How Reps and Referrals Help Drive Higher Sales

How can reps and referrals drive higher ticket sales?

Reps and referrals can help you in several ways. So, if you’re wondering how this works, you’re in the right place. Let’s take a look below. 

They help you tap into new markets

We’re going to conduct a quick thought experiment.

Say you’re based in Manchester City Centre. According to Manchester City Council, the population of the city in 2021 was 586,100 people.

This is likely to have grown in the years since and doesn’t include Greater Manchester. Of course, you aren’t going to reach all those people; it would be impossible. However, a small percentage of that figure will be interested in your event, which means lots of potential new markets for you to tap into using reps and referrals.

It could be students starting university for the first time, fans of similar events or the general public. Having a group of reps or a referral system can help you get to them. Once you’ve done the rounds on campus, attended freshers fairs, completed flyer drops and gone out into the city centre, an influx of new people buying tickets to your event will make your numbers soar. 

Create a buzz via word of mouth

Once these people have bought tickets to your event, they’ll hopefully leave and spread the word to their friends.

All it takes is several new customers to attend your gig, club night or comedy event, have an absolute whale of a time, come back and encourage their friends to buy tickets for your next event.

There’s a bit of FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out – at play here. Switched-on eventgoers always want to get involved with what their city has to offer, and if their friends are talking about an event they don’t know about, they’ll want a piece, too.

This can be heightened on university campus’. Students know a lot of people, whether that’s through lectures, seminars, societies, sports clubs or accommodation. That FOMO can create urgency, which can translate to higher ticket sales for your event. 

The statistics don’t lie, either. In 2023, Fixr’s Event Trends Report revealed that 97% of 18-24 year olds who were surveyed said they hear about events from friends. Elsewhere, MarketShare states that word of mouth can improve marketing effectiveness by up to 54%.

This turns into a positive feedback loop

Once you’ve tapped into these new markets and those people have recommended your event to their friends, the sky is the limit. Their friends can tell people they know and the cycle keeps going. 

The idea is to keep going, using reps and referrals to sell to new people, who can then spread the word about your event. 

Before you know it, you’ll have a steady sense of excitement around your event, with new people coming every time to check out what’s on offer. 

How do I put this into practice?

It’s all well and good knowing how reps and referrals can help you drive ticket sales, but how can you the strategy into practice? Keep scrolling to discover how.

Use our Reps feature 

Our Reps feature, found in The Skiddle Promotion Centre, can help you to reap the benefits explained in our article. 

The process is simple. You enable Reps in The Promotion Centre, set the rewards you want to give to your reps, share the link to sign up and welcome some new ticket sellers to your team. 

You could share the link on social media, tell people you know, mention it to fans of your event and if you have a WhatsApp group for event fans, share it with them. You’ve got a high chance of getting reps here, as people in the group will be taking the next step up from being involved in the group. 

But how can you use the Reps feature to drive ticket sales to your event? 

Well, earlier, we mentioned students and marketing in the city centre you live in. If your reps are students, suggest that they tell all their friends who might be interested and speak to people on campus in their spare time. 

You could also get out into the city centre and chat with people, getting your reps to use their charm, wit and humour to build new connections that might turn into ticket sales. If your reps talk to people who don’t end up buying tickets, try to at least get them to sign up for your newsletter, as they could still buy tickets further down the line. 

Want to tap into new networks and drive higher sales for your event? Watch our How-To guide below. For further information, check out our FAQ guide on the subject, too.