We all know that we should be selling online, and if we already are, we know it could be better. We’ve come up with the 3 key places you need to post your tickets and registration forms on your website to increase incremental and advanced revenue.
Let’s kick off this discussion with the #1 most important place to let people know you have something for sale-your HOMEPAGE:
- A BUY NOW button on your homepage is the #1 way to get those hot leads to add a ticket to their shopping cart when they first land on your website! Don’t let a customer who is your strongest lead in the sales cycle get lost because they can’t purchase the first thing they like. For example, you can hover over any of the Delaware State Fair’s off season “Get It Now!” items to “Buy Now!”
- A Ticket Mall on your website is another great way to capture those strong leads that know they’re ready to purchase and attend but aren’t quite sure what event or date they want to buy just yet. A call-to-action link or icon on your homepage to access every item available for sale online is the best way to capture someone who brought their pocket book to your virtual front door. For example, Greeley Stampede has 1 rollover but 2 call-to-action links to get customers to click to their ticket gateway!
- An image on your homepage that links to a more detailed page of the item you’re selling. (Saffire Tip: Putting plenty of clickable features on your homepage will allow your customer to get more comfortable with your site. Getting them to click anything once increases their likelihood of purchasing!) If your customer is set on attending a specific event, or wants to purchase a specific piece of merchandise that they see on your homepage, then let them get the details by clicking that image.
An interactive EVENT SCHEDULE is the next best place to make your items for sale, because one of the top reasons customers come to your website is actually to find out “what’s going on, when is it going on, and how can I be a part of it?”
- A place on your schedule where every event has a BUY NOW button is a great way to secure your customers cash early. Don’t let them get lost in your list of events happening, or space available for rent. Instead, make it easy for them to be confident in the purchase they’re making. Black Hills Stock Show has really put their best foot forward as far as their events schedule goes, and it’s easy for their customers to get what they want from an expanded view of events
- Have too much going on? Have a ROLLOVER on events with items for sale. If your customer is interested in the name of an event or item, they’ll get more information as well as the chance to purchase right from your schedule.
- Finally, does your customer still have access to that all encompassing Ticket Mall? Don’t allow them to get lost in the midst of the many events on your schedule, if they’re a medium lead we still want them to have access to a page on your website or a page with every item available on your ticket provider’s website.
#3 would be EVENT DETAILS or REGISTRATION PAGE. We have a lot of ideas of how to “close the sale” when even your weakest of leads (with the lowest tendency to purchase) gets to the last page where they can make a purchase.
- Keep the event-specific page clean. You want the content or text of that page to be short and to the point. A brief bio of your performer or the type of tour that you have will keep your customer interested without overwhelming them with too much reading.
- Be sure that every type of ticket (or registration) you have for sale is available on this details page.
- Use imagery and photography to make the page appealing. Action shots, people looking into the camera, or images of iconic symbols from your event will help your customer maintain their confidence as they go through the purchasing cycle on your website.
Final thoughts:
- Whether you’re selling tickets, memberships or registrations directly from your website, or you are using a ticketing or merchant services provider, we believe making a “BUY NOW” button available to your customer is a call to action for purchase! Using the right verbiage can give you a better shot of capturing revenue in advance.
- If your customer has to leave your website to complete their purchase, be sure your branding is carried across all the way through the buying process. Also, check that any instructions or directions important to the purchase are clearly stated at the point of sale.
- Sell packages in advance of your event. Maybe you can’t offer huge discounts for early buyers, but remember they’re more willing to commit to a larger sale when your event is more than a few weeks out. Use this opportunity to increase incremental revenue as your customer’s ticket cost won’t be spent at the gate.
We believe a quick clean up and audit of how your customer goes through the sales cycle is something every event or venue needs to evaluate each year. Now is the time to get your buttons, schedule(s), and pages in order so that you can focus your marketing efforts on getting your audience back to your website where they can have the confidence to purchase from you online!