On Line to Off Line

Ticket good for . . .

I’ve noticed a startling trend. It’s not a beneficial trend, and I’d like to help curb it. Today.

Many festivals and events flounder with carrying the social media conversation past the point of purchase – meaning that once I’ve bought a ticket, there is very little effort at engaging me further. UGLY TRUTH ALERT: If you don’t give me a way to interact with you after the show, you may very likely find that you have lost my attention completely when next year’s show comes around. All the hard work you’ve done to attract me will have been for naught. I will no longer be listening when you have something to share.

See? It’s not a pretty scenario, but you can see how it happens.

Here’s the thing – I want to be included by you. I want to share my experiences, both with you and the other people who came to your show. I want to talk about where I’ve been and what I’ve done. If you’ll help me stay connected, I will help market you, within my sphere of influence, simply by interacting with you. It’s a win, win!

What’s to be done? Help me extend my offline experience into the online conversation. Here are a few, quick suggestions – please feel free to use them, and to report back on the results.

At the gate, remind me to post a photo and comment on your Facebook Fan Page so that friends back home can see just how much fun I had.
Invite me to post a link to a 12seconds video while I enjoy a specific attraction.
Create a scavenger hunt of on-site images for me to collect, and offer a monthly prize drawing in exchange for me posting a specific image with a hashtag to my Twitter account at the right time.