Set it and forget it marketing – how does that sound to you? We’ve worked with so many event organizers over the years, and the majority of them have something in common. They’re extremely busy and need easy ways to promote their events and sell more tickets. Automation is the perfect way to do it!
Did you know that automated email messages get 86% higher open rates and 196% higher click through rates? They also generate 320% more revenue than non-automated promotional email messages. That data comes from Campaign Monitor, and it paints a very clear picture…
Not only does email automation save event organizers time but it also increases ticket sales!
Ready to automate some of your email marketing? Keep reading to learn how you can use drip email marketing to promote your events in a true “set it and forget it” system.
What is Drip Email Marketing?
Generally speaking, drip email marketing and email marketing automation are the same thing. However, if you speak to seasoned email marketing professionals, they’re likely to point out that drip campaigns are typically time-sensitive and time-based while email marketing automation takes things to the next level using behavioral data, connecting various systems, and more.
For the sake of simplicity, let’s settle on this definition of drip email marketing: One or more email messages sent at specific times and over a specific period of time based on pre-defined time-based triggers.
For example, you may set up a welcome drip email marketing campaign that is triggered to start when someone subscribes to your email list on your website. Immediately, the new subscriber automatically receives an email message welcoming them to your community. You could end the drip campaign there or add one or more additional message messages that are automatically sent a certain number of days later. The drip campaign should have a specific end date.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- You define a trigger that will start your drip email campaign such as when someone buys a ticket to your event.
- You write one or more email messages that will automatically go to the ticket buyer on specific days and times leading up to your event.
- You set everything up in your ticketing and/or email marketing software, turn it on, and let the messages go out automatically from then on. You’re done!
Of course, you need the right technology for drip email marketing campaigns to work properly. You’ll learn more about that in “How to Automate Drip Email Marketing and Sell More Tickets” below. But first, let’s dive into how you can actually use drip email marketing to effectively promote your events.
How to Use Drip Email Marketing to Promote Events
When it comes to event marketing, you have many opportunities to connect with prospective ticket buyers as well as with people who already bought tickets to boost word-of-mouth marketing and sell more tickets than ever.
The three key audiences you should target with your event drip email marketing initiatives are:
- People who already bought tickets (they’re your best advocates)
- People who bought tickets to your event the last time you held it (they’re likely to buy again)
- People who visit your ticket sales page but don’t buy tickets (they were interested and may need an extra push to complete their purchase)
The trick to sell more tickets to and with the help of these three audiences is to send email messages that tap into their emotions. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is one of the best emotions to evoke in event email marketing campaigns. With that in mind, set up a series of drip messages triggered to go out on specific days leading up to your event that hype what people will miss if they don’t attend.
Think of your drip email marketing campaigns as a multi-step process to:
- Reaffirm that the audience made the right decision when they considered buying tickets or actually purchased tickets
- Remind people of all the great things happening at your event to increase ticket sales
- Re-engage with people by sharing event updates to build anticipation and jumpstart word-of-mouth marketing that can lead to even more ticket sales
If you’re not sure what to send in your drip email marketing campaigns, the three steps above should guide you.
How to Automate Drip Email Marketing and Sell More Tickets
You can send drip email marketing messages to your prior attendee email marketing list or to your upcoming event’s ticket buyers using AttendStar’s Ticket Buyer Buzz feature, which is built into the AttendStar ticketing platform. In fact, there is no easier way to set up a drip email campaign to ticket buyers that will run automatically once you turn it on.
The purpose of Ticket Buyer Buzz is to make sure your event stays on the top of your ticket buyers’ minds and build anticipation as the event date gets closer. Ticket buyers are highly likely to talk about your event with other people, and the word spreads quickly when they share details on social media. Ticket buyers are your best brand advocates, so give them great content to share in your drip email campaigns sent through Ticket Buyer Buzz.
For example, you can share links to entertaining, useful, and interesting content about your event in your dripped messages. Anything that will get recipients excited is fair game! Links to videos, music, images, the event website, and the event’s social media profiles can all work well if the links lead to entertaining, useful, and interesting content about the event.
You can automatically send an email to ticket buyers every 10 days leading up to your event using Ticket Buyer Buzz, and each message can include a link that you set up once and forget. Just make sure the links lead to content that will motivate ticket buyers to share it with their own audiences so your event benefits from valuable word-of-mouth marketing!
Ready to Get Started with Drip Email Marketing to Promote Your Events?
Drip email marketing should be included in your event marketing plan, and setting it up is quick and easy using AttendStar and Ticket Buyer Buzz! Get started now by calling AttendStar at 615-223-1973 or use the contact form to get in touch.
