CASE STUDY: Building Excitement and Driving Attendance for the Milford Artisan Market

How an integrated PR, social media, and Facebook advertising campaign helped promote a community event that attracted 5,000 attendees over two days.

The Challenge

Promoting a large community event requires more than a few social media posts. The goal is to build awareness, reach new audiences, and generate excitement that motivates people to attend.

For the Fall Milford Artisan Market, Marketing & Event Resources coordinated a multi-channel promotional campaign to increase visibility and drive interest in the two-day event.

The Strategy

We combined three complementary marketing approaches to keep the event in front of potential attendees:

• Public Relations: Secured media coverage and event listings across regional news outlets, local publications, broadcast media, and community calendars.

• Organic Social Media: Built awareness and engagement through the Milford Artisan Market's Facebook page, sharing event-related content with existing followers and reaching new audiences.

• Targeted Facebook Advertising: Used paid promotion to expand the event's reach, encourage event responses, and drive traffic through links.

Each channel played a different role in building awareness and keeping the event top of mind in the weeks leading up to the market.

The Results:

Media Exposure Across the Region

The campaign secured coverage and event listings across regional media outlets and community calendars, including CT Insider, WTNH, the Connecticut Post, Milford Voice, Visit New Haven, and other local and regional platforms. Coverage included weekend event roundups, a WTNH feature, and a podcast interview.

Facebook Audience Growth and Engagement

For two months prior to the event, the Milford Artisan Market Facebook page delivered:

• 309,810 views
• 13,300 engagements, including reactions, comments, shares, and clicks
• 319 net new followers, bringing the page to 4,365 followers
• Nearly half of engagement-related activity came from non-followers, demonstrating the campaign’s ability to reach beyond the existing audience

Efficient, Targeted Facebook Advertising

A small $300 Facebook advertising investment delivered big results:

• 68,280 ad views
• 22,706 people reached
• 1,967 event responses
• 
  818 link clicks
• Just $0.15 per event response

The Marketing Takeaway

The strongest event campaigns don't rely on a single channel. PR builds credibility and expands visibility, organic social media sustains engagement, and targeted advertising helps put the event in front of new potential attendees.

By coordinating these efforts, Marketing & Event Resources helped the Milford Artisan Market build awareness, grow its online community, and generate measurable interest and attendance in the fall event.

Looking to build visibility for your next event, campaign, or organization? Let's connect!  jocelynm@marketing-er.com