It really does begin to feel like a broken record. “This social media and engagement stuff is quite exciting, but does any of this really drive ticket sales?” I must get asked this question at least once a week. It’s a very fair question and, after answering it a million different defensive ways over past few years, one that I now ultimately answer with a firm YES, it does (period)! In the past, I used to step up on my soap box and go into a much larger dialogue about the power of social media (I hate the words “social media” btw… but using for this article to make my point!). You know, the ability to listen to consumers, the ability to enhance customer service, the ability to truly engage new audiences, the power and efficiency of driving word-of-mouth – but, many of the decision makers in the marketing puzzle and executive management really have a hard time to contextualizing the value of anything other than sales. I can understand why – slimmer budgets, it’s harder to get share-of-wallet of the consumer, tighter buying windows, etc. In short, everyone is in a tight squeeze.
So, how does “social media” drive ticket sales? I would argue it is the single best vehicle to take a consumer in a traditional sales funnel from ‘awareness’ to ‘consideration’ which is ultimately the primary recipe for the development of strong word-of-mouth. I see the show, I tell my friends on my social nets and now they have not only been introduced to the brand – but are significantly more like to consider it in their entertainment options. Ticket sales typically don’t happen without some basic level of evolution through the sales funnel just like you date before you marry. An investment in a sound social media strategy (whether through time or capital expenditure) helps fill the top part of the funnel and compresses it downward.
What puzzles me is that I have to continue to give long-winded explanations on this topic when over 80% of advertising budgets simply service the top end of the sales funnel by engaging with consumers at the awareness and consideration stages. The good news is that the number of conversations I’m having on this topic have definitely decreased which means less of my rambling. 