The ticket sales for events isn't getting easier. Competition from free events, conferences, ... is serious.
Are your ticket sales more or less below expectations? How about trying these 5 ways to give the ticket sales a last-minute boost.
1. Google Adwords
Do you need a quick push? Try investing in Google Adwords. Make sure you've got a very specific selection of keywords and limit your geographic range. People don't like to travel that much.
2. Social ads
Advertising on social networks works. Select those social networks where your potential audience is located. Are you organising a concert? Try Facebook (you should definitely also try out the extensive targeting options!). Are you facing a product launch? Then use Twitter. Is it a business congress? Then you should try LinkedIn, for example. If you want to boost your ticket sales, then develop a landing page to stimulate the conversion of the generated impressions. Advertising on social networks is simpler and easier than Google Adwords.
3. Email marketing
If you do not possess a good email marketing strategy, this may be one of the reasons your ticket sales are disappointing. After all, email is still a very important tool for ticket sales. If you sufficiently implement email marketing, then now is the time to evaluate your campaign using for instance Google Analytics. If you don't have an email machine, then use tools like Mailchimp or EmailGarage, two high-performance tools for a successful email campaign. Try thinking of commercially attractive offers that help you sell more. Be careful giving out discounts. This may well annoy people who have already bought a ticket. Try offering some extras to stimulate the sales. A 'Bring a friend' offering for existing customers is often a good tactic in order to sell more tickets.
4. Find bloggers as partners
Make a list with the most relevant bloggers in your interest range. Give bloggers who promote your event a nice fee on the sales that come in via their blog, or invite them for free to your event. Make sure you contact bloggers one by one. Don't send standard messages to loads of bloggers. This will offend them. Take the time to read their blog and to get to know them by reading the 'About' page. Contact every blogger separately in the way they indicate on their blog, for instance by filling in their contact form. It is better to send him or her the question that way than by sending a question to their private email address. If the blogger has a Twitter account, you should also follow them on Twitter. That often works.
5. Book an amazing guest last-minute
Most of the time we are willing to pay for an event to see a true star performing. If you are organising a congress, try and see if it's not worth the trouble booking that keynote speaker. Use this feat in your next email campaign. People just might be prepared to pay for that keynote speaker. If you're dealing with a concert, then you should invite a guest singer. If the issue is a product launch, invite a VIP who enthusiastically Twitters about his participation to your event and thereby also incites others to come.
Conclusion
These five ways are proven tactics to give your failing ticket sales a real boost. Be sure, however, that from now on you integrate them into your marketing strategy.
