Automate these 7 occasion advertising and marketing emails to skyrocket ticket gross sales

E-mail is likely one of the most essential instruments in your event marketing toolbox. Straightforward to create and ultra-affordable, e mail makes it simple to advertise your occasion to tens of hundreds of individuals with a single click on.

Occasion advertising and marketing is even simpler while you make the most of e mail automation, which lets you schedule a sequence of emails upfront and frees your time to deal with different advertising and marketing efforts. Make your subsequent occasion successful by automating the next seven emails designed to spice up attendance and drive ticket gross sales.

1. Occasion invites

Start your e mail sequence with an invite to your occasion. Your invitation emails ought to create pleasure. Ask your self:

• How is your occasion related to your viewers?
• Why ought to they attend? What advantages will they get, and what expertise can they anticipate?
• The place can they study extra?
• How can they register?

Frequent sense says your occasion invites (and all of your occasion emails) should embrace the title, date, time and placement in addition to your occasion brand. However go the additional mile by telling your viewers what’s in it for them. 

2. Early chicken reductions and incentives

What are you able to provide to individuals who register early? A reduction or freebie could be a highly effective incentive that additionally helps you identify what number of attendees you could plan for. Concepts embrace:

• A reduction on occasion tickets bought earlier than a deadline
• A sequence of tiered reductions main as much as the occasion
• A freebie in the event that they join by a sure date, comparable to a T-shirt 
• VIP seating or lodging
• First dibs on the official occasion resort
• Most well-liked parking or a free parking move
• Backstage passes
• Food and drinks vouchers

Undecided which provide will inspire your viewers? Take into account A/B break up testing in opposition to small segments of your listing to see which will get the best response. Then, ship that supply to your bigger listing.

3. Referral requests

Occasions are extra enjoyable with associates, so embrace referral requests as a part of your e mail sequence. You’ll be able to ship emails that:

• Ask registered attendees to ask associates, and provide an incentive for each good friend who registers
• Provide particular incentives to teams of three or extra to encourage a number of ticket gross sales
• Promote an in-event contest, comparable to finest group T-shirt or costume
• Provide resort room reductions for multi-room bookings
• Provide free or low cost parking for automobiles with three or extra individuals
• Give attendees a social hyperlink to simply share and invite their associates
• Encourage attendees to ahead your e mail invite to their contacts

Remind your viewers how a lot they’ll take pleasure in your occasion if they bring about associates alongside, and you may simply double or triple your ticket gross sales.

4. Group gross sales emails

Use e mail to advertise group gross sales and earn a large spike in ticket gross sales. Concepts embrace emails that:

• Ask your viewers to share your occasion with their teams, comparable to nonprofits, church teams, golf equipment, sports activities groups, colleges, Fb teams, neighborhood organizations and every other group they’re a part of
• Provide group reductions and incentives comparable to reserved seating so teams can sit collectively
• Provide particular incentives for nonprofit teams, comparable to a portion of ticket gross sales donated to a given trigger
• Promote a charity that teams will probably be concerned about supporting: They get to contribute and have a good time doing it

Take into account which varieties of teams are prone to be concerned about your occasion. Then, assist them see why attending your occasion is a good suggestion for his or her group.

5. Occasion newsletters and bulletins

Ship common e mail updates to maintain your viewers and excited. Concepts embrace:

• Leisure bulletins: Inform your viewers who will probably be performing as you ink contracts
• Meals and vendor bulletins: What treats can they take pleasure in at your occasion? Which distributors provide on-site buying?
• Out there experiences: Will your occasion have video games, contests, obstacles and different experiences attendees can take part in?
• Useful ideas: How can they get in early? The place ought to they park? What are the very best instructions? The place are the very best seats?
• Occasion schedule: Make it simple for attendees to print a schedule to maintain of their pockets

Use e mail newsletters and bulletins to repeatedly create buzz round your occasion and enhance registrations because the date attracts close to.

6. Social shares

Use e mail to ask your viewers to share your occasions on Fb, Twitter, Instagram and different social accounts. A easy request can work, however you would possibly get higher outcomes if:

• You connect your e mail to a contest; for instance, promote a photograph contest previous to the occasion and let others decide the winners on social media
• You provide a particular incentive for sharing your occasion, particularly if these shares result in ticket gross sales
• Your occasion helps a trigger, remind your viewers about your occasion’s affect and counsel social sharing as a easy means they may help

Don’t underestimate the ability of social media for occasion promotion or the power of e mail to drive social shares.

7. Product gross sales

Providing cool swag at your occasion? Let your attendees get it early with emails that promote product gross sales. Concepts embrace:

• T-shirts, hats and different attire
• Wristbands or occasion bracelets
• Sun shades
• Drinkware comparable to tumblers, water bottles and low mugs
• Flying discs
• Umbrellas
• Tote baggage

Even higher, create an official occasion swag bag full of the requirements attendees must “survive” your occasion. Promote it as an add-on to ticket gross sales or provide it as an early registration incentive.

Get even higher outcomes with superior occasion e mail automation

These seven varieties of event emails are an excellent begin for occasion promotion, however you possibly can take your advertising and marketing a step additional with superior automation. For instance, you possibly can:

• Robotically section registrants into new lists and automate emails that target referrals and product gross sales
• Robotically section your viewers by demographics and promote distinctive promoting factors by section; for instance, you possibly can promote the charitable trigger your occasion helps or the leisure worth of your occasion
• Robotically section VIP ticket holders from normal registrants and automate completely different emails in response to the experiences they’ll have — and promote distinctive upsells related to every viewers

Bear in mind, the extra your emails converse to your viewers, the extra probably they’re to reply, share and register. Superior automation can maximize ticket gross sales on your occasion.

Increase your e mail advertising and marketing with social automation

E-mail isn’t the one occasion advertising and marketing platform you possibly can automate. Increase your e mail promotions with social posts scheduled to coincide along with your emails. Doing so gives a number of advantages, together with:

• Multi-channel advertising and marketing and repetition that influences registrations
• Social proof when your viewers likes and shares your occasion
• “Set it and overlook it” simplicity while you schedule your posts forward of time
• The flexibility to focus your efforts on new occasion advertising and marketing alternatives because the occasion attracts close to

E-mail and social automation are highly effective occasion advertising and marketing instruments which are confirmed to extend occasion attendance and increase ticket gross sales. Leverage the ability of automation to make your subsequent occasion a roaring success.

© 2019, Brian Morris. All rights reserved.

Brian is a contract author who has contributed articles to VerticalResponse and its companions Deluxe and PsPrint.