How Hulaween overcame tight timelines by creatively leveraging SMS marketing for a successful presale
Capturing customers' attention during the busiest time of year
Hulaween, an annual music festival held in Florida over the Halloween weekend, attracts a massive gathering of approximately 20,000 enthusiastic attendees. This vibrant festival showcases a diverse and eclectic mix of music genres, including electronic, indie, rock, hip-hop, EDM, and more.
In the midst of event marketers’ busiest season, the Hulaween music festival faced delays in launching their much-anticipated 2023 presale. Despite the initial plans for an earlier release, the presale only went live a few days before Christmas in December 2022, when the holiday season’s hustle and bustle makes it hard for marketers to capture customers’ attention. With a tight 48-hour window for the presale and the importance of effectively communicating payment plans, it became crucial to emphasize to fans that this was their first chance to secure tickets with the lowest down payment option, providing them ample time to pay off the ticket price. Creating a sense of urgency and cutting through the communication clutter became paramount to ensure a successful presale campaign.
"I’ve worked with various other email and SMS platforms, and I strongly believe that Hive is the most robust and only platform truly built for event marketing professionals."
Carrie Goss
Harnessing the power of SMS marketing to drive revenue
To overcome their challenges with their presale announcement for the 2023 event, the Hulaween festival devised a clever solution by harnessing the power of SMS text message marketing. With a tight timeline and the presale launching just a few days before Christmas, it was essential to ensure fans didn't miss out on the limited-time opportunity.
Hulaween's masterstroke was targeting past purchasers with enticing SMS copy. Crafted with creativity, the messages announced an exclusive Blind Presale payment plan—a presale where the artists haven’t been announced yet—granting loyal customers early ticket access. The presale's time sensitivity and a chance to secure discounted tickets were effectively communicated. Sent to over 16,000 fans, the impact was astounding, generating a staggering $90,000 in revenue on the first day alone.
Recognizing the potential, the festival extended the presale by 24 hours and sent follow-up texts to non-purchasers. The result? An additional $30,000 in revenue, culminating in a remarkable $120,000 success from just two texts.
In just two texts, Hulaween achieved an awe-inspiring $120,000 in revenue, a testament to the potent power of SMS marketing in captivating fans and driving ticket sales. 🚀🎟️
SMS 1:
SMS 2:
Hulaween’s recipe for a successful presale campaign:
🔥 Loyalty presales: Exclusive early access for past purchasers
🎟️ Blind presales: Exciting presale opportunity opens to the general public before lineup reveal
💲 Payment plan: Convenience with exclusive payment options
🚨 Scarcity messaging: Urgency ignited by limited inventory alerts
⏰ Including a deadline: Limited-time window drives swift ticket purchase
✅ Follow-up messaging: Persuasive reminders for non-purchasers, ensuring a spot at the festival
