It’s safe to say that as soon as we wake up – we’re marketed to. Ads ring through our morning podcasts, flit by on lunchtime scroll breaks, and surround us on evening commutes. Marketing and social media have revolutionized how we consume information in a way we never thought possible pre-algorithm. But in an age with so much social saturation and hyper-dependence on gathering knowledge from our devices — how can we break through and reach our audience in a meaningful way? How can we sell tickets online and host a successful event?
When we boil it down to the basics – the bread and butter of any ticketing system is ensuring that your team has the tools to effectively sell tickets online. Ticketstripe is here to help with the ticket sales and the marketing. Not only is our ticketing platform the easiest one you’ll ever use to sell tickets online, we’ve researched, analyzed, and compiled 7 of the best event marketing practices that are sure to make a splash with spectators everywhere. Read on to learn more.
1. Assess Where You’re At
Grab some paper and a pen to create a quick-and-dirty marketing plan for your business. Sketch out your current marketing strategy to identify your blind spots and areas of expertise. Are you struggling with social media but excel with print and radio ads? Maybe you have dedicated patrons that have been attending your events for years but grapple with expanding your audience? Determine where you want to invest or outsource and what you’re comfortable continuing to craft yourself. Take advantage of freelancer sites like Upwork and Fiverr to round out your team and address any oversights.
2. Identify Your Audience
Take some time to think about your target audience. Who do you want to reach? How do they align with your company brand and style of events? While it’s important to not stereotype (as society is breaking more clichés than ever before!), it is incredibly helpful to notice patterns in your event-goers. Is your audience more likely to engage with an email campaign or a string of TikToks? What perks will most likely help boost your ideal patronage? What are your viewers’/attendees’ values and is your company currently reflecting them?
Once your business has mused on all of these questions, you’ll have built a comprehensive outline of your customers and will be able to tailor your marketing, aesthetic, and overall experience with those in mind. If your audience feels seen, heard, and excited by your event they’ll be more likely to recall the experience, expand your network, and come back time and again!
3. Social Marketing
As previously mentioned, social marketing has transformed the way that we interact with the world. Schedule time to ensure that your team’s social media presence is thoughtful, engaging, and up-to-date with current projects and events. Take advantage of the benefits of social media by reaching out to other brands that share your nonprofit’s ethics or general vision. Collaborating with brands that correlate to your event and speak to your target audience is a sure-fire way to increase your patronage. We encourage you to reach out to your dream collaborations and local businesses to uplift one another. Be sure to link your event page in your channels to drive traffic back to your event or website.
4. Have a Powerful Message
Our emotions dictate our experience as we move through daily life. Dedicate time to ensure your marketing creates a positive emotional experience that will bring your audience back time and again. How can we do this? Make sure your message matches your mission. What are your company’s ethics? What causes are you most passionate about? You will create bonds with your patrons when you’re open about what inspires you. Emotional content that strikes a chord with your reader will not only invite them to the conversation but encourage them to stay. Curious to learn more? Take a look at our blog post that addresses the power of emotional nuances in marketing.
5. Perks
Entice your patrons by offering a variety of tickets and benefits that come with the price of admission. With Ticketstripe there is no limit to the ticket types you can create. Discounted tickets are always a strong sell, but up the ante with additional bonuses like food and drink with admission, early-bird, and last-minute offers, in addition to complimentary merchandise. Those extras are not only a wonderful way to build lasting patron relationships, but also encourage audiences to document their time at your event and stay top of mind.
6. Think Short Term
In tandem with perks, think about how you can best improve your audience’s experience. Offer on-site activities that draw in your customer and keep your event top of mind moving forward. Phot booths, interactive games, and art installations are great starting ideas. What are some games or crafts that fit the world of your event? Take those into account to start planning your ideal event experience.
7. Think Long Term
Be sure to follow up with your event goers after the event. What did they love? What do they wish might have been different? Creating a short digital questionnaire is always great to receive feedback on what to keep in mind when planning your next event. Keep your finger on the pulse of current live and online events through various social media channels to see what is possible, and note what steps you can take to implement those ideas.
We hope our advice will help you confidently launch your event page and sell tickets online for this and many future events. Curious to learn more? Connect with us to discuss how to improve your online ticket sales using Ticketstripe’s unique platform and its suite of features — or visit our other blogs to discover some more tips for a successful event.
We can’t wait to see your online ticket sales soar, and watch as you create meaningful, electrifying events.
Toasting to the future of your organization!
