From “Interested” to “Going”: How to Turn Facebook Responses into Event Ticket Sales

68% of Americans use Facebook. Facebook is the most diverse social media platform.

You can connect with other family, friends, and industry professionals. If you’re using Facebook for business, you can promote your business and your business events.

But many event marketers experience an issue with Facebook events — the dreaded “interested” button. Instead of buying a ticket, invitees will select they’re “interested” without the promise of making that ticket sale.

How do you turn these “interested” guests into attendees? Fortunately, it’s easy and cheap! Here’s how to use Facebook events the right way and to sell more event tickets.

Use Data

Maybe the reason why your invitees are hitting the “interested” button is you’re not inviting the right people.

Maybe they’re enticed by the event and may attend, which is why they only say they’re interested. Or maybe they just don’t understand the event and why they’re invited.

Only invite those you know will attend. You can find these people by using data. Take a look at your previous events and identify who attended previous events. From here, find qualities that explain why your event interested them.

For example, let’s say you’re hosting a conference. If your Facebook consists of old friends from high school, they may not be interested in your business conference.

Research your past conference attendees and other business professionals. Add them on Facebook. This will help you create a digital community for event promotion.

Sell Tickets Directly on the Facebook Event Page

One of the core reasons why your invitees may only claim they’re “interested” is because they don’t have a ticket yet. Do they know where they can buy a ticket? Make the process easier for them by showing them where to buy a ticket.

Always offer the redirect link on the Facebook event page. Many Facebook events offer a clickable button where you insert the URL. This is also the best option for mobile view, where redirect links may serve as a problem.

Retarget Your “Interested” Guests

Is the “interested” count higher than the “attending” count? Generate those interested guests into attending guests by retargeting them.

Facebook advertising offers a myriad of ways to engage your audience with ads and organic content.

Implement common successful event marketing strategies, such as the fear of missing out (FOMO). This creates an urgency to perform an action, such as buying a ticket.

Use a combination of paid and organic advertising for consistency.

Speaking of Facebook ads…

Invest in Facebook Advertising

You can promote certain Facebook posts to enhance your audience, now you can promote Facebook events and widen your reach.

Don’t have experience with advertising? No problem. Facebook makes the process quick and easy. Select “boost event,” add the text and image you want, and specify who you’re targeting to. From here, select “boost.”

When you broaden your invites, more people will RSVP to your event. Maybe an aspect that’s holding back the “interested” invitees is there aren’t enough people going. When they see the boosted attendees, this can compel them to RSVP.

Post Updates Regularly

Pay attention to your Facebook notifications when you respond to an event. Facebook will send you notifications about event updates and if someone posts in the event page.

Regularly posting updates will help remind attendees about your event, even those who only responded with “interested.” Your event will remain fresh in their minds until the event day comes.

What should you post? Start with event updates. Was there a location or time change? Did you have to switch the entertainment? Your Facebook attendees should be the first to know.

Other post ideas strive to keep the engagement going. This is where the FOMO strategy will also come in handy. Post updates such as, “tickets are selling out, buy yours today!”

You can also post ideas such as behind-the-scenes pictures, promoting the new features for the event (if there are any), and other useful information such as where to park and any accommodations.

It’s also a good idea to get the attendees involved. Did you take pictures at the event? Find pictures of the attendees from previous years and ask them to promote the event. Offer a perk such as a free drink for the promotion.

Use SEO

Facebook events have SEO-driven aspects that can help increase your event’s awareness. You can do this by selecting keywords, choosing the proper category, creating an intriguing title, and writing a compelling description.

Ensure your title and description are optimized for the keywords you chose. Use each keyword (or at least one) in both the title and description.

Selecting the right category ensures the right audience members will see the event. Facebook will use their algorithms to target your event to those who live nearby and frequently engage with those type of posts and events.

Facebook also offers other tools to target the right audience. This includes tags such as “free” and “kid-friendly.”

Invite Your Family and Friends First

Who are the followers who have your undivided support and encouragement? Your family and friends, of course!

No matter how successful your event is, your family and friends are the first ones to RSVP and buy a ticket. So shouldn’t they be the first ones who should know about the event?

The other benefit of inviting your loved ones first is they’re more likely to promote the event.

When you do invite other guests, you’ll at least have some event promotion traction so your event looks more legitimate. This will help prevent the dreaded “interested” responses.

Sell More Event Tickets With These Tips

Every event marketer knows the dreaded “interested” response.

This response doesn’t guarantee attendance or a ticket sale. However, you can turn those “interested” responses into “attending“ responses and sell more event tickets with these tips.

Get your family and friends involved, use data to target your audience, and other strategies that can entice those “interested” invitees to attend and buy a ticket.

Are you still having no luck selling tickets and converted interesting guests into attendees? Our platform gives you the tools you need to better market your event. Sign up here.