Seasonal events, from holiday pop-ups to special sales, can boost your brand’s visibility and attract new customers. The best part? You don’t need a whole marketing team to make it happen. With the right tools, you can design, schedule, and share your promotions like a pro.
If you’re a small business owner wondering how to promote an event without breaking the bank, we’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ll explore seven powerful, budget-friendly platforms that simplify event marketing.
Table of contents
Buffer
Buffer is a reliable social media scheduling tool, making it easier to plan your event-related content and automate posting. You can schedule teasers, reminders, and behind-the-scenes content in one dashboard.
A customizable, simple landing page (which counts as one of the three channels that can be connected on the free plan) can be created to serve as a central hub for event information, a registration link, or an email sign-up form.
The drag-and-drop visual Content Calendar allows users to map out and schedule all time-sensitive, event-related posts in advance, ensuring a consistent and timely content cadence.
Free plan highlights
- Connect up to 3 social channels, with 10 posts per channel
- Schedule up to 10 posts per channel
- Basic analytics (30-day engagement data on individual posts). A centralized engagement tab allows users to monitor and reply to comments on Facebook and Instagram posts
- 1 user account included
- AI assistant for creating, refining, and repurposing content.
- Draft and save posts for later
Things we don’t like
- You can only have 10 scheduled posts per channel at any one time.
- No detailed performance reports, audience demographics, and campaign tagging for in-depth event performance tracking are available on paid plans.
- No team collaboration features, like approval workflows and the ability to invite team members, are included, which can complicate coordination for larger marketing teams
Later
Later is another scheduling tool, but with a stronger emphasis on scheduling content on Instagram. It includes features like Linkin.bio, Story scheduling, and UGC tools, useful for visually oriented event marketing.
Its drag-and-drop Content Planner allows you to visually plan and rearrange your event promotional posts, helping maintain a consistent and organized posting schedule.
Later’s free plan, called the Starter plan, offers several features that can be applied to event marketing efforts, primarily through social media management and content scheduling.
Free plan highlights
- Schedule up to 10 posts per profile per month to Instagram, TikTok, and other social channels.
- An unlimited media upload library with organization features like notes and labels for managing event graphics, videos, and photos efficiently
- Create a custom Link in Bio landing page (with Later branding) to centralize all relevant event links, such as registration pages, speaker information, or venue details, and drive traffic from social media to your website
- Direct integration with Canva simplifies the design and creation of visually appealing event promotional content
- Up to three months of analytics data for your Link in Bio clicks and basic post performance data (likes and comments) on your last 30 posts, allowing you to gauge the initial success of your event promotion efforts
Things we don’t like
- Inability to auto-publish high-engagement content formats crucial for events, such as Instagram Reels and Stories. The free plan may also impose file size or length limitations.
- While auto-posting works for some platforms (with an Instagram business account), others might require manual publishing, which is a significant time drain during a busy event period.
- Several features for event marketing campaigns, such as automatic “Best Time to Post” suggestions, hashtag performance tracking, or social inbox management, require upgrading.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a go-to platform for email marketing. Its drag-and-drop email builder makes it easy to create event reminders, announcements, and newsletters.
Mailchimp’s Free plan offers several features that can be used for event marketing, primarily focused on the promotion and data collection phases. The core event-related features available are the ability to send emails to a limited number of contacts and the tools to manage your audience and collect information
Free plan highlights
- Design and send event invitations, updates, and follow-up emails using a limited selection of basic, featured, and themed email templates
- Manage up to 500 contacts
- Create customizable pop-up forms and basic landing pages to gather registrations and grow your event’s email list
- Set up a one-click automated welcome email to greet new subscribers or registrants immediately after they sign up via your forms
- Schedule or instantly publish event promotions across social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
- Access to basic performance reports, allowing you to track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates for your event emails
- Send surveys to your audience to gather feedback on event topics, speaker preferences, or post-event satisfaction
Things we don’t like
- Multi-step or complex event-triggered automation workflows for sophisticated follow-ups are not available
- You cannot segment your audience based on complex behavioral data (e.g., specific interactions with a past event or website) for targeted messaging
- The ability to use specific event property data (like location or account type) for audience segmentation is limited to 30 days and lacks the full property segmentation capabilities of paid plans
- Features like A/B testing different email versions and send-time optimization to maximize engagement are reserved for paid tiers
MailerLite
MailerLite is a user-friendly platform ideal for small businesses relying on newsletters and announcements to promote events. It supports 500 subscribers and 12,000 monthly email sends on its free plan.
Automation workflows, segmentation, and landing pages make it easy to capture registrations and keep your audience informed.
MailerLite’s free plan offers several features useful for event marketing, including tools for promotion, data collection, and basic automation.
Free plan highlights
- Embed surveys in event emails to collect feedback from attendees after the event or gather data on their interests beforehand
- Build up to 10 free, customizable landing pages to promote an event and collect registrations in one dedicated location
- Use sign-up customizable forms and pop-ups on your website to capture leads and grow your event’s subscriber list
- Set up simple automated workflows, such as a welcome series for new registrants or a single reminder email before the event
- Organize attendees using groups and segments based on their actions (e.g., who registered versus who only opened the email)
- Test different subject lines or content variations in your email campaigns to optimize engagement and open rates
- Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes to measure the success of your event marketing efforts
- Connect with various third-party apps, including event and webinar platforms, using a Zapier integration to streamline workflows (e.g., automatically add new registrants from Eventbrite to a MailerLite list)
Things we don’t like
- Template library is smaller than that of competitors
- Some integrations require paid plans
- Landing page customization is more limited
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is a widely used platform for event organization and ticketing. It is completely free to use for events that don’t charge admission, making it a good option for community gatherings, nonprofit events, or free workshops.
