The world is changing. People are discovering the joy of traveling and exploring other countries and cultures. The way we market goods and services is also evolving to match these new travel habits and the ever-changing digital landscape. The demand for authentic, traditional experiences has never been more prominent, which gives rise to a new wave of traditional travel brands seeking to cash in on this newfound interest. As a result, the tourism industry is expanding at an incredible rate.
While there are plenty of ways to make money when you’re traveling, the option of selling tickets to attractions and shows is one of the most lucrative. Whether you’re an expert online marketer or simply looking to develop profitable side-hustles while you’re away, here are some tips on how to sell tickets online.
Focus On The Best Value For Your Target Audience
It’s important to look at the value proposition of your product before you even begin to think about pricing. What is the deal breaker for your target audience and how can you offer the best value for their budget? Once you’ve got the answer to this question, you can begin to form a clear picture in your head of what you’ll need to sell to generate the desired return on investment. Essentially, you have to find the sweet spot where enough people will purchase your product to make it worthwhile, but not so much that you’re losing out on potential customers due to excessive pricing. Pricing is always a hotly contested territory in the travel industry and one that I’ll touch on more in detail below. For now, it’s important to remember that there’s rarely one right answer when it comes to pricing and you’ll need to experiment to find what works best for your target audience and brand.
Find Your Niche
Depending on how long you’re planning on being away, it might be wise to specialize in certain markets or time periods. If you’re going for a longer trip than a couple of days, for example, you might want to look at creating a niche for yourself in the luxury travel market or during the peak season. The advantage of specializing is that you’ll know exactly what you’re offering and how to sell it. If your specialty is luxury cruises, for example, you’ll know that you’re offering an experience that appeals mostly to the wealthy demographic and that you’ll need to position yourself as an expert in the field to command the right price.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are undoubtedly times of the year when the demand for travel drops significantly. If you’re going to be in a place with heavy snowfall, you might want to avoid going up in price too much as you’ll likely lose a lot of business. Peak season also brings with it a lot of competition, so it’s essential that you optimize your strategy to generate the most interest from the maximum amount of people. Peak season means more people are traveling, so your product will likely be in high demand, which makes it much easier to price it appropriately. If you’ve got a product that is in high demand during the peak season, you can use this as your baseline and experiment from there.
Sell In High-Demand Places
If you’re looking to make a quick buck while you’re traveling, you might consider taking advantage of the high demand in certain places. There are a few major cities around the world where tourism is at such a premium that you can practically demand a pay rise just for showing up. Amsterdam, for example, is a popular destination with heritage shops, galleries and incredible restaurants. If you’re looking to visit any of these places, you might want to consider buying a Eurail Passport, which is a great way to travel for a long time without having to worry about how much it costs or whether or not you’ll have enough money to continue. Similarly, if you’re ever going to Paris, you might as well do it during the anniversary of the city’s most famous son, Steve Jobs. A lot of people will be traveling to the City of Lights for the premiere of the new film The Man Who Invented Apple. Perhaps you’ll even see a spike in interest for travel to Paris around this time, so you’ll want to be prepared to capitalize on this niche market. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to make money while you’re traveling, consider taking advantage of these spikes in demand to create a small business around selling tickets to the major attractions and shows in these places.
Avoid Off-Peak Seasons
If you’re looking to make the most out of your trip, you might want to avoid going during the peak season. If you’re going to be traveling during a popular vacation time, such as between October and April, you might want to consider going during the off-season or in the middle of the night to catch the best crowds. There are obviously perks to going during the peak season, such as the higher demand and the resulting hike in price, but you’ll also be battling the crowds, which can be frustrating. If you want the best experience during your travels, you might want to look at visiting smaller towns and rural areas as there’s often less competition and less people, which can lead to lower prices and more exclusive experiences. If you’re looking to make the most of your trip, avoid going during the peak season and focus on low-demand times to create a better experience for you and your customers.
Create A Loyal Following Of Buyers
The fastest and most effective way to gain credibility as an expert in your field is by creating a body of work that proves that you know what you’re talking about. The best way to do this is by creating a blog that covers relevant and interesting topics or by building a social media following that documents your expertise. If you take the time to create content regularly and build up an audience, you’ll be able to leverage this into more lucrative side-hustles when you’re traveling. If you’ve got the time to spare and would like to getaway cheaply, you might want to consider creating a blog that documents your travels or becomes a go-to resource for people looking to make the most of their travel experience. If you’ve got the time to spare and would like to getaway cheaply, you might want to consider creating a blog that documents your travels or becomes a go-to resource for people looking to make the most of their travel experience. Just remember to put in the needed effort to create the content and you’ll be rewarded with loyal fans and a bigger wallet.
Offer Special Sells
If you’re going to be making a lot of money from your side-hustle, you might want to consider offering some unique experiences to entice customers. If you’re going to be in Amsterdam for a couple of days, you’ll want to try the canals and experience the city like a true Amsterdammer. Staying in a traditional hotel might not be the best idea as there’s a lot more to this charming city than meets the eye. If you want to make the most of your trip, consider renting out a private room in a traditional hotel or visiting museums and buying all the available tickets for the shows you’re interested in. If you need to make quick cash while you’re traveling, you might want to consider checking out the cruise lines as paying customers are more likely to buy stuff from you.
Experiment With Different Pricing Schemes
The last thing you want to do is to get stuck in a rut with your ticket sales. It’s always a good idea to look at other travel businesses in your area to see how they’re pricing their products and services and, more importantly, how much they’re getting for their tickets. You can use this information to benchmark your pricing and, as a result, boost your bottom line. The key takeaway from this is to never be afraid to experiment with different pricing schemes as different times of the year and in different locations will demand different prices. Look at what’s working and what’s not so that you can form an intelligent and educated opinion as to which strategy is the most effective for your specific situation.