Promoting Your Event

Wondering where to start with promoting your event? The single best way to promote your event is to add it to the USF calendar. Adding the event to the calendar and tagging it properly will make it possible to highlight your event in the weekly calendar emails, USFCA calendar, myUSF calendar, USFMobile app, digital signage, and more.

Post Event in USF Calendar 

Review our help page for details on all aspects of booking your event and getting it into the marketing site USF Events Calendar and the myUSF Events Calendar. This is the first step you should take as all other promotion opportunities rely on having that event detail page published and ready to go. The basic steps to getting it to a published state are:

  1. Book your space in EMS
  2. Select "yes" when prompted in EMS with the question “Would you like this published on the USF calendar?” 
  3. Wait for a confirmation email from Events Management
  4. Visit events.usfca.edu to add descriptive details to your event, add a photo, and add categories and tags so the event feeds to the proper spots.
  5. Save the event page with a status of "Published".

Calendar Emails 

The weekly calendar emails populate events based on RSS feeds — and for each section, we are limited to just ten events university-wide. Our aim is to ensure that all calendar events receive equal representation in our weekly emails.

Learn more about adding a category to an event to display your event in calendar emails.

FEATURED EVENTS AND WEBSITE PLACEMENT

Very few events will be featured on the home page, however events may be featured at the top of the  calendar if:

  • The event is open to the public, especially if the event is high profile or admission related.
  • Calendar page includes a well-formatted description.
  • Imagery is present and compelling.

Other tips:

  • Home page and top calendar items discussed weekly and selected for broadest appeal.
  • On your website, consider making a callout component to push traffic to the calendar page.
  • Work with the web team to get an event listing on your site if you sponsor events regularly.

One-Off Email Best Practices

The USF Calendar emails and e-newsletters replace the untargeted, one-off event invitation emails and help decrease the emails that students and faculty/staff receive. If you want to send an event invitation via email, you must provide a targeted audience list (for example, by school or department) with your request. For more information, visit the Email Communications Standards page.

Banner Image/Graphic Criteria

  • 600px wide
  • 150-320px tall
  • RGB, 72dpi, jpg, 40KB

Digital Signage

Digital signage is the display of multimedia content on electronically controlled displays that are installed in public spaces on campus. Any event that is related to the USF community, especially students, is appropriate to feature via digital signage. 

Contact your OMC marketing strategist to create a digital signage ad or to convert an existing flier. Or request a signage ad from Graphics Center (forms available at UC 418).

Additional Promotion Opportunities

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media can be a strategic part of your integrated marketing mix and have a direct, positive impact on your audience.

SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA STANDARDS

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR USF

MEDIA RELATIONS

The Media Relations team drafts news releases, media advisories, calendar listings, and other materials to publicize news of faculty research, academic programs, and newsworthy university happenings. Learn more and get in contact with Kellie Samson at ksamson@usfca.edu.

PERSONAL OUTREACH

Consider reaching out to relevant faculty, University Ministry/resident ministers, student groups, and/or the Loyola House.

E-NEWSLETTERS

Finally, various department e-newsletters are another avenue for cross-promotion of event(s):

  • OMC sends four separate monthly e-newsletters to alumni, parents, faculty/staff, and students. Contact your marketing strategist for inclusion in these monthly e-newsletters.
  • Human Resources/GoUSF and the Office of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) send internal e-newsletters every month to USF faculty, staff, and students.
  • The Phoenix and Cultural Centers newsletters share relevant events with undergraduate and graduate students.