How can we help?

Launching or relaunching a calendar, map, or tour is only the beginning. To increase engagement, make sure people can find these resources easily, discover them in the places they already visit, and receive timely reminders through the channels they use most.

Permanent Promotion

1. Make your resources easy to find

Can visitors reach your events calendar, interactive map, or virtual tour from the homepage in one click?

• Best Practice: Feature events, maps, and tours prominently on the homepage.
• Strong: Include clear links in your primary navigation.
• Acceptable: Include them in a clearly labeled secondary menu.
• Needs Improvement: Require visitors to click multiple times or search for them.

Use descriptive labels such as “Events,” “Campus Map,” “Plan a Visit,” or “Virtual Tour” so visitors immediately understand where each link leads.

2. Promote resources on relevant website pages

Place event Widgets, map embeds, and tour links on pages where audiences are already looking for related information. Consider adding them to:

• News and blog pages
• Department, group, or place pages
• Admissions and visit-planning pages
• Orientation and commencement pages
• Housing, parking, and transportation pages
• Topic pages, such as sustainability or athletics
• Seasonal campaigns and special initiatives

For example, an admissions page might include a virtual tour and campus map, while an event page might include directions, parking information, and nearby locations.

Ongoing Promotion

3. Include events, maps, and tours in newsletters

Use newsletters to promote upcoming events, highlight important destinations, or help audiences plan a visit. Depending on the newsletter, promotion could include:

• A list of upcoming events
• A link to a virtual tour
• Directions to an event location
• A featured campus destination
• A call to action directing readers to the full calendar, map, or tour

You can also encourage users to subscribe to personalized event updates through Bulletin and Digest.

4. Connect content to news and blog posts

When publishing an article or blog post, look for natural opportunities to link to related events, map locations, or tour content.

For example:

• Follow an event recap with links to similar upcoming events.
• Include a map link when announcing a new building or campus initiative.
• Link to a virtual tour in admissions and recruitment content.
• Add relevant events to articles about wellness, sustainability, or athletics.
• Include directions, accessible routes, or parking information where appropriate.

5. Create a consistent social media rhythm

Promote a mix of events, destinations, and visitor resources through social media, including:

• Major one-time events
• Recurring event series
• New or notable campus locations
• Seasonal or themed programming
• Virtual tour highlights
• Directions and arrival information
• Last-chance registration reminders

Use platform-appropriate formats such as short videos, Stories, carousels, countdowns, and interactive map links. You can also use the Event Promotion tool to share events directly from the Localist Admin Add Event form.