
134 - Single Game vs. Season Tickets : How to Move Fans Up the Ladder
Sports Marketing Machine Podcast
Marketing and Sales Alignment to Close Warm Leads
Jeremy stresses that marketing must warm leads and coordinate with sales for timing, routing, and messaging.
Season ticket holders give you stability; single-game buyers fuel reach and growth. In this episode, Jeremy maps a practical “ticket plan ladder” to convert first-timers into multi-game, mini, half-season, and ultimately full season ticket holders. You’ll get concrete plays—post-game bouncebacks, perk-led nurturing, and data-driven upsells—plus how marketing and sales should operate in lockstep to make it happen.
Key Topics Covered
- Why season ticket holders still matter: bankable revenue, sky-high LTV, and culture/word-of-mouth impact
- Single-game buyers as your largest conversion pipeline (and why flexibility-first offers win)
- Rethinking budget mix: stop spending 70–80% only on single-game ads; invest in mid/long-term plan growth
- Building the ticket plan ladder: single → multi-game → mini/flex → half → full season
- The post-game “bounceback” play: targeted email/text offers that turn 1 game into 2–3
- Perk-led nurturing: exclusive experiences that sample season-ticket value (create FOMO)
- In-season, data-driven upsells: flag 3–4 game attendees as warm leads (don’t wait till year-end)
- Using STH testimonials as “Yelp reviews” in ads, email, and on-site to add trust + urgency
- Marketing x Sales alignment: shared intel, warm lead routing, timing, and messaging
Timestamps
- 00:00 Introduction & NSF Fall Summit preview (Oct 9, 2025)
- 02:08 Why season ticket holders matter (stability, LTV, culture)
- 06:23 Single-game buyers as a growth market (flexibility, data capture)
- 10:41 Budget allocation pitfalls and fixes
- 12:29 The Ticket Plan Ladder explained
- 17:57 Walking fans up the ladder: bouncebacks, nurture, perks
- 20:24 Marketing + Sales must operate as one
- 22:42 Key takeaways & next steps
Call to Action
- Tune in: National Sports Forum Virtual Fall Summit on October 9, 2025—Jeremy joins the “Hot Takes in Marketing” panel (link in show notes).
- This week’s play: Run a post-game bounceback to opening night/next promo buyers and test a 2-for-1 or “prime + value” two-game bundle.
- Upgrade engine: Add STH testimonials to your mini/flex upgrade emails and landing pages, then route multi-game attendees to sales as warm leads.
Quote Pulls / Social Teasers
- “Season tickets are stability; single-game is your conversion pipeline.”
- “Fans crave choice and digital-first options—meet them there.”
- “Stop ending the sale at the first sale. The ladder starts after Game 1.”
- “Use your season ticket holders as your Yelp reviewers.”
- “Sales and marketing must work hand-in-hand—or the ladder collapses.”
Keywords
sports marketing, season tickets, single game tickets, fan engagement, marketing strategies, ticket sales, audience conversion, marketing budget, sports teams, sports business
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