One of the best ways to generate social media ticket sales is through the proper use of hashtags. But don't take our word for it - ask Gary Vaynerchuk!
Hop on Pop Culture and "Ride the Hashtag"
Much has been said about the potential of social media's ability to generate additional event ticket sales. There are proponents and pundits, but the bottom line is your box office tally at the end of the day. One of social media's most famous proponents is entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk or "Gary Vee" as he is known by his fans.
Gary Vee gained his social media authority with his popular Wine Library series of videos on YouTube. The self-produced videos expounding the virtues of wine became an Internet sensation, and word-of-mouth spread exclusively through social media. Without any formal syndication, or advertising, the Wine Library videos racked up millions upon millions of views.
Eventually Vaynerchuk's savvy use of social media to promote his video caught the attention of a major book publisher. In 2009, Vaynerchuk signed a six figure book deal for 'Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion' and has been featured on every cable business TV show on the dial.
Gary Vaynerchuk's cheer leading for social media continues to this day as seen in the article he recently published called Ride the Hashtag. Vaynerchuk explains how a business can make the best use of Facebook and Twitter hashtags:
Social media is the first true listening platform, not speaking platform. Yes, you can speak on it. Many will, and many do so successfully, but on the flip side, riding the wave of hashtags instead of creating them is a defining part of my thesis on social media. You’ll get much more success if you pay attention to what is trending on Twitter , try reverse engineer the nature of the hashtag, and then try to bring value to the conversation.
Touting the effectiveness of social media for business use is a hot topic right now, that's because Facebook and Twitter have proven their effectiveness for generating additional consumer attention. And to Vaynerchuk's point, a business needs to listen first, sell second.
A previous post wrote of how the now omni-present hashtag is effectively free advertising for any upcoming event when done correctly - and now validated by Gary Vee.
Try finding your city’s pop culture nickname (“#ATX” for Austin, Texas) and see how many people are using it. If your event is a live performance of a rock band at a nightclub in Baltimore, then add “#[band name]” and “#Bmore” hashtags to your Facebook post announcing the show. That way, a vastly larger audience will be aware of your event, far beyond those with whom you are directly connected to via the traditional “like” and “friend” binders. With the vastly larger event awareness provided by a hashtag, your event will enjoy the opportunity for additional ticket sales it normally wouldn't.
Participation in the conversation surrounding a hashtag is very context specific, the old fashion "spray and pray" tactic doesn't work. Listen, read, see what pop culture trends on Twitter and Facebook are relevant to your event. People will welcome your venue's "voice" if the tweets are adding value. So, add the right hashtag and see how many extra tickets you sell as a result of social media .
ThunderTix Social Media Ticket Sales
ThunderTix offers your event the ability to sell tickets directly on your Facebook Page, right where the conversation is already occurring. And now with the new support for hashtags, the potential audience for tickets sales on your Facebook Page is much, much larger.