When it comes to music, Australians are a passionate bunch. So much so that 40% of adults say that music is their life and number one passion. This 40% are the early-adopters and tastemakers for the rest of the population, and from an industry standpoint, they represent the most important customer base to target. These fans and music influencers represent a big opportunity to introduce your live music events to their friends, driving ticket sales.
To better understand this audience, Eventbrite and Media Insight Consulting conducted a study to look at the way that Aussies consume and discover music. Keep reading to view a snapshot on the role of fan and social media influencers in live music discovery, or download the full report.
Live music discovery is heavily influenced by other people
Our study uncovered that word of mouth is the most common way for people to discover live music events. In the online world, this makes the role of the music influencer critical. Of the people surveyed on how they discover live music events;
- 30% state that they discover them via a social media post from a friend
- 22% from social media ads
- 17% from outdoor ads
This combination of offline influence (word of mouth and advertising) and online influence (social media posts) is incredibly powerful in a world where consumers are bombarded with advertising messaging everywhere they go.
Read More: How Cherry Bar Increased Pre-Sales by 30% by Selling Directly on Facebook and Spotify
Where to find live music influencers
Event brands are increasingly turning to celebrity ambassadors or popular social media influencers (with large followings on Instagram and YouTube for example) as a means to share their event via a promotional post. The big challenge here is knowing how to identify and leverage these music influencers in a way that will drive awareness, engagement, and ticket sales.
Australian-based startup Audience Republic (formally ‘Ticket Squad’) are taking on this challenge, by providing a platform that uses social media and rewards to gamify the process of inviting friends to buy tickets to events, all with the aim of increasing ticket sales for organisers.
Jared Kristensen, CEO of Audience Republic, states that “A lot of the time people think of influencer marketing in terms of celebrities, with big audiences. What’s even more powerful, we’ve found, is the power of small groups. Every friend group has individuals that are influencers among their peers. It’s these individuals who have the most influence and make up approximately 15% of your attendees. By incentivising these influencers to invite their friends, it’s a much more authentic interaction and you get significantly better results. Even just the simple fact of knowing that your friends are attending an event, makes you 10x more likely to purchase a ticket. Audience Republic has been specifically built around this, to firstly identify these key influencers and then to incentivise them with exclusive tickets, discounts and prizes.”
Engaging fans and peer influencers
These “micro-influencers” and peer-to-peer endorsements on social media can be just as effective as a famous spokesperson, since they feel more authentic and relevant. This is especially true for events, as potential attendees are often looking for validation from someone they trust before committing time and money to an event.
The key takeaway here is that you can look beyond the lure of celebrities to create an effective influencer strategy, by focusing on engaging fans to get more fans. In today’s climate conversational marketing from a trusted peer is a key motivator, so focusing on engaging and rewarding peer influencers could drive more ticket sales than simply focusing on YouTube and Instagram numbers.
How to build loyalty with your fans to slay your next onsale
What do Aussie music fans do after seeing a live music event? They buy more tickets. While influencers can make an impact on your marketing goals, don’t overlook your existing fanbase. The people coming to your shows could be your biggest untapped resource. Learn more with How to Build Loyalty with Music Fans and Slay Your Next Onsale.
