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At Sadler?s Wells we?re using text messages in a number of ways, writes Hans de Kretser, but most recently for reserving last minute discounted tickets that are booked directly to our ticketing system.
It?s easier if you find a provider to work with you, and we use a company called Insitu which has a product called Oval Messaging. This can interface with a database such as our ticketing system ENTA. Here?s how it works?

An up-coming performance, which has plenty of availability, is identified and a special ticket price is set up on our ticket system. We extract our target audience from the database ? usually hot prospects who have already received information about the show but haven?t booked. The data is uploaded to Oval Messaging and a witty and persuasive text message is sent off to our hot prospects. If the message rouses their interest they may request more information which is automatically text back to them. If they then want to reserve they text back how many tickets they want. Oval Messaging interprets the text message, connects to the ticketing database and reserves the tickets to the patrons file. A final text message is sent confirming that tickets have been allocated and giving a booking reference number to show when they pay. The mechanism was successful when we tested with control groups and feedback in follow up phone research was positive. We now plan to develop it and integrate it into future campaigns.

A quick way to integrate SMS with your marketing is by using other people?s lists. We?ve been using third party lists for some time now and today you can get a variety of SMS databases which cover many audience profiles. For example, Richard Andrew?s Theatrenet.com has been building up an opt-in SMS list for some years now. Just after Christmas, we used the londondance.com SMS list for the first time to promote the New Year?s Day performances of Nutcracker. It was a show that the londondance.com audience would already know about. The SMS went out between Christmas and New Year - a time that direct mail might not be as effective as many people are away from home and email risked being missed by people who use work email addresses. SMS seemed to be the right medium for this last minute ticket deal ? it would arrive in people?s palms when they were with the very friends and family with whom they might want to something different on New Year?s Day. The costs of third party SMS lists that we?ve used are usually between 10p and 20p. I?ve not seen the miracle response rates that some people claim but the return on investment has been healthy enough to merit trying it again.

Hans de Kretser is Web Development Manager at Sadler?s Wells
e: hans.dekretser@sadlerswells.com