I roll my eyes at myself when I write about manicures, facials, etc. on this blog, so I can only imagine how you all react. That said, there’s no use pretending I’m something I’m not, so, onward…
I got a facial at a lovely little shop called Ling on the Upper West Side a couple weeks back. Turns out, the place was a hotbed (hot…compress?) of good marketing ideas. At one point during the facial, the woman Wendy asked how I’d heard about Ling. “New York Magazine“, I said. A listing in New York Magazine? “No, a friend-of-a-friend works there and she recommended Ling personally.” OK, you get 10% off of this facial and all products. We have a referral program.
It occurred to me that, while venues often ask where I heard about them when I purchase tickets, none have ever offered a referral program like this. Case in point, I bought tickets at Symphony Space for the ‘Keigwin Kabaret’ at a friend’s suggestion last week. It was the first time I’d ever been to the venue, and I’m actually going back tonight – for separate reasons, but for all they know I’ve become a regular supporter based on that first ticket purchase! My friend Megan should be given…something…for ostensibly getting me hooked. Obviously, referrals are a bit intangible, but it would be interesting to think about some kind of credit system for patrons who consistently bring in fresh bodies. 10 people write “Amanda Ameer” under how they heard about various performances and I then get a discount at the gift shop; 20 people credit me and I get a free ticket, so on, so forth.
When I was paying for my facial, minus 10%, Wendy said I would need another one in two months, and did I want to schedule that? I rarely plan things like this in advance, but then she mentioned I would get 20% off if I scheduled it now. “What?” I asked. “How is that good for you?” She explained that keeping customers coming back to them rather than losing us to one of the other thousand spas in the city was worth more than whatever that 20% would be in dollars. So if you need me on May 24th, I’ll be at Ling.
Presumably we are all 100% behind the artistic product we put into this world, so logic would dictate that the time patrons would be most willing to buy additional tickets would be directly following a performance they’ve just enjoyed. With that in mind, why aren’t box offices open after 8pm? They close when the performance starts, so love your experience or not, you’re not buying another ticket after the show unless you go home to your computer. And even when box offices do stay open – and I’ve personally never seen one – where are the incentives to purchase more tickets or a even a subscription at that time?
Since I go to classical performances for work a lot, I’m probably not going to subscribe to Carnegie, the NY Philharmonic, etc.. But I do buy single theater tickets all the time, and no one has ever asked me to subscribe or buy more tickets at a performance. Unlike every theater critic in town, I completely loved Roundabout Theatre‘s recent Hedda Gabler, and faced with list of what Roundabout has coming up (Waiting for Godot, yes, The Philanthropist, yes, Distraction, yes, Bye Bye Birdie, yes please!), a discount, and an open box office, I would have subscribed to a New York theater for the first time on the spot. Why not get me while I’m there and Hedda-inspired? By the time the brochure comes or I get an e mail, I’m gone: it’s too expensive, it’s hard to plan ahead, etc.. But right after that Hedda Gabler? They owned me. Venues could offer 20% off first-time subscriptions for those who purchase during or directly after a performance, and 10% off any future single ticket. Isn’t guaranteeing we’ll come back worth more than, say $100, of lost income?
Another friend-of-a-friend had me trying scary heat yoga at Bikram Yoga Harlem at 6:45am all of last week. The studio charges $20 for students’ first week of unlimited classes with mats and towels included, the idea being that you’ll really see the effects of the practice after a week (not just one class), but that they don’t expect you to keep paying class-by-class or purchasing “gear” until/unless you’ve really tried it. In my sweat-drenched haze, I found myself wondering about a $20 pass for orchestras; maybe the first week of the every season? Or for big presenters like The Kennedy Center or Lincoln Center. “Come to as many performances as you possibly can, and then decide whether or not you want to subscribe.” That way, like the Bikram studio, orchestras and presenters will be selling a lifestyle change, not just a one-time experience. “It’s fun to go to performances on a regular basis, but we don’t expect you to realize that by buying single ticket after single ticket.” Maybe it can’t be $20 ($30? $50?), and there would be restrictions – patrons would have to live in New York City (because tourists could be here for a week and never intend to subscribe) and certain performances might be off limits – but I think it’s worth a shot. [This is along the lines of a previous post, about all-you-can eat buffets.]
