Hosting an event — but worried no one will show up?

In this episode of Marketing from X to Z, Liz Bachman (Wildflower Social Media) and Mike Albuquerque (Bear Double) break down the fundamentals of event marketing and how to promote an event effectively so people actually attend.

Many businesses assume that if they create an event and post about it online, people will automatically show up. In reality, successful events require a clear strategy that focuses on discoverability, value, and consistent promotion.

Liz and Mike discuss why events often struggle with attendance, how to position your event so people understand the value, and the specific platforms and marketing tactics that help drive event registrations and real attendance.

If you're planning a networking event, workshop, seminar, or community gathering, this episode will help you understand how to market an event, fill the room, and create a stronger impact for your business or organization.

1. Why it’s so difficult to get people to attend events
2. The biggest mistake businesses make when marketing an event
3. Why the “What’s in it for them?” message matters more than the event itself
4. The real risks of poorly attended events for your brand
5. What assets you should prepare before promoting your event
6. Why Eventbrite can improve event discoverability
7. When to create Facebook events, LinkedIn events, and website pages
8. How Meta advertising can drive event registrations
9. Using speaker promotion and social media collaboration
10. How email marketing increases event attendance
11. Leveraging local publications, event calendars, and community listings

Successful event marketing isn’t about announcing your event.

It’s about clearly communicating why someone should give you their time and using the right combination of platforms—like Eventbrite, social media, email marketing, and advertising—to help people discover and commit to attending.

If you’re trying to grow your business, build community, or generate leads through events, this episode will help you create a stronger event marketing strategy.

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Episode Summary

TikTok has officially been sold, and the short-form video landscape is shifting. In this episode, Liz and Mike walk through what the sale means for everyday users, content creators, and small business owners — covering everything from algorithm changes to data privacy concerns and what platforms you should have on your radar.

Key Takeaways

1. TikTok's algorithm is being retrained on American user data, which will cause a period of instability — Expect glitches before things stabilize.
2. The new privacy policy grants TikTok broad rights to collect sensitive user data (including age, gender, health, religion, and immigration status) and to use content — even unpublished drafts — for their own purposes. Read it and decide your comfort level.
3. The Twitter/X sale offers a cautionary tale: rapid ownership changes, mass layoffs, a shift to pay-to-play discoverability, and a toxic atmosphere that drove millions of users off the platform.
4. Diversify now if TikTok is your only platform. At minimum, start reposting content to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels to build a presence elsewhere.
5. Smaller platforms like Upscrolled (growing fast) and Skylight Social (decentralized) are worth keeping an eye on for early-mover advantage.
6. SEO on TikTok is going to matter more than ever as the algorithm relearns its audience — make it easy for the platform to know what your content is about.
7. People won't stop consuming short-form content. The question is just where they'll do it.

Platforms Mentioned

1. TikTok / TikTok US
2. YouTube Shorts
3. Instagram Reels / Facebook Reels
4. Threads
5. X (formerly Twitter)
6. Bluesky
7. Mastodon
8. Upscrolled
9. Skylight Social

Connect with Us

1. Liz Bachmann: Wildflower Social Media
2. Mike Albuquerque: Bear Double

In this episode of Marketing From X to Z, Mike and Liz reflect on the marketing strategies and tactics that actually worked in 2025 — and why they mattered. From scalable website builds to serialized social content, email newsletters, paid ads, and hyper-local SEO, this conversation focuses on practical approaches that delivered real results for small businesses.

Rather than chasing every new trend, this episode breaks down how intentional structure, clear perspective, and smart reuse of content helped drive growth across multiple channels.

Lower-barrier website strategies

1. How entry-level, stackable websites helped small businesses establish a professional digital presence without waiting until everything was “perfect.”

Serialized social media content

1. Why short, intentional content series (instead of one-off posts) improved engagement and helped guide audiences through a narrative.

Using your website beyond conversion

1. How websites can support sales teams and operations through private pages, asset libraries, and non-indexed content built specifically for the sales process.

Email newsletters that actually drive conversations

1. How value-focused newsletters led to re-engagement, replies, and new opportunities—without sounding salesy.

Building content to be repurposed from the start

1. Why creating long-form content with reuse in mind made it easier to generate blogs, emails, social posts, and training materials from a single source.

Meta advertising experiments that paid off

1. A look at instant-form lead ads, paid lead magnets, and how reducing friction improved conversion and follow-up opportunities.

Hyper-local marketing and SEO

1. How focusing on specific neighborhoods and localized perspectives helped businesses stand out in crowded industries.

The importance of perspective in marketing

1. Why clearly stating what you believe, how you work, and what you won’t compromise on became a key differentiator—especially in competitive markets.

Key takeaway

You don’t need to do everything to market effectively—but you do need clarity. The strategies that worked best in 2025 were rooted in strong perspective, intentional structure, and making marketing assets work harder across channels.

If you’re deciding where to focus next, start by identifying what makes your approach different—and build from there.