Social platforms come and go, but audiences are everything for event promoters. If Facebook or Instagram disappeared tomorrow, what would happen to ticket sales? That is where Audience Republic comes in, a marketing platform designed specifically for promoters, festivals, artists, and venues, to rally their fans and harness their data to sell more tickets.
With social media algorithms constantly shifting under their feet, event promoters are often left stranded, with no direct access to the fans or attendees they know are out there. “Many are just so over-reliant on social media to sell tickets,” says co-founder and CEO Jared Kristensen. “However, people are waking up to the fact they don’t own the followers they’re building up on social media.”
Audience Republic puts events on solid ground, as an all-in-one marketing platform that helps events of all kinds sell more tickets. Designed to work with all ticketing platforms, Audience Republic’s Event CRM is a single place to bring together sales and audience data from the platforms event professionals already use.
“We offer a way for them to actually use their data to sell more,” says Kristensen. “That includes tickets for physical events or livestreams, as well as merch, album launches, and memberships.” This is achieved through their email marketing platform, text messaging platform, and advertising network integrations, all specifically tailored for promoters and artists.
One of Audience Republic’s secret weapons, however, is their Presale Registration platform. The straightforward name hides a gamified process that delivers explosive results. Fans are rewarded for referring their friends using a points-based system that lets them earn prizes. Rewards have included exclusive, money-can't-buy experiences such as backstage passes, meet and greets with headline artists, personal video messages for fans, and even NFTs.
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“The pre-sale announcement is a high-impact moment. You need to make the most of it,” says Kristensen. “The results we see through this process are exponential.” This has led to success stories like EDM festival Lights All Night, whose recent ticket presale in June sold out in just thirty minutes. Lights All Night is one of the longest-running independent music festivals in the US, with over 40,000 attendees expected at this year’s two-day event that returns to Dallas, Texas for a massive year-end celebration on December 30-31.
As venues reopen and promoters strive to channel pent-up fan demand, making use of this unique moment in time is crucial. ”It’s about more than just selling presale tickets,” he says. “It’s about using the announcement to build an audience you own, to help sell the remainder of general onsale, to gauge and generate demand for additional dates, and to sell future shows. That’s the secret.”
“Everybody wants to be that person who knows about something before their friend,” notes Brian Arnone, Chief Revenue Officer, who brings 25 years of expertise in event technology to the company. “Audience Republic systematically gives fans the power to do that as you register for a campaign.” By giving promoters insights into customers’ spending habits and brand loyalty, Audience Republic allows them to identify and reward top customers and announce new events with a bang.
Kristensen’s experience of losing $20,000 on his second event as a new promoter in 2009—his first having been an instant sold-out success—is one he often calls on as a reminder of how challenging the business can be. “Every promoter has a similar story,” says Kristensen. “It’s a stressful job. If we can help reduce the risk, help future proof their ticket sales, reduce the spend on paid ads and reduce some of their stress levels by saving time, we are doing our job.”
For Audience Republic, the key is giving users direct ownership of their audiences. “Our core belief is that you should own your audience,” says Arnone. “What Audience Republic brings is really the platform and the marketing expertise,” he says, “giving you better, quicker insights into your customer database and then an easy, self-service way of promoting to your fans.”
“Everybody has asked their ticketing provider, ‘How are you going to help me sell more tickets?’” Arnone recounts. “‘How are you going to help me get more people in the door?’ Now, their answer is Audience Republic.”
