Creating a Sense of Urgency to Boost Ticket Sales : Eventzilla

In this age of real-time online interaction and up-to-the-minute news briefs, FOMO is very real. The Fear of Missing Out is a condition that humans have always experienced but with the explosion of smartphones and social media, it has become a recognizable complaint. To be true, marketers have been exploiting FOMO since the beginning of time. Headlines such as “Don’t Miss Out!” or “Buy Now!” are just reminders that consumers can avoid FOMO by purchasing whatever the marketer is selling RIGHT NOW!

Creating that sense of urgency to leverage FOMO is critical to selling event tickets both online and offline. But consumers have become immune to the old and tired headlines. It’s imperative to use your highly tuned event planning and marketing skills to manufacture that scarcity mentality more creatively. Here are seven ideas to start your creative juices flowing.

Level Up

Create a sense of urgency by selling your event tickets online in limited-number tiers at different price levels. Offer a different incentive to buy at each level, such as early access or exclusive content. Make sure prospects know certain ticket levels are exclusive and that remaining tickets are limited. Create a thermometer or other counter for your event ticket website to show how many tickets are left at each level.

Early Bird Pricing

Studies have shown that early bird pricing works. However, don’t deploy this tactic too early and make sure the discount is valuable enough to incentivize prospects to act. Current logic states that early bird rates should be between 10 and 20% off the regular ticket price and end between 10-15 weeks before the event. Create a countdown clock on your event ticket website so that prospects can see that time is running out.

Following Your Prospects Around

Capture those prospects that are on the fence with a retargeting ad campaign. Retargeting is offering a follow-up display or search ads to people who have visited your ticket website but then moved on. It has been estimated that retargeting ads pay for themselves six times over. The customer already knows a little about your event so use the ad to offer something extra, maybe exclusive content or swag. Or create a message about what the prospect would “lose” by not attending your events, such as networking opportunities or special access to industry leaders. A good retargeting ad could be that little nudge a prospect needs to go from “maybe” to “yes”.

Group Think

Offer a compelling discount for groups buying a block of event tickets. This takes FOMO to the next level. Not only are you appealing to an individual’s fear of missing something great, but you are also leveraging their fear that their peers will either miss out or experience something without them. You could also offer referral codes for attendees who have purchased individual tickets to invite friends via social media in exchange for swag and exclusive content.

Social Media Pre-Sale

Use your social media channels to promote your event before tickets go on sale. Create pre-event FOMO with a Facebook Live event, Twitter chat, or an Instagram contest. Make sure to include a link to your event ticketing site and boost your message with paid ads on the same channels. Learn More

Enable Influencers

Word-of-mouth marketing is by far the most authentic and cost-effective way to create a sense of urgency. Incentivize past attendees, industry leaders, or other influencers to help you sell tickets online. Give them a referral code or customized link to share so that you can track their success. If you have booked well-known speakers or performers for your event, ask them to help you drive ticket sales by inviting their fans and followers to your event. Know More

Optimize Your Ticket Website

Make sure the value of your event is clear on each page of your event ticket website. Highlight why prospects should attend your event. Outline the benefits gained, pain points addressed, and/or new content or technology presented. List your ticket levels and pricing. Use a countdown clock to create that sense of urgency as the event gets closer. Also, make sure it is super easy and quick to purchase tickets on the site. The whole point of creating a sense of urgency is to inspire action. No matter which of the above methods you take, make sure you include a strong and creative call-to-action to buy event tickets. The message doesn’t have to be as trite as “Buy Now!” but it should be something that will inspire prospects to not only immediately commit to attending your event, but also feel good about it.