I completely agree that many organizations are missing out on upgrading single ticket patrons. They are falling through the cracks since many of them purchase online and do not have any real contact with someone from the organization. Most organizations do not have a plan to follow up with these patrons either.
I applied the idea of selling subscriptions to the next season after the closing concert of the current season during intermission and after the concert. It worked really well! The concert was so well received that my staff of two was hopping to take all of the orders and questions that were flying at us. So opening the box office during and after a performance does work. As long as there is a way to take orders at the venue, it makes sense to have this service. The best way to get more sales is when your audience is excited about the performance! Plus the opportunity to speak to them in person is priceless.
Referral programs are definitely an option I tell my clients about, but I absolutely love the idea of a pass of some sort, similar to a gym, to get them to undergo the lifestyle change. Great idea!
Goldstar.com recently e-mailed members offering a referral program. If I forwarded an e-mail along, I would get $2 credits per person. I of course did this and so far have $4 credits. Yeaa! Great idea for referrals, because not only do I get a discount but maybe my friend does, too. Arts organizations should be able to do this, too… besides satellite and cable TV.
p.s. I liked Hedda Gabler, too. Bah to the critics.
“… why aren’t box offices open after 8pm? They close when the performance starts, so love your experience or not, you’re not buying another ticket after the show unless you go home to your computer.”
And if you buy tickets at the box office you could save the ticketmaster charge or other on-line booking fees that most venues charge.
The Kennedy Center does contact people. At least the ones who purchase tickets for certain kinds of performances such as The Messiah during the Holiday Season. My gf got tired of the calls there were so many…
Oh sure, they contact you/me after the fact by phone, mail and e mail, but I’ve never been sold anything at a performance, when I’m actually enjoying the experience and thus probably wanting to see something else at the venue. -AA
This season we introduced a Flex Ticket Package for the first time and during the first few performances of the Season we left the Box Office Open through intermission and after the performance, encouraging patrons to upgrade their single ticket to an entire flex package, or even to a Series package. We didn’t sell out our Season doing it, but we certainly sold more tickets that way than we thought. I would say overall it was really successful. However, by the time we were a few performances in to each series in the season, we weren’t selling enough to make it worth the money in staff time. So, I would say do it at the beginning of the Season and evaluate from there.
Oh yes, yes, yes. Marketing isn’t my bailiwick so I suspect I drive my colleagues crazy every time I lament that my orchestra doesn’t have any kind of really strong referral/rewards program. After all, with most things, but especially with classical music, the current patrons are the best advocates and also the best placed to know which of their acquaintances might “go” for a particular concert or type of music. I suspect 99% of regular concert-goers are there because at some point someone took them or suggested that they go to a concert.
As for buying tickets while “under the influence” of a performance: even keeping the box office open until intermission might do the trick. I imagine there can be hefty costs involved, especially if the presenter doesn’t own the venue.
We always leave the box office open until the lobby has cleared after a performance. Some times we sell a fair number of tickets (10-20 or more) some nights, none. Once in a while we’ve offered discounts to future shows if you purchase that night and we’ve had decent responses. The first year we offered subscriptions we offered a discount at the first two shows to purchase additional tickets to remaining shows and saw a good response. We’ll be doing this again in the fall when our season kicks off. Sometimes people won’t even look at their calendars. They’ll just buy the tickets and then if something comes up, they choose us over whatever else has come up. Or they give their tickets to someone who hasn’t been here before. We’re also looking to implement a referral program to give discounts and other incentives to current patrons as well as a discount to the first-timer. We’re excited to see how it does. It’s been on the back burner for two years and I’m hoping to implement it next season now that we have staff available to implement it.