Publishing an event page is quick, and once live, your listing appears on Eventbrite’s marketplace.
Free plan highlights
- Tools for sharing event links and details on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to expand reach
- Send up to 250 marketing emails per day to their community. The Pro plans offer higher daily send limits
- Access to real-time data, such as audience reports, to track ticket sales and campaign performance
- Create trackable links to measure the effectiveness of specific promotions across different channels
- Ability to customize the information collected during registration and the message on order confirmation emails
- Promotional codes for discounts or exclusive access
Things we don’t like
- Service fees apply for paid-ticket events
- Limited customization for event pages
- Email marketing capabilities are basic
Cvent
The free plan, which is part of the Cvent Registration product and often referred to as a “pay-as-you-go” option, allows users to build and launch events for free, only paying a fee when attendees register or if a negative balance occurs for free events.
Free plan highlights
- Build custom, branded event websites using a drag-and-drop designer
- Create customizable, personalized registration experiences and securely process payments
- Access to configurable emails for event communication, such as invitations, confirmations, and reminders
- Send automatic calendar holds (ICS files for Google, Outlook, etc.) to registrants
- Access to standard event stats and reports
- Manually share and promote event links through social media channels
- Manage an address book or contact database for your event invitations
Things we don’t like
- Only default emails are typically available on the free plan, with advanced email design and segmentation features in higher tiers.
- There is no integrated social media automation. Advanced features like embedding live social media feeds on your event website are part of paid offerings.
- Integration with major CRM and marketing automation platforms (like Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo) is a primary feature of Cvent’s enterprise-level paid plans.
- Features like mobile event apps with live polling, Q&A, and networking tools are premium add-ons for enhancing attendee engagement during the event, rather than pre-event marketing.
- Downloading designs with transparent backgrounds or as SVGs.
PosterMyWall
If you’re looking for an all-rounder tool, PosterMyWall is one of the strongest options. It combines design, scheduling, and promotion into a single, easy-to-use platform, ideal for small businesses learning how to promote an event efficiently.
With access to thousands of ready-made event flyer templates and unlimited high-quality stock assets for all seasonal business events, you can create eye-catching print material in minutes.
Using its one-click resize tool, you can repurpose your flyer designs and instantly adjust them for other marketing channels, including social media, email, digital signage, and more.
Plus, PosterMyWall has a user-friendly and intuitive event marketing tool. This allows you to create custom event landing pages in minutes, without any coding experience.
Free plan highlights
- Unlimited basic image downloads
- Instant recoloring for designs and emails
- Video recording and editing
- 1 event page/month.
- Collect up to 100 event registrations via event pages, with the ability to customize the information collected during registration
- Send reminder emails via landing pages
- Free resize for designs
- 5 AI event images
- Social media publishing for one account
- 3000+ email templates
Things we don’t like
- Some useful design features and AI tools require paid plans
- The free plan’s limit of one event page per month.
Marketing your seasonal events
Promoting an event doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. With free tools like PosterMyWall, Buffer, Canva, MailerLite, MailChimp, and Eventbrite you can effectively promote your event across different marketing channels. Even if you’re a small business or marketing novice, you can easily build excitement for your event, engage your audience, and boost attendance using these tools.
If your budget allows you to have specialized tools for each part of the marketing process (designing marketing material, social media publishing, email campaigns, and event landing pages), you can have a stack of three tools from the ones we’ve discussed. However, if you’re short on time and funds, PosterMyWall alone is more than enough.
Using this all-in-one marketing and design platform, you can create event landing pages, design print material, social media content and emails, and social media scheduling all from one place, with little-to-no cost.
| Tool | Key Features | Best For | Free Plan Features |
| Buffer | Social media scheduling, content planning, analytics | Scheduling and managing social media posts | 3 social accounts, 10 posts per account, basic analytics |
| Later | Social media publishing, visual content calendar, Instagram & Pinterest planning | Planning and publishing visual social media content | 30 posts per profile/month, basic analytics |
| Canva | Graphic design, templates for flyers, posters, and social media visuals | Creating event flyers, banners, and social media posts | Access to free templates, basic design tools, and cloud storage |
| Mailchimp | Email templates and automation | Sending promotional emails, event reminders | 500 subscribers, 1,000 emails/month, basic email templates |
| MailerLite | Email marketing, email automation, campaign analytics | Managing email campaigns and customer segmentation | 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, email automation |
| Eventbrite | Event ticketing, RSVPs, registration management | Handling event registrations and ticket sales | Unlimited events, free registration for free events, basic reporting |
| PosterMyWall | Event flyer design, email marketing, social media scheduling, one-click resize | All-in-one event marketing (design + scheduling) | Free templates, resize options, basic email & social scheduling |
FAQs
Q. What other effective event marketing strategies should I try for my small businesses?
Some other successful event marketing strategies include collaborating with local influencers, using online ticketing platforms, and offering early bird discounts.
Q. How can small businesses make their event marketing more engaging?
Use engaging visuals, teasers, and countdown posts to build anticipation. Share behind-the-scenes content, customer testimonials, and event highlights from past events.
Q. How often should small businesses promote their events on social media?
Start promoting your event at least 3–4 weeks in advance. Share countdown posts weekly and increase frequency as the event approaches. Post live updates or stories during the event and share event highlights and a thank-you post after the event.
