We Are All Critics – Hear Us Roar!

Today’s web 2.0 has offered up a great marketing opportunity and a possible marketing nightmare at the same time.  Our customers can give their two cents.  What are you doing with this?

Ten years ago the internet was very one sided.  Companies and brands put up a website to market their product.  Today, we can actually participate in two-way communication.  We can praise something when it’s great.  We can complain when something is not great.  We can have an actual dialogue.

As marketers we need to jump all over this.  A big reason we don’t like two-way communication is because we think we can’t control the message.  We are afraid of “negative”.  We need to get over the fear because two-way communication on the net is not going away.  If we sit back and do nothing, then the negative boo birds are going to rule the roost.

For many years we have run advertising that included customer testimonials.  We all know they work.  Today’s internet gives us the opportunity to take it to the next level.  NEWS FLASH:  Your customers are googling you!  What are they reading about you?  We should be encouraging our customers to give testimonials.  Have them offer real-time feedback on Facebook and Twitter.  Give them an opportunity to post comments on your website.  There are websites that offer customer feedback such as Yelp. Yes, you will get some negative feedback.  However, if you have a great product your loyal customers will take care of you.  Plus, I believe a little negative is good.  It gives you real customer feedback to fix any issues. It also makes your overall customer comments believable.

Today’s internet had made everyone a critic.  We don’t need to wait for the review to come out in the newspaper after the event.  Plus, we should really be listening to our customers not a newspaper reviewer.

We can’t control today’s internet but we have the marketing know-all to make it work for us!

Expose Yourself!

This is what you should be telling any and all potential sponsors/partners.  Our shows, events, and venues are just the place to do it.

We have discussed in the past niche marketing and grass roots marketing.  Speaking directly to our customers has always been the best way to market but today it’s even more important.  Today, customers have the internet.  They go looking for what they want.  They look for the direct source. Think about it.  Don’t you always Google anything you are interested in? 

Today, running ads on TV programs with good ratings in the proper age demographic may not be the best use of marketing budget.  Yes, I am sure you will hit some of your potential customers but how much waste are you also paying for? If you are going to buy TV/cable then buy a niche channel or program for your product.  For example if I marketed a casino, I would look to buy spots on the poker shows and the horse racing networks. But I would not limit myself to TV. You still need face-to-face with your customers.

All of us in live events have a great vehicle for exposure marketing.  It gives a sponsor an opportunity for “hands on” direct contact with a customer.  Today, companies are looking to speak directly with customers. It’s an opportunity to give them a sample of their product (as we discussed last week).  They can receive direct feedback from a customer.  Why wait for them to post negative tweets.  Let them tell you in person. 

Today, we live in an age where customers want to see, touch, taste and hear everything.  They want full exposure.  Creating these opportunities for your sponsors/partners and your ticket buying customers will payoff for all.

Talk Is Cheap But Its Worth Gold

People are doing more talking then ever before.  You can thank the internet and cell phones for this.  They are not just talking with their mouths.  They are writing, blogging, and social networking.  These words and conversations are what is influencing decisions and moving product. 

As event and entertainment marketers we should not only use these marketing methods, we should also listen and read what they are saying.  A lot of our marketing decisions can be made based on what our customers tell us.  So often we forget to listen to our customers.  It reminds me of the Verizon fios TV commercial where the cable guy asks “why are we listening to customers, seems dumb”.  Customers tell us everything we need to know to be successful.  So many times we just tell them what they want and need.

One the best and cheapest marketing methods: strike up a conversation.  This is really easy to do.  You know who your target market is, so go to them.  On the internet find out where they hang.  What social sites do they use?  What blogs do they read?  Read what they are saying.  Ask them questions. Don’t be scared of the negative.  Use this for positive change.  

You don’t have to use just the internet.  Meet them live, face to face.  Go where your customers are.  This could be at your venue.  Instead of walking around with a clip board, invite them to a table or booth.  Give them a gift for their honest conversation.  We are always doing contests with text messaging at events.  Why not have them text you their opinions? If you market a sports team, why not go to youth sports games? Talk to the kids.  They are your future.

I am a firm believer in having a finger on the pulse of our customers.  Two way talk will do the trick.

Feedback Friday

Feedback from posts

From: “More Lessons from the Big Screen” posted October 26

You make a valid point about those outrageous high-priced live concert tickets.

I run a small live music festival production firm. Two things are becoming apparent: 1. The public does indeed want affordable escapes from reality.  2. Ticket prices/cover charges must be a max. of $10.00 for local music talent or they won’t sell. They’d rather host friends in their homes, listen to free radio, rent movies and buy beverages from the supermarket. 

In fact, guests at one of my shows this weekend complained about a $5 cover charge to see two local veteran classic rock bands in a lovely, unique full-service bar and grill situated on the relaxing Sacramento River. I was forced to allow some in for free or risk losing future fans and possibly potential gig referrals. In this economy, it has become more important to me (and the bands) to gain exposure and build a fan base in hope they can charge higher cover in the future when the market can bear it. Until then, my work, and theirs is a labor of love!

