Rockhouse Partners added ‘WINGS’ to my advertising campaigns. The list of deliverables is extensive and beyond what I imagined this partnership would bring. Our concerts are selling a lot faster with Rockhouse Partners’ digital marketing integrated with Soaring Eagle’s traditional marketing! I can’t thank Etix and Rockhouse Partners enough for making our ticket sales ‘SOAR’.”

 

– C.C. Griffus, Advertising & Public Relations Manager for Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

The Challenge

Between outstanding entertainment and endless amenities, it’s easy to see why Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is the go-to destination for residents of Michigan and beyond. Soaring Eagle features two show venues, including an outdoor amphitheater that will host musical acts ranging from Keith Urban to Def Leppard this summer. It’s no surprise that one-time visitors quickly become lifelong patrons.

In January, Soaring Eagle decided to build on their several successful years with Etix and brought Rockhouse Partners on the team to improve their digital marketing game. Previously, their email marketing strategy focused mainly on gaming and resort specials, leaving a significant revenue stream unattended.

Rockhouse Partners utilized Soaring Eagle’s expansive ticket-buyer database collected and organized through Etix, including email addresses gathered with Etix’s Pre-sale Customer Notification feature.

After working with Soaring Eagle to design a custom email template optimized for mobile,  Rockhouse Partners launched an introductory email campaign encouraging ticket buyers to choose their preferences, allowing them to receive the most relevant communication. That email alone generated 13% of the overall revenue from email and more than doubled the average email open rate. This doesn’t even mention social media management and reporting…

Challenge

How could Rockhouse Partners contribute to an already well-oiled machine with several moving parts?

Solution

Email Marketing

• A MailChimp account was created with all the bells and whistles (including a custom template and automated welcome email) and relevant customer information imported over the past 18 months.
• A “Welcome” campaign introducing the new entertainment-focused email series was sent to the list of previous ticket buyers and casino-goers that allowed them to opt-out and encouraged them to select their preferences. [Welcome campaigns earn 4x the open rate than regular promotional campaigns.]
• An email marketing strategy was developed that includes show announcements, employs the Etix Pre-sale Notification feature for targeted campaigns, and increases overall awareness and engagement with the designated entertainment properties at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. [Segmented emails receive a 15% higher open rate than emails sent to the full list.]

Social Media Marketing

• Added the Etix “Buy Tickets” Application to the Soaring Eagle Facebook account. [The Etix “Buy Tickets” Application contributes to 50% of sales from social for Soaring Eagle.]
• Successfully incorporated show-focused social on Twitter and Facebook, while keeping with the already existing casino and resort-related content.

Operations and Reporting

• Created a comprehensive Content & Communications Calendar to measure week-over-week sales across each channel as well as monitor email marketing success and develop social media posts.
• Worked with various Soaring Eagle partners to successfully update all Etix links with the appropriate partner ID for accurate sales tracking.

The Wins (So Far…)

• Over 1,000 tickets have been sold through email, in less than 3 months.
• The Etix pre-sale notification contributes to 38% of sales through email.
• Soaring Eagle’s average email open rate is 36% (2x the industry average) and an average click rate of 12% (4x the industry average).
• Ticket sales through social media have increased by 953%.
• Overall year-over-year ticket revenue is up by 119%.