Need a fresh idea to help sell more boat tour tickets? A website in New York City has tapped into people’s competitive spirit for a contest that raises awareness (and usage) of local boat tours. And the contest can replicated in your local area. Here’s how...
Two Tie-Ins. One Contest.
Last week, popular tastemaker website Curbed NYC announced a photo contest for its readers to participate in. The contest made the beautiful Manhattan city skyline the subject for amateur photos, but with a twist. The photo entries are to be taken from the perspective of the scenic waterfronts that circle the island of New York.
Naturally, the waterfront requirement spurred contestants to find a way to take pictures of the city from the shoreline. Some walked to nearby rivers and bridges, but, as the gallery shows, the most bought tickets to local boat tours.
The uptick in sightseeing by boat was not just a way to comply with the contest rules. The prize for winning the photo contest was a pair of tickets to a local boat tour - that's two tie-ins with local tour companies in a single contest.
The ultimate outcome of a photo contest anchored :) to waterfront photography is increased awareness of sightseeing by boat. Of the 100 Curbed contest participants, only three were winners of tickets, but all 100 are now aware of the local tour company’s name.
You can replicate this smart marketing method for your boat tour, possibly with Curbed.com. The Curbed Network of websites is well established in several major cities (nearly all having river or ocean fronts) including Boston, Cape Cod, The Hamptons, Philadelphia, DC, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Curbed describes itself as delivering “intelligence on dining & nightlife, shopping & fashion, and design & real estate to an affluent and influential urban audience.” - exactly the demographic your scenic boat cruise wants to book!
Even if Curbed is not currently operating in your market, you can seek-out the tastemakers and activity curators in the city where your tour operates.
Ticketing Software Can Help Sell More Boat Tour Tickets Too!
Contest are an excellent way to sell more boat tour tickets and so is the ticketing software you use. If your tour is to be the grand prize for a contest, you’ll need an online ticketing software capable of handling the spike in interest that such smart marketing yields.
The ThunderTix plan for boat tours can handle spikes in demand at a price you can afford. Out technology lets you add additional tour departures in response to demand, be it a contest or the holiday rush. And unlike other ticketing companies, we do not charge you per ticket fees! Think your tour company is too small or the credit card processing fees are too expensive? Try our online calculator and see for yourself if selling tickets online makes sense for your tour.