The old cliche is that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. I would say that if you add “tickets in hand” , it works even better! Our most successful audience development program so far has been implemented by our audience itself. For the last four seasons some of them have bought tickets to concerts that they already had tickets for, to give away as gifts. Here is the method and the results we know so far…..
This is our Holiday Package and its contents. For an orchestra to have a special ticket offer to purchase as a Holiday gift is definitely not a new idea, however, what we did was to actually make it into a gift, something that could be bought to put under the proverbial tree . Inside the box, the highlight is a certificate redeemable for two tickets to each of our remaining 5 concerts this season. Also inside is our most recent CD and several coupons from local businesses that are exclusive to the package. The value is around $400 and we sell it for $99.95. It’s available during the intermission of our concerts in October, November and December and the pitch I give from the stage goes something like this:
Friends, once again this year we are offering our Holiday Package. If you are looking for a unique gift this holiday season to give to friends or family, then we have the gift of music that is in the form of an actual gift, one that after opening will keep on giving. Not only are there tickets to great live concerts, but with them a chance to spend five designated evenings with those who are close to you. We hope you will take advantage of this offer to help us spread and for you to share the joy of music.
I of course mention the other items in the box and the special price and we usually sell between 70 and 85 each season. Two seasons ago we tracked for the first time the number of those receiving the package who then became subscribers the following season. The result was astounding. Out of 82 packages sold which created 164 new partial season ticket holders, 132 of them became full paying season ticket holders the following season. These were people who were given the tickets as a gift and most of them had no history of attending our concerts. There was another interesting trend that started. When becoming paying subscribers, many were asking to sit with those who gave them the package, the ultimate thanks for getting such a gift. It is very gratifying to think that our Symphony concerts are fast becoming a venue for multiple couples to get together on a monthly basis.
I believe that our best salespeople are sitting in our audience. Since they made a commitment to us (and vice versa), then we together are making a commitment to live orchestral music and quality of life. They will be very convincing when talking about it, and now even more so, with “tickets in hand”!
Next time in part 3: How to make a personal connection with every audience member in about 45 minutes!