We know that by selling tickets for streaming events you are gaining valuable revenue and introducing new audiences to your venue. By teaming this with Spektrix you can also ensure these customers are given the same attention as your in-person audiences. Recording customer data about these new audiences in your Spektrix system means you can start turning these customers into loyal attendees, deepen your relationships with them and grow ticket revenue even further.
When it comes to cultivating your relationships with new audiences in Spektrix there are a number of approaches you can take, below you will find some useful articles which will help you identify, segment and target your new streaming audience.
There are a growing number of options to manage live streaming and paid digital content, with varied levels of sophistication depending on your needs and your budget. This guide will help you identify the best fit for your organisation and answer some questions you may have before getting started.
Before do you anything, it's worth sitting down with your team and considering what you need from streaming.
What do you need from streaming?
Consider your organisation's priorities when it comes to choosing a streaming product. The profiles below will give you an idea of what you may be looking for.
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Profile 1: Streaming’s a priority and an important future income stream |
Profile 2: Streaming’s a possibility but there’s still a lot to consider |
Profile 3: You’re streaming because it’s the only option for now |
|---|---|---|
| You’re ready to commit time and budget to a great online experience. You have the skills in house or in your web team to meet your audience’s high expectations and make a real contribution to income streams. | Things aren’t set in stone either way - there might be some revenue in streaming, and you can invest some time or budget to explore it, but this isn’t the top priority for either you or your audience. | You’ll share some content or classes online while you have to - but time and money are tight, and the real priority for you and your audience is to get back to live events as soon as possible. |
| This means… | This means… | This means… |
| Streaming is a central part of your recovery plan in the mid-long term. Your audience is digitally literate and will expect a smooth, responsive and integrated online experience. You’re ready to invest in this area of work. Members of the team are focussed on streaming and able to commit time and knowledge. | Streaming is likely to have some part to play in the next few months, and maybe beyond. Your audience will want things to run smoothly but they know that you’re not Netflix. There’s some budget available but you need to prioritise carefully. You’re stretched, but you can make it work, perhaps with web developers’ help. | You’re considering streaming while it’s the only option, but it’s not a long term plan. Your audience will understand you’re doing your best and won’t mind a few workarounds. You want to do what you can at little or no cost. Streaming is all new to you and your capacity is very limited. |
| We suggest: | We suggest: | We suggest: |
| Consider a higher upfront cost to save money long term, and look for the smoothest possible integration of payments, data and user experience. | Keep your options open with pay- as- you- go charging models based on your income, and make sure you have the data you need to find out what’s working for you. | Get started with low cost ‘DIY’ options within Spektrix - you can always move to a different model in future if you’re streaming for longer than planned. |
Additional Questions
Next, consider how you’ll plan programming, pricing and marketing for your streamed content.
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Live streaming or on demand? Audiences value the buzz of a live event, even if it’s remote - but you may reach more people by making ‘catch up’ content available for 48 hours or more.
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High value or high volume? Consider dynamic pricing, early bird offers or donation-led asks to win commitment and learn what audiences will pay.
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Who’s your audience? With geography no longer a limiting factor, consider testing new collaborations and promotion routes based on your artform, not your local area.
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What’s your preferred platform? Some popular streaming sites - notably Vimeo and YouTube - apply extra charges if you’re using an external payment provider. Check terms and conditions carefully before selecting your approach.
Selling in Spektrix
Just like in-person Events set up using Spektrix, transaction, payment and customer data for your streamed or on-demand Events all stay within Spektrix too. Essentially, this will require you to use your existing checkout process to sell tickets to an Instance which gives customers access to streamed or on-demand content.
If you are hosting the content on your website, you could create an Auto Tag with a Purchasing Segment looking for anyone that has purchased for the Instance. Your web developers can then use the API to grant access to the secure page where the content is hosted to anyone with this Tag. Alternatively, you could make use of a Spektrix integrated paywall feature and stream with any video platform you like, implementing the same method of Auto Tags to grant access to content.
If a third party is hosting your content, to check that customers have purchased tickets to your streamed Event and only then allowing them access, you could send your customers the link and a password by using an Instance Attribute on your Print at Home Ticket Design. Although, this would be a conversation to have with the third party you are working with, who will have Digital Rights Management measures in place.
Streaming partners involving payments in Spektrix:
- Broadway on Demand
- Cogplayer
- Overture+ (you can sell inside or outside Spektrix)
- [showcase] (you can sell inside or outside Spektrix)
- Supercool paywall
Selling outside Spektrix
Transaction and payment data is all collected outside Spektrix with this option! When purchasing tickets for the streamed or on-demand Event, customer payments are processed on the third party’s video streaming platform.
Customer data and transaction details are then automatically populated into your Spektrix system through the API, meaning that you can still utilise Spektrix as your sole CRM system!
Streaming partners involving payments outside Spektrix:
- Ticket Co
- [showcase] (you can sell inside or outside Spektrix)
- Overture+ (you can sell inside or outside Spektrix)
Tell us what you decide: We’d love to know what choices you make, why you make those decisions, and how they work out for you, so we can continue to develop our system and support to meet your needs now and in the future.
If you have any further questions, or would like to discuss anything covered by this article in more detail, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the Spektrix Support team.