If you’re creating an event that just requires a large audience such as a competition, you can make the event public. Go to Edit and in the dropdown next to Privacy select Public.
If instead your event requires a selected group of guests (no gatecrashing), choose Invite Only. And if you want guests to invite other guests, choose Friends of Guests.
7. Proof Reading
Make sure everything is correct such as the time and the location.
8. Invite the right people
This should speak for itself. There is no point in creating an event if you invite the wrong people. Click on the Invite Friends tab. Choose the people you want to invite. You can also search names to make it easier.
From there on, you can see how your event planning plays out. Guests will be responding to your invitation and soon enough you’ll have a list of people attending or maybe attending. Our tip is to create an imaginary event page to play around with. Practice makes perfect.
