A blog post recently published by the folks at dotdigital shares ideas on how to turn holiday shoppers into year-round buyers through email communications. As I read it, it struck me how these things are pretty much exactly the same for ticket buyers.
Our events are products and our ticket buyers are shoppers. (Our websites are e-commerce engines as well. But I digress…) Let’s not forget this.
I recommend that you read the post in it’s entirety, but here are some key points:
Talk to people like you know them. Because you do!
Beyond basic first name personalization, tap into the data you already have. As existing customers, you’ll have a wide range of information on them, from order insights to shipping address. You can use this in your sales emails to deliver a delightfully personal experience.
We have lots of data about our patrons and it is super easy to integrate that into email communications using custom fields. Rather than sending a generic email to lapsed donors, use some of the data like the date and amount of their last donation in the email to help make the case for them to renew.
Make patrons feel welcome
Welcome programs are essential for every new customer. During the
Black Fridaysales period, you need to take extra effort to introduce your brand. Storytelling is essential here. People remember stories better than stats and evoking an emotional response will keep your brand at the forefront of shoppers’ minds.
We talk a lot about the need to get new patrons but, in fact, we’re pretty gosh darn good at it. What we’re not generally good at is making them feel welcome and engaging them after the purchase. Creating a meaningful welcome program over the course of time will go a long way to keep them engaged.
Not every email should be a sales email
A strong brand story, teamed with a rewarding and engaging
loyalty programcontent campaign, will keep customers coming back. They’re already choosing you over your competitors time and again, so don’t bore them with endless sales emails.
Communicating to patrons only when you are trying to sell them something will quickly cause them to tune you out. A well-rounded content campaign without sales messaging will be more engaging than one with sales messaging. Having CTAs are important when applicable, but not everything has to be a ask for a donation or ticket sale.
