5 Ways to Use Instagram for Selling Event Tickets
Where you market and how you reach your target audiences is constantly evolving due to our ever-growing technology. One of the strongest platforms used for reaching a new audience in the social media world is Instagram.
Here are 5 ways you can use your Instagram account to help you sell more tickets and gain faster results. If you need help building your followers and creating an account, I would check out our blog on 5 simple things you should do on Instagram first, before you start promoting!
1. Live streaming online
Instagram is constantly evolving, and adding new features to make its platform even better! One thing all event promoters should take advantage of is live streaming!
This is a unique feature because it lets you stream live, do mini podcasts, and create broadcasts for your followers.
While streaming, it will notify your followers that you are live and they have the option to join the video, leave comments, and interact with you on the spot.
I recommend going live because it sparks the curiosity of your followers when they get a notification on your podcasts and encourages more engagement in return.
Most people enjoy this feature because they see brands at their rawest form, not hiding behind filters and campaigns.
If you plan to go live, make it a fun experience for your audience.
Maybe you are announcing the winner of a contest you ran, showing them behind the scenes of your event, an exclusive interview with an artist/performing, or responding to questions they had about your event.
If it’s a big ordeal, I would announce ahead of time or conduct a countdown for when you plan to go live so your audience can coordinate to join the conversation.
2. Hosting giveaways and contests
Instagram is all about engaging with your online community, and what better way to get involved than hosting a contest?
Whether it’s free merchandise or ticket giveaways, this is a sure way to get people
actively talking on your account.
Here are contest ideas to try:
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Photo caption contest
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Tag-a-friend
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Trivia
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Scavenger hunt
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Like-to-Win
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Selfie Contest
By doing these you can draw more traffic to your account and reach new audiences.
3. Post more videos
If you have any promo videos, highlight reels of last year's event, testimonies, post it all! Sharing videos, helps build trust with your brand and event.
People tend to like video ads a lot more than regular ads and it increases their purchase intent by 97%. It’s not uncommon that most people prefer video over text, it’s easier to watch, more entertaining, and better for understanding content.
This is your opportunity to let your audience learn about your event and what it can offer them like showing highlight reels of people who have enjoyed your event in the past.
If your video is clever, pleasing to look at, and catchy, it won’t be forgotten gaining a lot of new impressions at low cost to you.
4. Try some paid ads
Make sure you are taking advantage of the paid advertising options on Instagram. There are a few different ads you can produce:
When boosting an image, you can choose your target audience, click-through rates, how much you want to spend and for how long.
Carousel Ads
If you have over one video or image you want to share, this is the perfect tool to use.
This lets users swipe through a series of posts you created that can later direct them back to your website or account.
You can create a longer storyline about your brand or event to get all the elements you want in one ad.
All of these options allow you to insert a call-to-action button; apply now, book now, contact us, call now, or download.
Story Ads
Stories are great to use because they appear at the top of everyone's feed. Content can be lost in the constantly updating feeds of your followers, but your story appears on top for everyone to see for 24 hours.
This type of ad is usually used for call-to-actions such as unlimited deals, ticket discounts and offers that are expiring (limited-time).
You can promote videos, texts, fun filters, add polls, questionnaires, and other creative promotional ideas using this platform.
5. Reach out and work with influencers
Over the years, influencers or people with a high following on social media have been used to help promote an event, product or service.
Because posts on Instagram are shown based on engagement rather than chronological order, influencers help your products get out into the market and reach a greater audience.
Basically, these influences are encouraging people to attend your event based on their recommendation and that is it. They do so in exchange of tickets for your event or other forms of payment. When searching for an influencer make sure you to do your homework and establish they are someone you want representing your event.
Let the influencer get creative with how they want to advertise your event and trust they will create an authentic campaign.
You can have them send an example post of what they had in mind if you are unsure of their campaign ideas.
