Latest / Marketing Automation with Fexingo: HubSpot, Marketo, and Automated Customer Journeys / Why Marketing Automation Misses Your Season Ticket
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was looking at my inbox this morning, and I got an email from the local baseball team offering me a discount on a four-pack of tickets to next Tuesday's game. And I thought, I literally have a season ticket plan. Why are you pitching me a four-pack? Luna: That's the classic marketing automation miss, right? Treating a season ticket holder like a single-game buyer. But it happens all the time. Lucas: It does. And it's not just annoying, it's actually costing teams real money. Because a season ticket holder is not just a repeat purchaser, they're a different customer segment with a totally different set of triggers and needs. Luna: So what should the automation be doing instead? I mean, if I'm a season ticket holder, what do I actually want to hear about? Lucas: Well, think about it. A season ticket holder has already made a huge commitment, often thousands of dollars before the season even starts. Their needs are about seat upgrades, parking passes, playoff priority, maybe even just knowing the best time to enter the stadium to avoid the lines. Luna: So the automation should be based on their commitment level, not just their last purchase. That's a big idea. Lucas: Exactly. And a lot of teams just don't do it. I was reading about a minor league team that actually nailed this. They realized their season ticket holders were their most valuable fans, but their automation was treating them exactly like everyone else. So they rebuilt their triggers around the season ticket journey. Luna: What did they change? Give me a concrete example. Lucas: So instead of the generic 'we have a game this week' blast, they set up a trigger that fired three days before each home game, but the content was different for season ticket holders. It included their specific seat section, a reminder about the gates opening, and a link to a mobile pass. And if the weather was going to be bad, they'd send a separate trigger with tips on where to park or which concourse had indoor seating. Luna: That's actually useful. It's not just 'come to the game', it's 'here's how to make your experience better'. And I bet that increases attendance, which then increases concession sales. Lucas: Right. And they also started tracking attendance patterns, because a season ticket holder who's not showing up is a huge warning sign. So they set a trigger: if a fan missed three consecutive home games, a different email fired, offering a personal tour of the stadium or a meet and greet with a player. That kind of personal touch goes a long way. Luna: That's smart. Because you're not just selling tickets, you're trying to build a relationship. And if they're not showing up, you're losing that connection. Lucas: Exactly. And the interesting thing is, this isn't just about sports. Any subscription business has the same problem. Think about a gym, a streaming service, a meal kit. If you're a monthly subscriber, you're not the same as someone who just bought a single class or a single box. Your needs are different. Luna: So how do you actually implement that? I mean, the automation platforms like HubSpot or Marketo can handle this, but it requires some thought about your data model, right? Lucas: Yeah, you need a field that captures the customer's membership tier or subscription level. And then you need to build your automation around that, not just around purchase history. But it's also about the mindset. You have to stop thinking in terms of transactions and start thinking in terms of the customer's journey with your brand. Luna: And you have to get over the fear of sending different messages to different people. Some marketers worry that it's more work, but actually, it's more effective. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's more respectful of the customer. I mean, if I've committed to a season ticket plan, I don't want to be pitched like I'm a first-time buyer. It feels careless. And that's the bigger lesson here: marketing automation is supposed to make things more personal, not more generic. Luna: And it's a good reminder that the tools are only as smart as the triggers you build. You have to think about the real-world signals that matter. Lucas: Right. Like, a season ticket holder's renewal date is a huge trigger. That's when they're deciding whether to commit again. And yet, I bet most teams just send a single reminder email. But you could build a whole nurture sequence around that decision, with offers for playoff tickets or a payment plan. Luna: And maybe even ask them for feedback. 'What would make you want to come back next year?' That's the kind of thing that builds loyalty. Lucas: Exactly. And that's where the data gets interesting. You can track things like how many games they attended, how much they spent on concessions, even their seat location. All of that can inform a personalized renewal offer. But most teams are just not doing it. Luna: So, Lucas, you're saying that the season ticket holder is the perfect case study for why marketing automation needs to be built around customer commitment, not just transactions. And I think that's a really important takeaway for any subscription business. Lucas: And it's also a great example of why we love talking about these blind spots. Every time we dig into one, we find a lesson that applies way beyond the original example. Luna: And if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, we love hearing that. And if you want to keep the show going, listener support is what keeps us ad-free. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it does help us keep doing these deep dives. Lucas: Yeah, and we appreciate every bit of it. But back to the season ticket problem, there's one more thing I want to talk about. It's the idea of the 'trigger gap'. Luna: What's that? Lucas: It's when you have all this customer data, but you're not using it to set up automated actions. Like, you know they're a season ticket holder, but you never set up a trigger to thank them after the first game, or to check in if they haven't used their tickets. That's a gap between what you know and what you do. Luna: And closing that gap is where the real value is. Because it's not just about sending emails; it's about sending the right email at the right time, based on a real event in the customer's life. Lucas: Right. And the best part is, this doesn't require some crazy complex AI. It's just good, thoughtful setup of your marketing automation platform. You just need to map out the customer journey and then create triggers for each important moment. Luna: So if you're a marketer listening to this, what's the one thing you should take away? Is it 'start segmenting your season ticket holders' or is it more general? Lucas: I'd say it's more general: audit your automation to see if you're truly treating your most committed customers differently. Because if you're not, you're probably leaving money on the table. And more importantly, you're probably annoying your best customers. Luna: That's a solid takeaway. And I think we've also shown that a little bit of creativity goes a long way. You don't have to be a huge brand to do this well. Lucas: Exactly. A minor league baseball team did it, so anyone can. And that's what I love about this topic. It's a practical, tangible way to improve your marketing, and it all starts with understanding your customer's true relationship with your product. Luna: Well, I think we've given everyone a lot to think about. And next time you get a weirdly irrelevant email, you'll know exactly why. Lucas: That's right. And maybe you'll even have a suggestion for the company. Thanks for listening, everyone. We'll catch you next time.