Pre-Show Emails
As soon as a ticket is purchased, your patron should receive some sort of email communication. Your ticketing system usually sends a receipt and/or confirmation of purchase. If you can, make sure that this message includes your branding and a simple thank you message. If the ticketing system doesn’t allow for customizations, try to pull ticket buyer lists regularly, and send a quick thank you message a few days after purchase. A quick acknowledgment to the patron lets them know you appreciate their support of your organization.
At least a week before the performance, it is best to send an email to those ticket buyers. This will serve as a good reminder and can provide some important details about the performances. The email should be kept simple and friendly with an image from the upcoming production. It should also include information like location, times (doors and show), parking suggestions, performance details, and any alerts for the audience (such as the use of strobe lights or fog machines).
A best practice is to include a link to the show page on your website, which can have more details about the production. Linking to a more detailed show page on your website allows this email to be readable and can increase your website’s SEO.
Then a day or two before the performance, send one last email reminder. Again, keep it simple, include the details from the previous email, and add any new information. It is also best to make sure this email is mobile-friendly and has easily searchable terms, as this is the message your patron will probably be looking for on the day of their show.
Post-Show Emails
The day following a performance (two days at most) a post-show email should be sent to all attendees. Don’t wait until the performance run ends to send this email; try to send the message after each performance. The email should have an iconic image from the production, thank the patron for attending, and invite them to participate in a survey. A thank you can go a long way with a patron, it keeps you at the top of their mind, and don’t be afraid to survey the audience. Survey feedback is crucial information in making decisions about future programmatic planning.
At this point, your performance attendees should be added to your mailing lists and e-blast lists. You want to make sure they still hear about what you are doing for the rest of the season, and other opportunities (classes, events) happening at your organization. They have bought a ticket once; there’s a very good chance they will buy one again.
Emailing ticket buyers is an important part of your marketing strategy, and with some planning can easily be managed. Look at tools in both your ticketing system and email system to help you automate these messages. Other great tools we recommend are Capacity Interactive’s Email Design Best Practices and MailMeteor’s Email Line Subject Tester.
P.S. – Audience Segmenting
We’ve got a little something else for you to think about when it comes to emails and ticket buyers. If you have the tools (and time) it is best to take the information you have about patrons at your performances and start segmenting your audiences. The basic audiences to segment into are subscribers, first-time attendees, and multi-show single-ticket buyers. These segmented audiences can be contacted again with very specific messaging. We have some suggestions below:
The subscriber audience is the patrons closest to you and could become potential donors. As a follow-up communication, work with your Development team to invite them to a donor event. The more ways you connect with a patron the stronger that relationship becomes, and they turn into advocates for your organization.
The first-time attendees (also called new-to-files) are critical to growing your audience. They should be sent a specific message inviting them back to another performance (preferably the upcoming production) with a ticket discount. The discount should be very attractive – think half off or BOGO. Getting a patron to come back for a second visit will start to establish loyalty and help retain them as constituents.
The multi-show ticket buyers are an interesting group; they are loyal patrons by attending multiple productions but don’t want to become subscribers (yet). Treat this segment like a subscriber by offering them something exclusive, such as a discount to a class or additional tickets. Then keep this group in mind for the next season’s subscription campaign, and offer them a “special deal” to become a subscriber.
Not Sure What to be Emailing Ticket Buyers?
Check out our blog on 7 Effective Steps To Crafting Engaging Mass Emails For Arts Organizations: Boost Ticket Sales And Audience Engagement! Many great tips to get you started!