9 SMS campaigns to drive attendance and sell more tickets for your event

Event marketers are constantly seeking innovative and effective ways to cut through the noise and engage with their audience. Text message marketing has proven to be a powerful tool for event marketers to promote their events, increase attendance and drive revenue. A couple of key stats to remember are that 70% of consumers opted to receive texts from businesses, and as many as 45% of people reply to branded text messages they receive. It’s safe to say that your subscribers are ready to hear from you on their phones 📱.

How about among your peers, though? Our data shows that SMS campaigns have a 7 times higher conversion rate than email, bringing in 6.5 times more revenue per message sent. We don’t find this surprising. You’re more likely to get a successful result when you target the right audience (customers who’ve opted into getting SMS) with the right message. Ok, ok. But what is the right message? I’m glad you asked. Let’s dig into the campaigns that actual event organizers have used to drive ticket orders and engagement. 

Ticket presale reminders

Leverage the immediacy of SMS to send a text right before tickets go on sale. Start building a list by creating a presale signup form to collect SMS opt-ins and then target that group with a presale announcement reminder. These will be high-intent buyers and will help you drive ticket sales. You can also target other subscribers who are likely to buy: think people who have purchased for this artist in the past and purchased those tickets at a higher price point.

Event announcements

Keep your audience informed and engaged by sending updates and reminders via SMS. Send out reminders about ticket sale deadlines, lineup announcements, or changes in event details. Don’t forget to include important information like the event date, time, venue details, and any special instructions. Consider segmenting your list by your subscribers’ purchase history, the venues they’ve attended, what genre they tend to buy for, or by an artist, they’ve purchased tickets for.

Adding a second show

‍This campaign is in the same vein as the presale and event announcements. Here is an opportunity to inform fans who may have missed out on getting tickets for an artist’s first show or to let some fans know who might be interested in seeing that same artist twice!

Special ticket offerings, like VIP experiences‍

Do you offer a VIP experience at your shows? Because these packages can be highly valued, this is a great offering to send out to your subscribers by SMS. Create a sense of exclusivity by sending out early access to tickets, VIP upgrades, or special offers to your SMS subscribers.

Scarcity messaging; few tickets remain!‍

Another tactic to try with SMS is selling your last few tickets. Focus on messaging around scarcity—“Hurry, there are less than 50 tickets left!” or “Don’t miss out on your only chance to see Drake this year!”

Real-time updates and announcements

Nobody enjoys contacting event attendees on the day of the event (I mean, it’s usually not for a good reason), but knowing that you have a way to ensure you get in front of ticket-buyers is reassuring. If a show’s venue, time, or status changes, you can be sure that your ticket-buyers will be informed immediately if you send them an SMS campaign.

Contests and giveaways‍

Get your audience to participate in contests by answering event-related trivia questions, sharing their excitement on social media, or referring friends to join the SMS list. Reward winners with free tickets, backstage passes, or exclusive swag. This approach effectively engages your audience and expands your SMS subscriber base. 

Merch drops‍

This is a great way to reward loyal fans if you’ve got merch on offer. SMS allows you to instantly notify subscribers of limited edition merch runs, exclusive collections, or just being the first to know. Pro tip: 51% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase if they receive a text message with images and media.

Post-event surveys and feedback‍

After the event, leverage SMS to gather valuable feedback from your attendees. Send out short surveys asking about their experience and offer incentives such as discount codes for future events or exclusive access to event-related content in exchange for their participation. This is a great way to build long-lasting connections with your audience.

Wrap Up

Remember, SMS marketing is another channel to help you engage with your target audience, drive event attendance, and create memorable experiences. Leveraging the immediacy of this channel, using segmentation that focuses on high-intent ticket buyers, and sending out the right campaigns are your keys to driving ticket sales and engagement. Now go get ‘em,’ tiger!

Ready to get started?

Check out our FAQ on getting started with SMS.

And then take a look through our guide to SMS marketing and automations for event marketing.