8 November 2024 | Ticket sales; Marketing; Strategy
Are you selling concert tickets, theme park entry tickets, or perhaps tickets to football matches? Do you want to increase your ticket sales too? Then you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive into how you, as a marketer, can boost ticket sales in five steps. Let’s go!
It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that what you’re selling is tickets. And sure, in marketing and sales, success is often measured by the number of tickets sold. But in reality, you’re not selling tickets – you’re selling experiences, emotions, and memories.
For the buyer, the ticket itself isn’t the main attraction. The ticket is merely a gateway to that concert, hockey game, or theme park visit. It grants them access to shared moments, joy, and a unique “world.”
What do your guests gain from their visit? Focus on that! Highlight the experience, not the ticket.
You’re selling: Concert tickets.
Focus on: Togetherness, the magic of live music, the arena’s atmosphere, the thrill of seeing their favorite artist live, shared energy, unforgettable moments, opening acts, and the food and drinks available at the venue.
You’re selling: Musical tickets.
Focus on: Drama, the actors’ performances and passion, the power of music, emotional impact, stage magic, fantasy worlds, nostalgia, joy, laughter, sing-alongs, and the food and drinks available on-site.
You’re selling: Football match tickets.
Focus on: Team spirit, excitement, victory celebrations, camaraderie, the electrifying atmosphere in the stands, the club’s history, pride, nail-biting moments, snacks, and beverages.
You’re selling: Theme park entry tickets.
Focus on: The thrill of rides, laughter, joy, adventure, magic for the entire family or group, roller coasters, donuts, cotton candy, ice cream, creating new memories together, mascots and characters, children’s theater, and entertainment.
Our second tip for boosting ticket sales is to segment your customers. Segmentation means dividing your customers, visitors, and recipients into different groups. It’s about understanding the specific needs and interests of various customer segments. By segmenting, you can also identify the groups most likely to convert or make larger purchases, allowing you to focus more on these high-value segments.
There are four main types of segments, and you can either concentrate on one or mix several:
Demographic segments – such as age, gender, income, occupation, and education.
Geographic segments – such as region, city, country, and climate.
Psychographic segments – such as values, attitudes, and lifestyles.
Behavioral segments – such as purchasing habits and brand loyalty.
Early birds – those who purchase tickets early.
Late birds – those who buy tickets close to the event date.
Young women – women aged 18–30.
Residents of Gothenburg – people living in Gothenburg and its surrounding areas.
VIP ticket buyers – customers who have previously purchased VIP tickets.
Newsletter subscribers – those who subscribe to your newsletters.
Loyal visitors – individuals who visit frequently.
First-time visitors – people visiting for the first time or who have only visited once.
Why should you segment your customers? In addition to gaining insights into which segments offer the best “bang for your buck”, segmentation enables you to create relevant content that truly resonates with your audience. Newsletters, email campaigns, and SMS updates should captivate and engage recipients, which requires a deep understanding of your customers, thoughtful segmentation, and targeted content.
Relevant, personalized content that speaks directly to your audience drives higher conversion rates. In other words, by segmenting your customers and tailoring your content to their needs, you can effectively boost ticket sales.
To boost ticket sales, it’s a great idea to offer tickets at various price levels. One reason is that it allows you to attract a broader audience. With multiple pricing tiers, more people can participate in your event, regardless of their budget.
Another reason is to maximize revenue. By offering both affordable standing tickets and premium VIP tickets with added perks (such as food, drinks, parking, merchandise, and other benefits), you can increase ticket sales. Guests willing to pay more for an enhanced experience help you optimize your revenue. That’s a win!
It’s also said that people are more likely to choose something when there are multiple options available – but less inclined to buy when there’s only one. This is why offering a variety of experiences and ticket types is essential. When visitors feel they’ve chosen their ticket type themselves, satisfaction increases, as does the likelihood they’ll return.
The types of tickets you should offer depend on your specific industry.
