Event Promotion
The Office of Communications can help you promote your events in print, on the web and via social media.
Who We Are
For campus calendar assistance
For social media assistance
For print collateral assistance
What We Do
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Help promote your events in print, on the web and via social media
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Provide strategic support and guidance for promoting your events
- Manage the Brandeis Campus Calendar
How to Reach Us
Three Things to Remember
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Coordination before communication. Before beginning any promotional efforts, you should contact University Events for assistance with your event planning needs.
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Don't forget student media. The Justice and The Hoot have wide readership among not only students, but also faculty and staff.
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Keep the "current" in current events. Don't let old events languish on your website. Keep your information up to date.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Our Integrated Design team is available to consult with you about your project. To start the process, please complete an Integrated Design project proposal form. In some instances, we may be able to create your materials ourselves, and if not, we can guide you to other resources, such as design templates and tutorials or the assistance of freelancer vendors. There are no extra charges when collaborating with Integrated Design for copyediting, writing and design. When working with freelancers, additional fees will apply and vary depending upon the scope of the project; you should request an estimate for possible costs directly from the vendor.
Anyone producing or sponsoring an event that might merit photographic coverage should complete the Photo Proposal form. Decisions about which events to cover are made by the Office of Communications based on the uniqueness and newsworthiness of the event and the potential it presents for striking Brandeis images that can be used to support the university's broader communications and marketing efforts. The earlier we know about your event the better. If we cannot photograph your event, we can help you select a freelancer at your own expense. We suggest you contact them at least two weeks before your event.
Include all relevant information: event title, date/time, location, speaker bio/link and a brief, engaging description. This information is the most accessible (and searchable) when it is text on a web page; you do not need to post a PDF or image of a poster/invitation. Providing an interesting title and background information on the speaker/performer will help generate interest as well. Check out a few examples we've compiled.
Once your event location is reserved and details of the event are confirmed, submit a calendar request via our online event submission form. Your request should be made at least two weeks — but no less than five business days — prior to the event. Please note: an event being published to the calendar does not reserve the location.
Review Campus Calendar Policy and Procedures
Featured events are listed on Brandeis Stories, in the BrandeisNOW newsletter and on the Brandeis homepage. Decisions about which events are listed as featured events are made by the Office of Communications. Featured events tend to be large-scale events that are of interest to a large section of the Brandeis community (and/or the general public), events on timely topics or events with high-profile speakers.
As a rule, no. The university's broadcast email system only promotes events sponsored by the Office of the President. Instead, we recommend using your individual school or department address lists, mailing lists, social media channel or listservs to publicize your events.
The main Brandeis University social media channels reach a broad array of audiences. While event promotion is not a core part of our social communications, we offer a few ways to help elevate your events to a broader audience and drive traffic back to your social media channels. You can share event information with us for inclusion in our weekly Instagram stories on Sunday evenings, to potentially partner with us for Instagram takeovers or to create Facebook events. Please email the social media team to share event information as early as possible or if you have questions.
We offer several tips for promoting events on your own social media challenges. Here are a few:
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Create a Facebook event and invite faculty, student leaders and participants to join the event and share with their peers.
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Design appropriately sized and high-contrast graphics. Canva offers both free and paid versions of their cloud-based graphic-editing program that is easy to use.
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Use #Brandeis on Twitter and Instagram, and make sure to geotag @BrandeisUniversity on Instagram.
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Share more than once in different ways. Don't be afraid to remind your audiences about upcoming events!
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Partner with cosponsors or other departments on campus to reach out to their audiences on social media.
We encourage you to promote your events with campus and local media. On campus, touch base with The Justice and The Brandeis Hoot; both publications publicize events and accept event advertising. To cast a wider net, consider promoting events that are open to the public on Boston.com and Waltham wickedlocal.com, the online face of the Waltham News Tribune. Each outlet sets its own deadlines. But as a rule, try to submit your information at least two to three weeks prior to the event.
Brandeis Stories determines its event coverage on a case-by-case basis. If you believe your event is of interest to a wide audience and highlights the strengths of the university, email news@brandeis.edu at least a week prior to the event.
The Brandeis Hoot
The Justice
If you cancel and event for any reason, notify all of the media outlets you initially contacted to promote the event, including calendar@brandeis.edu. Cancellation requests to the Brandeis Campus Calendar will be processed within 24 hours, whenever possible.
- Email calendar@brandeis.edu with questions about the campus calendar.
- Contact one of the staff listed above directly with other questions.