It’s no surprise that COVID-19 impacted performing arts ticket sales in a big way. One study found that US box office sales dropped a whopping 86 percent in 2020! As organizations find their way back from the pandemic and other pressures impacting the industry, the big question remains: how can you increase ticket sales?
Selling more tickets is all about knowing your prospects and how to reach them. Here are a few tips to improve your ticket sales, post-pandemic and beyond.
Sell Tickets When Your Patrons Are “Hot”
To sell tickets, you have to advertise to your audience, where they are. And what better place than when they are sitting in your seats! Just like the candy at the checkout lane, tickets to upcoming performances can be treated somewhat like impulse buys. Especially if they are enjoying the performance that they’re at. The key is to treat your digital program book as another avenue for connection with your patrons, just as you try to connect with them via other marketing channels.
Knowing the full power of your digital program book and engaging with your patrons in a meaningful way such as why they should come to an upcoming event is sure to create that impulse purchase!
Create Scarcity
Nobody wants to miss out on a great opportunity! Be truthful about the scarcity of your tickets while considering options to encourage these limited-time buys. A few VIP seats or add-on packages with low availability can do wonders for ticket sales and then promoting these accordingly. And this is super simple to do when using the right digital program book platform!
Targeted Ticket Sales
Even counting these tumultuous pandemic years, online ticket sales are on the rise. Research shows average industry growth of over 10 percent in the last five years. It highlights how people are inclined to buy tickets online rather than over the phone or on-site because online shopping is quick and convenient.
The online ticketing system also offers an important sales tactic: a personalized approach. In today’s digital world, patrons expect their arts organization to have a good idea of what they want, well in advance. Your performing arts organization can increase ticket sales with personalization if you have the right data.
By being able to segment your audience with text message keywords, a system like Audience Access is a good start, providing your company with audience data and contact information. The next time you have an event or performance that suits their interests, you can easily put the opportunity to them using personalized information previously collected through text message keywords. With access to mobile numbers and prior orders — even behavior like service icon clicks (when set up in Audience Access)— you can tailor your offering to create something irresistible.
Audience Access is more than just a digital program book. It can help you sell more tickets and help you make the most of the tickets you have already sold. With features ranging from ticket integration and surveys to flash polls and texting-to-donate, you can get it all done with Audience Access.
Create an account today to get started. Whether your performances are virtual or in-person, you are sure to see the benefits of this user-friendly, cost-effective digital program book system!
