Understanding Your Audience One of the factors for effective ticket sales at an upcoming event is tapping into what it is that you need to provide to engage potential ticket buyers. This means outlining a strategy, aka, a plan of action. With any type of event, your goal is to get people interested and attend your event, which is step one, and then guide them easily through the event information to the final step of purchasing a ticket(s). There are several benefits with a strategic plan in place. These include: Keeps everyone involved focused on the event at hand. With focus comes better efficiency. Promotes smoother operation to get the event up and running in a timely manner, so tickets are available sooner rather than later. Creating a Compelling Event Page Essential Elements of an Event Page It’s in the way that you see it and read it that can make or break the success of an event page. Keep in mind that the words used to create the page “speak volumes”. 1. Event Description Describing the event must be creative to promote interest and excitement. In other words, the event page needs to send a message that grabs and holds the attention of the reader using the right words and tone. Create a visual picture of the event in the reader’s mind’s eye and avoid a page of what would be considered empty words. 2. Images “A picture is worth 1000 words” is a good rule to follow. when promoting an event page. Use professional photos that are clear and sharp, high-quality, and eye-catching. The subject of the images should be clearly in sync with the theme of the event. 3. Navigation While the right words that send a precise, informative, and entertaining message to the reader are crucial, the adage, “actions speak louder than words” is equally important. With this in mind, keep the layout of the information on the page easy to navigate. Once the event page is accessed, navigating around the page(s) should not be confusing. Keeping a smooth flow from one section to another supports user-friendly navigation. In other words, the less a user must move around a page to find what they’re interested in knowing is the goal. SEO Best Practices for Event Pages While the content on the event page needs to be informative, it also needs to grab and hold the attention of the reader to keep them interested and buy a ticket. 1. Keywords People searching for information want to find it easily when they type their information into the search bar. The search terms may be direct or creative. When creating the pages for the event, you want all the content to be search engine optimized (SEO) to pick up on the various search strings, which could be single or multiple/words or phrases. When a user enters the search term and the search page is displayed, depending on how the website is ranked based on best SEO usage, it determines its place on a page. The better the pages are optimized for SEO, the higher the event will be among the displayed pages for users to access. To help find specific keywords for the event that rank high as a popular search term, use one of the available online SEO tools, such as SEMrush, Clearscope, Google Trends, and many more. 2. Meta Descriptions and Title Tags Meta descriptions have a direct effect on how your event site ranks on the search engine results page (SERPS). When a user enters a search query, the search page is the response to that query. A title tag is important as it should convey what the user will access once they click the title. Make the title catchy to get the searcher interested enough to click through to the event site. The title tag is located above the meta description on the search results page. 3. Mobile Friendliness Mobile use is part of everyday life with millions of users using their devices to access information. To ensure traffic to the event, the website or ticketing platform must be optimized to be mobile-friendly to accommodate small screens. This means the site must be easy to access, the pages load quickly, content has appropriate fonts that are clear to read, and the page is void of pop-ups. Drawing traffic from those who rely on their phone for internet access to the event page can significantly boost ticket sales. Pricing Strategies When it comes to pricing, you don’t want to undercharge or overcharge. Instead, you’ll want to find the ideal median and set a fair price without compromising potential profits. This entails creating a pricing strategy. Setting the Right Price If the ticket price is set too low, any profits made may do nothing more than replenish the coffers after paying all costs involved with the initial investment in the event. Costs may include venue rental, supplies, catering, hired help, ticketing platform usage, etc., so you end up breaking even. The worst-case scenario is the ticket sales don’t cover the out-of-pocket expenses of the set-up and operation of the event, which means a loss versus a profit. Overcharging may seem like a profitable way to go, but you run the risk of losing potential eventgoers because the ticket price is too high. Competitive Analysis How to sell tickets to an event successfully begins with determining the appropriate price. Several factors to consider include: Know your competitors and create a profile for each one. Research the market to get an idea of what other venues are charging. Evaluate the marketing strategy of event competitors. Factor in the value your event provides compared to competitors. Offering Discounts and Promotions Most everyone appreciates a deal, and that includes an event. When determining the base price for tickets, factor in discounts, such as early bird pricing, group discounts, senior discounts, student discounts, military discounts, etc. For those who feel the ticket price is too high, offering a discount serves as an incentive, which can help sway the person to buy a ticket. Without any incentive, the potential ticket purchaser has no choice other than to leave the page. Choosing the Right Ticketing Platform Choosing the right ticketing platform is another option for how to sell event tickets online versus setting up a dedicated website. Features to Look for in a Ticketing Platform Today’s world is fast-moving with the expectation that requested information online will be immediate and without any hoops and loops or delays. Choosing a platform that is user friendly from accessing the site, and reading pertinent information about the event to checking ticket availability and purchasing the tickets should be a smooth process. Security Features First and foremost is the security features provided by the ticketing platform. These include: The platform has the appropriate protocols and encryption software to ensure secure transactions. User information that involves payment information is secure. Performs regular updates and audits of the security features. The site has fraud protection. Marketing Your Event A vital piece necessary to successful selling of event tickets is marketing, which goes hand in hand with strategy. Building a Marketing Plan Creating a marketing plan is as important as creating a strategic plan. The two go hand-hand-hand. Utilizing Social Media Whether it’s Facebook Tik Tok, or Instagram, making an event’s presence known on these websites is another way to bring the event to the forefront where it can be commented on and shared among an unlimited number of social media enthusiasts. On the event website or platform, there should be links to the social media sites. On the social media sites, a link to the event’s website is included so interested parties can find out more about the event, register, and order tickets. Email Lists It is possible in the US to buy email lists from companies dedicated to creating consumer and business lists. Be sure to check any regulations in place prior to launching the email campaign. Email Marketing Create a marketing strategy. Focus on your target audience. Set a schedule of when emails are being sent. Create a subject line to catch the reader’s attention. Keep the email short, sweet, and to the point. Collecting and Implementing Feedback Take what you learn from the current event to use for the next one. This includes both the positive and negative input provided via email, online reviews, and comments made on social media sites. Conclusion Mapping out a plan of action to boost ticket sales can guide you through each step leading to success. Each of the steps from strategy, marketing, and utilizing analytics to page creation and feedback are the “essentials” to count on. Consider each of these essentials as building blocks to boost ticket sales when setting up an event designed to draw traffic to your event page.