By the way, I agree with you that combining local comfort food/wine/brewpub with music makes for a more attractive, fun show/festival/concert.

Seth Godin endorses the practice of selling season tickets for entertainment. I might give this try for my 2010 festivals, if I can get local venues on board.  

Thanks for sharing your wisdom,

Jenn Hill, Jenn Hill Productions

From: “What is a Freemium and Will it Work for Us? posted September 21, 2009

One of the things that could be done on this subject is for the Marketing Director/Manager of the building to approach other companies about getting something with the purchase of a ticket.  Marketers are always looking for something out of the box to do to break through with their product.  How about 2 free hours of play at Chuck E Cheese with every purchase of a family show…or how about a gift certificate to a grocery or drug store for the same $ figure they paid for their ticket?  Put the store all over your advertising……they will get a bump and so will the family show..imagine Pay $20 for a ticket to see the Joe Lewi family show and then get a $20 gift certificate to spend at Kroger or CVS!!! Wow what a value!  Do something different and see if it works….if you can’t figure it out hire me and I will do one for you and show you that it works.

 Steve Brodsky

I think that freemium will be a powerful tool in the future, yet I am not sure that free seats can be considered freemium. I would make a difference between free samples and freemium. With free samples it is piece of apple you can taste, a limited time where you can use something or a few free tickets to a show. With freemium the free part can be valuable for ever in and of itself. Like the free version of skype, wordpress or even the free videos from common craft.

Usually these free services are something that can be duplicated on the internet at virtually no cost. Making freemium ideal for companies with a large scope. As I understand it, you are only located in a single location, which would make freemium less ideal and free samples a better match.

Peter, www.freemium.org

Joe,
It has worked for me as an audience member.
While Goldstar’s tickets are generally 25 – 50% off sometimes they have a number of free tickets for an event.
I’ve been lured to an event with the free ticket offer sometimes I’ve opted to pay for better seats, other times I’ve gone to the free event and told others. Also, if the free seats are gone it raises the event’s ranking within Goldstar so it’s a hotter event.
Seems like it’s working for everyone.

Annie Uzdavinis

Feedback Questions

The other day I asked two questions for today’s feedback:

1. Do you think the merger of Live Nation/Ticketmaster will happen (why or why not)?
2. How do you think H1N1 will affect ticket sales in the upcoming months?

I only received one reply and his answers were:

1)    Yes, too much money at stake

2)    No, money in people’s pockets and strength of value in consumer’s mind will determine ticket sales

Since I didn’t get any other feedback on those questions, I will take the silence as “you don’t care” and move on.

 People in the biz updates 

Bob Collins, Chairman of the Board of Circus Sarasota (and formerly with WWE, Ice Capades, and Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey) is currently teaching a marketing class in his hometown, Sarasota, Florida. The  course, entitled “Creative Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses,” is designed to coach local business owners and managers to use many of the same marketing concepts that we use to promote family shows:  particularly low-cost/high impact grass-roots marketing tools. Ultimately, Collins and colleagues hope to “take the show on-the-road” and offer the course in other cities as a day-long seminar to inspire business-owners to conduct their marketing with “show-business” creativity and flair.

Brandon Lucus of Carbonhouse  wrote in: “Joe, you know I wouldn’t miss opportunity to talk about our excitement on current projects. We just launched: 

www.accfootballcharlotte.com

www.landmarktheater.net,

 www.charlotteconventionctr.com.

 Check out these websites.  The guys at Carbonhouse do good stuff!

 Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween (my favorite holiday)!

Feedback: Maybe A Blogs Most Important Tool

People like to read daily blogs as part of their online reading. But do they realize they can comment?  Did you know you can be a part of the discussion?  

Most blogs are written in first person.  You can use “I”.  It is the writer’s opinion. This lends itself well for starting a discussion.  Think of it as a hybrid “letter to the editor”.  I believe you do a disservice to your readers when you don’t allow feedback.  Many bloggers don’t post feedback.

People like to read what other people have to say on an issue. Bob Lefsetz makes a great effort to post feedback from his readers.  Sometimes this feedback is more popular then his original post on the topic. Depending on how controversial the topic is will dictate the amount of feedback. 

Feedback is really the most important element of blogging.  Think of blogs as online discussions. Allow feedback and you can take the pulse of an industry.

With feedback in mind I pose two questions today:

1. Do you think the merger of Live Nation/Ticketmaster will happen and why or why not?
2. How do you think H1N1 will affect ticket sales in the upcoming months?

Send me back your answers and I will post them on Friday. 

People in the biz reminder

Don’t forget that I will also post updates on what people in our industry are up to this Friday.  Please email me your updates.  As I mentioned last week, I will post these updates every Friday. This is a great chance for your fellow event & entertainment marketers to hear what you are doing or your business is doing.  We can all learn from this.