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5 Simple Ways to Boost Online Ticket Sales

February 1, 2022

As an event organizer, you want a lot of things to come together, but selling tickets in bunches is probably at the top of the list! So, how do you reach more potential attendees? What’s the best way to sell event tickets on Facebook and other social media platforms? Read on for answers to those questions and for five simple ways you can increase online ticket sales for your upcoming event.

If you aren’t already selling tickets online, now’s the time, and with Eventgroove it’s easy (and free for event organizers)!

5 Ways to Increase Ticket Sales

1. Get your ducks in a row

Like any internet purchase, people want to know their transaction is secure and that the ticket seller is legitimate. Accomplish both of those things with an online ticketing platform and an informative, compelling event page.

The platform you choose should make purchasing tickets efficient, offer secure transactions, double as a command center for communicating with attendees, have marketing tools, and offer real-time data on your marketing efforts and net ticket sales. In short, more than just ticketing software, you need a fully integrated event solution (here’s where we plug our own /, Eventgroove). Making a professional impression is the first step toward converting potential attendees into customers.

2. Promote your event website URL

Should you sell tickets on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and everywhere else on the interwebs? Absolutely. The best way to do this is by sharing a link to your event website (a bonus that comes with an online ticketing platform), as well as adding it to the profile of your social media accounts.

Think of every follower as a mini influencer with a galaxy of friends and family that are potential attendees. You want your posts to be exciting. For example, if you’re selling concert tickets, highlight performers, opening acts…you get the picture. If a portion of ticket sales goes toward a cause or if there is a fundraising element, talk that up, too—especially how the money raised is making a difference, and offer the option of a donation on top of ticket purchase so attendees can give more.

As you post, stay on top of analytics with unique, trackable links (an Eventgroove feature!) to learn what sort of post is generating ticket sales. This will hone what sort of posts you create, ultimately making your efforts more successful.

Pro tip: Virtual attendees tend to buy tickets last minute, so keep that in mind as you time when to promote to those guests.

3. Produce social media content that inspires action

Giveaways and deals are the hallmarks of attention-getting content. Incorporate any of the below ideas for a jump in ticket sales. Just be sure to use trackable links so you know what works best for your audience.

  • Flash deals: Think special ticket prices for early birds, or just because it’s Friday. With an events platform, you can set ticket prices associated with promo codes, a feature perfect for promotions like these! For instance, you could set the end-of-week code to FriYay, and anyone who plugs that in during the set period gets discounted tickets.
  • BOGOs and bundles: Special ticket prices are another way to make content exciting…and give your event attendance a bump. Offer a buy one (or however many you choose), get one free. Or you could do a promotion geared toward families and friend groups, such as a discount to the ticket price when 4 or 5 tickets are purchased together. With a platform like Eventgroove, all of that is possible, straightforward to set up, and easy to execute.
  • Free tickets: Got your attention, didn’t we? Run a giveaway for free tickets and, if possible, add branded custom merch or perks to make the prize even more enticing.

4. Bonus (near-effortless) online promotion

It’s likely you get good traffic to your organization’s website and blog, so capitalize on that by adding a “Buy Tickets” button. At Eventgroove, we make that as easy as pie by supplying a customized ticket sales widget. All you have to do is choose how you’d like it to look, then cut and paste wherever you’d like it—in blog posts, on your organization website and blog, and wherever else you like.

5. Go IRL with QR code marketing

Whether your upcoming event is virtual, in person, or hybrid, a small investment in printed materials with QR codes can go a long way towards enhancing online ticket sales. All potential attendees have to do is scan the code and they are instantly directed to your event website to buy tickets and get information. This is another thing that makes an integrated events platform great—using Eventgroove, you can order marketing materials such as printed flyers and postcards branded to your event directly from our dashboard. Plus, it generates a QR code specific to your event page. If, for example, you want QR code stickers, all you have to do is save your event’s unique QR code to your desktop and use it to create a custom sticker.

Ready to manage your event and its in-person and online ticket sales like a boss? Start creating your event page now!

How Selling Prom Tickets Online Works

Creating a ticket sales page takes no time, and you can customize it so it matches your prom theme and school branding. Here’s the shape of it:
  1. Create the event. Name (Enchanted Forest Prom, 2026), date, venue, capacity, dress code, anything else students should know.
  2. Set ticket types and prices. Most committees do one student ticket plus one guest or date. Some add an early bird ticket tier at a $10 discount for the first two weeks.
  3. Grab a shareable link. Drop it in the school newsletter, add it to a QR code on your prom posters, then drop it into the school’s socials and the committee group chat so everyone can share within their networks, and the principal’s morning announcements.
  4. Collect the money. Card and digital wallet payments flow straight into your account, whether someone pays in person at school or at the door on prom night.
  5. Scan tickets at the door. Each student arrives with their printed prom tickets or a digital version. A volunteer scams them using their phone.

6 Things to Look For in a Prom Ticketing Service

Not every ticketing platform is set up for school events. Three things that matter:
  1. Real-Time Data: Student planners and faculty advisors need to monitor sales and revenue, and access updated attendee reports.
  2. Clear Fees: Every platform makes its money through fees. These fees can be passed on to buyers or absorbed by the school. In addition, when credit cards are involved, processing fees always apply but may not be included in your free ticketing platform’s service. When these are not included in the platform price, you’ll need to organize online payments separately, which can result in a much higher per-ticket cost on your end.
  3. Online and physical tickets: Printing prom tickets is something many schools do – they’re a great memento of the night, and make the experience more special. Make sure your platform’s capabilities include tracking and scanning both printed and digital tickets.
  4. Easy attendee check-in: Look for a platform that lets you scan without an app or special equipment. When faculty can scan tickets using their mobile phone‘s browser, getting up to speed takes less time.
  5. Attendee management: You’ll want to track students as they enter, leave, and return. Ensure your service can support this.
  6. Ticketing adaptability: Creating ticket bundles, reserved seating, and comp codes for VIPS means your chosen platform needs to be flexible.

What to Charge For Tickets To Prom and When to Sell

On average, a prom ticket costs between $55–$125. The exact number depends on the venue, what the night includes (DJ, photos, dinner, flowers, and the like).

Pre-prom ticket sales strategies

  • Early Bird discount. Knock $10–$15 off the standard price for the first 2–3 weeks of sales. An early bird ticket strategy rewards students who buy first, builds momentum, and gives your committee how the night is tracking weeks before prom.
  • Group bundles. Offer a small discount for friend groups buying 4 or 6 tickets together. Ticket bundling speeds up sales and they nudge friend groups to commit early.
  • Reserved tables. If you want groups to sit together, set up your ticketing with reserved seating and sell whole tables as a single package.
  • Day-of door pricing. Charge $10–$15 more at the door than online to  encourages families to pre-buy.

When to sell tickets

Open sales 6–8 weeks before prom, switch from early bird to standard pricing 2–3 weeks in, and close online sales 24–48 hours before the dance so you can finalize the catering count.

A note on the platform side: Eventgroove’s setup is free, and the service fee on paid tickets is small (2% + $0.75 per ticket). You can pass that fee on to ticket buyers, and for free events, there are no fees at all.

If you’re looking for an efficent and easy way to sell school dance tickets and manage your attendees, we’d love it if you gave Eventgroove a try. Our ticketing platform is free for organizers, with low ticket-buyer fees, no hidden charges, and no contracts. Plus, we’re also online printers, so you order custom prom tickets, VIP  badges, and flyers all in one place.

Want to see Eventgroove in action?

We’d love to show you! Schedule a one-on-one demo with our expert sales team.

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