Festival: Day tickets, weekend passes, VIP tickets, group tickets, blind bird tickets, early bird tickets.
Theme park: Entry tickets, ride passes for children and adults, 2-day tickets, annual passes, family packages, express passes.
Sports organizer: Single match tickets, family packages, supporter packages, seated tickets in various sections, standing tickets, season passes, VIP packages, discounted tickets for students and seniors.
Performing arts (theater, opera, dance, concerts): Standard and premium tickets for performances, student and senior tickets, backstage passes, gold, silver, and bronze subscriptions, family packages.
Exhibitions & conferences: Day tickets, full access passes, VIP passes, exhibitor passes, group tickets for businesses, online access tickets.
Your pricing structure doesn’t need to be overly complicated. If you’re a smaller business, offering just three options can be enough to give customers the flexibility to choose what suits them best.
Another way to optimize ticket sales is through dynamic pricing, where ticket prices adjust based on demand and timing. For instance, prices might be lower during pre-sales and increase as the event date approaches.
Campaigns are an excellent strategy for boosting ticket sales! They allow you to create urgency and FOMO, attract different target audiences, and generate engagement.
Campaigns tailored to specific audiences and customer segments are particularly effective. For instance, if you have an upcoming concert in just a few days that hasn’t sold well, you could create a campaign targeting people living nearby. Those in close proximity to the venue are more likely to attend on short notice compared to those farther away.
You can also design custom campaigns for loyal customers. By offering exclusive discounts and deals to them, you strengthen customer relationships and encourage repeat visits. In short, personalized campaigns not only increase relevance but also boost ticket sales!
Time-limited campaigns tied to specific holidays, theme days, and school breaks are also highly effective. Examples include Mother’s/Father’s Day, Black Friday, winter break, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas.
It’s common to emphasize “Only X tickets left.” But think about it—why would that be a compelling reason for someone to buy? Instead, focus on what the buyer will gain from the ticket: a flavorful and spectacular dinner show, a joyful day at the park filled with thrilling rides, or perhaps an edge-of-your-seat experience at a live match. What value does your guest get from visiting you?
Our fifth and final tip is to use multiple channels to boost your ticket sales. This includes a mix of both digital and traditional channels, as well as leveraging organic and paid marketing strategies.
Using multiple channels simultaneously offers several benefits. First, you can reach a broader audience, as not everyone uses the same platforms, apps, or media. Second, the more often potential customers see your message, the higher the likelihood they’ll purchase a ticket. Finally, your brand appears more established and trustworthy when your message is visible across various channels.
Which channels should you choose? The answer is simple: the channels your target audiences use and engage with, as well as those you have the capacity to manage effectively. It’s better to excel in a few channels than to spread yourself too thin and fail to manage them properly.
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Twitch, etc.
Website: Your brand’s website, complete with blogs, articles, news, press releases, etc.
Direct marketing via email and SMS: Newsletters, informational updates, promotional campaigns, customer communication, surveys, etc.
Digital advertising platforms: Google Ads, Meta Ads, display advertising, etc.
Podcasts: Your own podcast, guest appearances on others’ podcasts, sponsored segments in popular podcasts, etc.
Online events: Webinars, virtual presentations, online conferences, etc.
Mobile apps: Your own app for (potential) customers, push notifications, etc.
Print media: Ads in newspapers and magazines, brochures, flyers, etc.
Outdoor advertising: Posters, billboards, sidewalk signs, bus and subway ads, etc.
TV: Commercial spots on TV channels, sponsored programs, etc.
Radio: Participation in radio shows, ads on radio channels, etc.
Direct mail: Catalogs, postal campaigns, etc.
Physical events: Hosting your own events, participating in trade shows, attending others’ events, sponsoring physical events, etc.
PR: Press conferences, press releases, media coverage, etc.
Don’t hesitate to nudge your customers multiple times. Often, it takes several touchpoints and reminders across different channels for a potential buyer to make a decision and purchase a ticket.