Some Tactics to Sell More Event Tickets Today…
Ultimately it’s up to you to make your event a success. In this article, we share some ideas to kick-start the ticket campaign!
In truth, it’s up to you to make your event a success. And that includes driving event ticket sales right from the start of your campaign…
Around 40% of salespeople (including marketers selling event tickets) think finding new prospects is the most difficult part of their job.
And another 36% of those surveyed said that actually making the sale is even harder. Modern event ticket sales strategies have a lot to teach marketers about how to improve sales.
When should you start selling tickets online?
You should begin event ticket sales ASAP. More independent than ever, today’s consumers have become savvy shoppers, seeking out information about a product or event as soon as it becomes available.
In fact, 19% of buyers want to connect with an event brand right when they first learn about it. And once they’ve done their own research, checked in with their network, and reviewed your online presence, in a few short hours they’re ready to make their purchase to your show.
This means you have to have your ticketing up and ready to go when you first announce your event.
How to increase event ticket sales:
1. Sell tickets on mobile:
Last year, an estimated 1.8 billion people made purchases online. And as of the first quarter of 2019, smartphones were ranked #1 as the device most used for digital shopping globally.
So in addition to having a regular ticketing site, make sure you have an event ticket sales presence on mobile through an app or a mobile-friendly website.
But if you’re just getting started, make sure your ticketing software can accurately register sales made through all of your available channels in real-time. That way you’ll prevent unnecessary problems (like selling out on mobile but not on the desktop).
2. Create scarcity — (but use it sparingly).
Inc.com says scarcity is one of the most important tactics you can use to fuel sales. As long as you’re truthful about your claims (like only having 5 VIP tickets left), scarcity marketing can boost sales by as much as 226%.
The two main categories of scarcity for online ticket sales include:
- Quantity. Whether it’s a limited number of seats, VIP packages, or add-on experiences, keeping availability low will persuade those who are on the fence to buy now instead of waiting. Examples of quantity scarcity for event ticket sales include limited early bird tickets for conferences and first-row seating at live shows.
- To drive this point home with site visitors, add tickers that display how many tickets are left in real time. You can also flip it and show how many tickets have already been purchased if you want to enact a little FOMO (a tactic that is especially effective with 60% of Millennials).
- Time. If your event ticket website visitors have all the time in the world to make up their minds, they’re less likely to convert.
3. Start a referral program.
If your ticket sales are not great, it might mean you’re like the majority of salespeople who aren’t getting in front of enough prospects.
While there is no hard and fast rule regarding how many leads it takes on average to make a sale…
92% of survey respondents trusted customer referrals if they were given by people they personally know. And people who received these personal referrals were 4 times more likely to buy after getting the recommendation.
4. Use an email campaign(s):
Companies that use email campaigns see an increase in sales by 20%, on average. Nurturing leads through a series of automated and well-timed messages is a great long-term strategy because prospects have interacted with your brand over a period of time.
So if you’re hosting an industry-wide conference or event, using email campaigns is a great way to sell out faster and more efficiently. Use contacts like attendees from past events, and prospects sourced by your sales department.
5. Share on social media:
Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Check out our Instagram page! How often have you seen or heard these calls to action (CTAs) in the last few years?
Probably enough to the point where you’ve tuned it out. Setting up a Facebook page and blanket sharing your blog updates is a pointless endeavour if you don’t have an audience. Reposting a tweet to your Instagram profile won’t transfer over well (it’s a visual platform).
The point is that to win at social media, you have to put in the effort to understand each network’s quirks and implement a well-thought-out strategy for your brand, event or seminar…
By Pete Moore — Seamless Entertainment
