San Francisco Bay Area Event Marketing Tips For Bars, Restaurants, Businesses
Tips to increase visibility, turnout. Event ticket platforms. Social media, calendars. Event marketing tips, submit events Bay Area, where to promote events San Jose
Last updated: July 29, 2025
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Where To Promote Events In San Francisco Online
Related reads:
Bulletin Boards San Francisco (Where To Promote Events San Francisco, Where To Advertise Events Silicon Valley, Where To Submit Events Bay Area)
The other day, someone asked me about event planning and best practices. I have been hearing this quite a bit lately since I started this newsletter. Here are some general tips to help you get the most out of your events.
Eventbrite Alternatives, Event Ticketing Companies
See post on Eventbrite Alternatives, pricing below:
https://www.eddies-list.com/p/eventbrite-alternatives-online-ticketing-platforms
SF Event Marketing Tips: Co-Marketing w/ Venues
A lot of event organizers don’t utilize the reach of venues for their events. Not all venues are able/willing to help promote your event.
Learn which venues will publish a post on your behalf or allow you to co-author a post on platforms like Instagram.
If the venue has a poor social media following, see if they will allow you to add flyers in the days/weeks leading up to the event or mention your event in their emails or their online event calendars.
Some people will want to check out your events specifically, others might want to attend because of the venue. Whatever the reasons, make sure to assess all reasons why someone might want to attend and push forth on those triggers.
Bay Area Event Planning, Location, Dates & Times
Event organizers need to set up dates far enough in advance but also send out reminders closer to the day of. It helps to understand what else is going on i.e. street closures, competition w/ similar/better events.
In places like SF, cleanliness and safety are important. Picking venues that people are not afraid to visit feels obvious but needs to be said and repeated. Similarly, it helps to understand your audience and where they might be coming from so that you can reduce the friction of attending events.
Scarcity, Vague/Generic Events
If an event is too generic or recurring every week, it’s not likely to gain popularity or significant attendees unless it’s already a kick-ass event (in which case you probably don’t need to read this post).
Events that are specific to audiences typically command more interest than ones catered to the masses. Instead of a tech event, find a niche i.e. AI, ML, VC’s, Co-Founder mixer etc.
Sometimes, you have to start small and grow your community, attendee user base, and reputation before you can successfully scale events.
Marketing Events On Other Platforms
I find out about events from all sorts out outlets including owned IG & FB account posts, FB events, news, posts from friends on social media, Reddit, Eventbrite and more.
Even if you don’t sell tickets via Eventbrite, creating a listing can help drive people to another platform. Similarly, you can create an event on Facebook and invite followers to buy tickets elsewhere.
Create an event page on facebook, alert folks on Nextdoor.
Event Pricing, Tickets
Pricing is tricky. People will pay for good events, but they need some assurances. If you are brand new to events, it might take a while to build this reputation before you can charge higher prices.
Similarly, charging nothing devalues the event. There is no commitment nor consideration if you don’t add a price. With that said, instituting no-show policies can greatly increase turnout or avoid false-positive attendees if you do decide to make events free.
Requiring tickets with certain info like emails is also great for collecting data and informing audiences of future events.
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Marketing Materials, Strategies
Photos: Lighting helps to take photos of menus, interiors, dishes etc. Whether brightly lit or dim/moody, photos can be used to market your business:
Uploaded to Yelp/Google (having menus for trivia, happy hour etc can then be used to surface higher on search results when people are looking for said items rather than using a chalkboard or qr code for menus, details).
Posted on Instagram (helps to have a location created on Instagram; more on this later but I believe you have to create a Facebook page first if you don’t have a location on Instagram already).
Don’t need to post on it or do anything on Facebook once that page is created and you are able to set up a location on Instagram.
Post on social media somewhat regularly (at least don’t have most recent posts be outdated, incorrect info).
Posting once a week via stories or posts is enough to stay in people’s feeds.
Posting too much can force people to unfollow.
Can mention on your website to follow on social media for special offers, notices etc.
Make sure you are open or appear open. A lot of places look closed/abandoned despite being open. Things like A-boards, lighting, and fresh paint can go a long way.
Do occasional posts asking folks to take photos, tag you on socials etc. If not, at least use tags to circulate posts via stories on Instagram
Update Calendars, Websites, Social Media Accounts
I know this can be a pain for non-technical folks but it’s important to have updated information so people can be certain hours are accurate, trivia is still happening, when kitchen closes etc.
You don’t have to have a sophisticated website or spend money on a developer but you can keep it simple….
Create a website even if just one page
Make sure to back up account holders, give access carefully, renew domains
Use Instagram and create links via bio.site or other link service
Events
Classes
Pop-Ups
Make sure Yelp/Google listings are accurate (hours)
Easier if you maintain accounts/listings but others can suggest edits which can update accounts
Ease/Safety - Request A Bike Rack!
Request a bike rack so people can watch their bikes while they dine, drink or shop at your business.
https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/bike/bike-parking/request-bike-rack
Did I miss anything? Have tips you want to share?
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, your event isn’t good. There might not be a compelling reason to attend. You are also competing with other events, cost considerations, and hurdles for attending, like time, distance, parking, and safety/cleanliness.
Building up email lists and social media followers takes time. Look for collaborators and service providers who can help cross-promote events. Once you have a shared interest and risk, it can help you rope in more audiences than you could on your own.
Lastly, include reminders so people don’t forget. Include add-to-calendar buttons on event pages and emailed tickets.
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