8 Steps to Promote Your Health Fair or Health Awareness Event
Hosting a health fair, health awareness, or preventative screening event is an excellent way to engage the community, raise awareness, and promote healthy lifestyles. But even the most well-planned event will only be successful if people attend. To ensure you reach the right audience, a well-considered promotional plan is essential.
Here are 8 steps to effectively promote your health event, starting with the smaller, easier things you can directly influence:
1. Define your target audience and goals
Before you can promote your event, clearly identify who you’re trying to reach, and why. Are you targeting families, seniors, or young adults, or a specific demographic such as women or individuals with certain health risks? Are you trying to increase awareness of a specific disease or health risk? Encourage or offer preventative screening?
Clearly identifying both your audience and your goals will help you tailor your message, choose the right promotional channels, create an event that appeals to the needs and interests of your audience, and make it easier to measure the outcome of your event.
2. Come up with incentives for attendance
Providing incentives can be a great way to attract attendees. Think about offering:
– Free health screenings or consultations (if this isn’t already part of the plan)
– Gift bags with wellness products or coupons to local businesses
– Raffles or door prizes for participants
– Free health workshops or fitness classes during the event
Be sure to feature any incentives prominently in your promotional materials.
3. Leverage your database with email outreach
If you’re running a health awareness event, chances are good that you have a database of contacts who fit your target audience. A short series of three emails – Save the Date, Event Highlights, and an Event Reminder – can go a long way in creating and sustaining interest.
Don’t forget to personalize your emails to make them more engaging. And if you’re targeting multiple audiences, segment your email list and tailor the messaging for each group.
4. To expand event awareness, start with social media
Social media is a powerful tool for spreading the word about your event beyond the folks in your CRM. Build event pages on Facebook and LinkedIn, and share regular updates leading up to the event or run a contest with event-related prizes. Create engaging visuals, videos, and infographics to capture attention, highlight key details such as date, time, location, and what attendees can expect, and clearly communicate the benefits of attending. Remember to use relevant hashtags, particularly if your event is related to a widely-known health observance like Lung Cancer or Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
As you build your content plan, remember that personal stories and testimonials are powerful tools. Beyond standard event information, you can share stories of individuals or families who have benefited from similar events or initiatives. Highlighting how a previous attendee discovered a health issue early through a screening or learned and applied valuable wellness tips will help potential attendees connect the dots on how and why your event may be beneficial.
Finally, reach out to the folks who run local or regionally-focused social media accounts, or national organizations that might share the same goals. They can amplify your message. Ask them to promote your event through their channels, whether by sharing posts, creating content that you can share, and invite them to attend the event themselves.
4. Partner with local businesses and organizations
Reach out to local organizations, businesses, and community groups to boost your promotional efforts. Schools, gyms, senior centers, and healthcare providers can help distribute flyers, share event details on their social media pages, and encourage their members to attend. If your event aligns with a particular cause or health initiative, partnering with related nonprofits or advocacy groups can also enhance both credibility and visibility.
5. Don’t underestimate traditional media and press releases
While digital marketing is essential, don’t overlook traditional media outlets. Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels to promote your event. Local media outlets often offer free community event listings, and some may be willing to feature your event in an on-air segment if it’s newsworthy. A well-crafted pitch, event summary, and/or press release make it easier for those outlets to run with your story.
6. Distribute flyers and posters
Flyers and posters placed in high-traffic areas such as libraries, grocery stores, community centers, coffee shops, and healthcare facilities are another inexpensive but effective way to promote your event. A visually appealing design will help your poster standout, but the message is equally important. Be sure to include all essential information, and a URL or QR code for your event’s website or registration page.
8. Seek out community calendars and online listings
Get the word out by posting your event on community calendars and platforms like Eventbrite, Meetup, EventBoost or local city websites, and look for Facebook groups that align with your audience. These tools are magnets for people actively hunting for fun and educational things to do in their area.
And don’t forget: promotion doesn’t end once the event is over. Following up with attendees helps maintain engagement and encourages them to participate in or share information about future events. Send thank-you emails, share photos or videos from the event, and invite feedback to learn how you can improve (we’ll cover post-event best practices in another blog post, as well).
If you’re looking for ideas about how to create a one-of-a-kind health fair or health awareness event, check out our Health Fair Planning Guide.