#1 Guide to SMS Marketing and Automation for Event Marketers
The Benefits of SMS Marketing for Events
It’s no secret that SMS marketing is a must-have tool for event marketer’s looking to reach their audience, sell more tickets and drive revenue. With over 65% of consumers doing most of their shopping on their phones and more than 61% of businesses having increased their SMS budgets in the last year, now’s the time to hop on the SMS bandwagon.
" 90% of SMS are read in the first 3 minutes.
Here's why you need to be leveraging SMS in your strategy:
SMS has a 30% higher conversion rate than email
Over 65% of consumers are doing most of their shopping on their phones
SMS has a 36% CTR
Over 61% of businesses have increased their SMS budgets in the last year
When have you received a text you didn't read?
Growing Your SMS List
How to Grow Your SMS List
To leverage SMS, you first need to collect phone numbers and opt-in from your audience! Here are the best ways:
Update your current signup forms
Add a phone number field to your current signup forms so you can collect both email and SMS opt-in from subscribers.
Use pop-up signup forms
Set up a signup form that pops up when your audience is browsing your site, or when they’re about to leave (called an exit intent signup form). This offers a more seamless experience, while ensuring your signup form isn’t missed! Offer an incentive to sign up and you’re guaranteed to add a new phone number to your list.
Landing pages for pre-sale SMS notifications
Set up a landing page where your audience can subscribe to be notified by text when pre-sale begins. Make it even more enticing by offering your SMS list early access.
Run a contest with landing pages
Whether it’s VIP tickets or limited edition merch, give your audience a chance to win cool stuff by signing up with SMS.
SMS Campaigns for Events
SMS Campaigns for Events
Whether you run an annual festival or manage multiple venues, these are the must-have SMS campaigns to set up to maximize ticket sales and engage your audience.
Pre-sale event reminder SMS
Leverage the immediacy of SMS to send a text before tickets go on sale. Simply schedule your SMS campaign to send a 10-30 minutes beforehand, with a link to buy tickets.
Day-of event reminders SMS
Schedule an SMS campaign the day of your event and include a link for attendees to easily access their tickets.
Merch drop SMS
Announce new merch to your SMS list with a link to shop. Offer exclusive collections or early-access to limited edition stock to drive higher conversion and sales.
Event announcement SMS
Send targeted event announcements based on past ticket purchases (using venue, artist, or genre data) to ensure your subscribers don’t miss out on events they’d love to see. Segmenting your SMS sends this way will drive higher ROI, ticket sales, and effectively cross-sell your events.
VIP loyalty SMS
Your VIP purchasers are your bread and butter — they spend the most money and are likely to splurge on more. Send SMS campaigns to your VIP segment offering exclusive promos, merch, and experiences they won’t be able to resist.
Last minute event change SMS
The immediacy of SMS makes it the perfect channel for updating attendees about important changes to their upcoming event. Whether you’re announcing a time, venue or line up change, sending an SMS campaign is the quickest way to keep your attendees in the loop.
SMS Automations for Events
Automated SMS for Events
SMS automations run in the background, helping you engage subscribers at exactly the right time with hyper-targeted SMS messages that drive engagement and revenue.
Welcome SMS Automation
Welcome new subscribers to your list with an automated text that sends right when they sign up. Include a discount code to drive sales right away.
Birthday SMS Automation
Show your subscribers you love them with an automated text on their birthday! Include a promo code to celebrate.
Abandoned Cart SMS Automation
Recover revenue with a cart reminder SMS sent to subscribers who added tickets or merch to their cart but didn’t complete a purchase. This automation can drive over 20x revenue, so it’s one you don’t want to miss.
New Customer Thank You SMS Automation
Thank subscribers who’ve just made their first ever purchase with a promo code to show your appreciation. This is a great way to build brand loyalty and customer retention.
High Value Customer SMS Automation
Send an SMS to your highest-spending customers with an exclusive invite or offer that makes them feel special.