For event planning companies to have the ability to sell every single ticket to an event is both a goal and a stressor. If you’re an event professional, you know what we’re talking about here.
You’ve probably researched and tried every promotional tactic in the playbook, but now it’s time to get crafty.
Here are some of the more creative marketing ideas for event planning companies who want their ticket sales to skyrocket.
Creative Marketing Ideas for Event Planning Companies
1. The benefits of using event discovery sites
Over time people have begun relying on neighborhood guides to plan out their weekend and holiday activities. That being said, it would be wise for you to look up a variety of neighborhood guides to get your event listed. If you’re using a ticketing platform such as Eventbrite, more times than not, they are partnered with the top discovery sites and will be more than willing to list your event.
If you’re not sure what we mean by discovery sites, we’re talking about websites and apps like Mommy Poppins, Time Out NY, and NYC Go that usually have sectors like “what to do in NYC this weekend.”
For event planning companies who are working on larger events like a concert for a popular band, you’ll want to use discovery sites like Bandsintown, Eventful, Spotify, and Facebook Events to attract people with that type of event in mind.
2. Creating direct links to buy event tickets
Once event planning companies have listed their event on event discovery sites, make it easier for prospects to buy tickets without having to leave the page. For example, The Event Planner Expo uses Eventbrite each year to sell tickets to their audience. Creating links on the discovery sites that lead event-goers to buying their ticket in just a click of a keyword will streamline their customer experience. Using this marketing technique will eliminate the risk of ticket-buyers having to Google where to buy tickets to your event or eliminate the possibility of their A.D.D. kicking in. Next thing you know, they’ve become too distracted and forget to go on a hunt for tickets to your event.
Also, event planning companies that sell tickets using the Facebook Events platform average a drive of 2X more of free registrations and ticket sales than event planning companies who embed links that redirect prospects to a ticketing page.
3. Position your content marketing as an influencer
When it comes to your content marketing efforts — blog posts, website copy, social media marketing — it’s very easy to lean towards the low-end of the scale: search engine optimization (SEO). But fluffing up your copy with keywords isn’t always the best method for your end goal, for your attendance results, or for SEO.
As an alternative, produce thoughtful content that places your event brand as an influencer, a site people turn to for insightful info. The more your target audience trusts your brand, the more likely they will be to share our your event and buy tickets.
4. Create amazing infographic material
One of the more operative ways to get your content shared on social media platforms? Visually appealing infographics that syndicate data with entertainment.
The more people you can get to share your content online, the more event-goers will notice your event. Which is excellent news, because 10-20% of ticket sales usually come from a post on social media.
5. Launch a YouTube channel
Speaking of the power of search engines, did you know YouTube ranks as the second-largest search engine in the world (It should come of no surprise that they’re 2nd to Google, who happens to own YouTube)?
Through YouTube Live, you can benefit of the existing craze for live video, by broadcasting about your upcoming event in real-time for your target audience. But what should you film about? Well, there’s a ton of creative event promotion ideas for event planning companies to use like airing sneak peeks, introductions to sponsors and speakers, event insight that demonstrates what attendees will gain, or helpful tips about how to get the most out of the event.
Conclusion
While the above-listed marketing methods will work great for event planning companies who are looking to sell out their next event, this is only a fraction of creative tactics that can be used. We’d love to hear about some of the exciting strategies event professionals are using out there (that actually work)! Feel free to drop a comment below and share your most effective ways to market events!
