TicketSpice

TicketSpice gives you total control for your ticketing solution. We charge you and let you set whatever convenience fee you want...and keep it yourself. Our software costs just 79 cents a registrant.

[ticketspice-blog]

Meet Maci: Vegan and Soon-to-Be Mom

Maci is an amazing team player who always thinks of the team before herself.  She is incredibly dependable and would do anything to help someone else.  As one of our outstanding customer support rockstars, she always goes above and beyond to delight our clients.  If you’ve ever worked with her, I’m sure she left you feeling amazed that such personal and incredible  customer support still exists. 

What do you love most about being part of the Webconnex Team?

I have been a part of the Webconnex team for almost two years now (crazy how time flies) and I simply love the team itself. I love working with folks who are incredibly supportive and encouraging of my work and personal life.

When you have a free Saturday to do whatever you want, what do you do?

My free Saturday would probably include a quiet morning walk with my hubby, around the lake near our house. We’d wrap up our walk by meeting up at brunch with friends eating and talking for a couple of hours. Then we’d head home to rest, watch a movie or nap in the afternoon. Our Saturday evening would entail entertaining friends or family with a casual outdoor dinner and games on our patio.

What are some plans you have for this year?

Well, I plan on having a baby any day now! Yep, I am 9 months pregnant with our first child, a girl!  We are beyond excited and anxious for her arrival. So that is pretty much what all of plans include this year.

What is something we don’t know about you?

It is kind of an office joke, but I eat my lunch, almost without fail, everyday at 11AM.  I am a schedule-oriented person, I guess.  I am also a vegan.

What is your favorite YouTube video right now?

I may be lame but I don’t really watch a ton of YouTube videos; however earlier this week a good friend of mine and my husband’s shared a song on YouTube that I have been listening to over and over and over again. It is a song by The Milk Carton Kids, it is about the writer’s future daughter “Charlie”. I am a total sap over this song for multiple reasons, but hopefully you enjoy it too!

[ticketspice-blog]

Meet Cody: Foodie, Future Triathlete and Country Fan

Cody is an invaluable asset to our Webconnex team.  His big personality, genuine care for our clients and constant pursuit of excellence is unmatched.  He brings laughter and vibrance to our office daily.  We are excited for you to get to know him.

What do you love most about being part of the Webconnex Team?

Being part of the Webconnex team has been such an incredible blessing. In every aspect of the job, there is a level of fun and passion. From the random karaoke sessions, to seeing our customers’ events and fundraising go above and beyond expectations, there is never a dull moment in our office.  We have a great company culture.

The thing that I love the most is knowing we are making a difference every day with our software. We build software that helps individuals and organizations reach their dreams. Whether that’s them running a 5k or an organization fighting sex trafficking all over the world, they are finding a simple solution to make it financially possible for them to go out and make a difference. It’s also extremely rewarding working with individuals that have the same passion and want to make a difference with the way we live our lives,  but also the way we conduct business.

When you have a free Saturday to do whatever you want, what do you do?

I would start off by making a huge breakfast. I have an intense passion for some good eggs and potatoes and coffee every morning; cool fact right? Follow that with some sort of physical activity such as street bike riding, motocross, working out, running, or cycling. Assuming I don’t hurt myself with the previous activity, I would then move on to making a killer lunch that most likely would consist of homemade pizza… Okay I know what you’re thinking, this kid’s life revolves around food. It’s only partially true, okay so maybe I love food. Stop judging me.

In the evening I would love to go swing dance, to a country concert, or to the river. Somewhere in there I would incorporate another foodie session for dinner. Chipotle, or some sort of taqueria. I can never say no to a good burrito. Ending it with a relaxing time in the hot tub would cap off the day rather well. Though, I did just read a horrible article about how much bacteria and feces’ are in the common hot tub… I’ll find a friend who has one that I know has good hygiene. Problem solved; or so I hope.

What are some plans you have for this year?

This year I plan to step out of my comfort zone to do something bigger than myself. This fall I am heading to Moldova to help with shelters that house orphans and girls rescued from sex trafficking. I have always had an intense passion to go to this region to show the love of Jesus to children and young adults who have only known a life of poverty and desperation. I believe love changes everything. This year I also want to run my first triathlon. I am excited to step into a new arena of fitness in order to push myself.

What is your favorite YouTube video right now? The Ojai Taxidermy Commercial. It’s so ridiculous it’s funny.

What’s your favorite song and/or YouTube video right now?

As far as songs go, I would say Rend Collective “My Lighthouse” would be at the top of my list.

Luke Bryan “Play it Again” is now the runner up!

[ticketspice-blog]

4 Tips To Keep Your Emails Out Of The Spam Folder Black Hole

Have you ever spent a bunch of time constructing the ‘perfect’ email, only for it to end up in the dark abyss of your recipients’ spam box?  Well I have, and I want to save you from the same headache.  Spam filters look for some key elements to determine whether your email will be considered spam or not.

Here are 4 tips to keep your emails out of the spam folder:

Don’t use ‘spammy’ words.  Whether in the subject line or body of your email, resist the urge to use any of the following words, phrases, or overuse of punctuation. They will surely throw a red flag and fast-track your email right to spam.

Sign Up Now

Try It Free

Free

Limited Time

!!!!

 Don’t send one big image.  If you are constructing an email that contains all of the text and content within an image, that is a surefire way to get blocked.  Not to mention, if your demographic isn’t very email savvy, they might not realize they need to download the images in order to read your email, therefore, ending up in the trash.

Don’t use info@, support@, contact@, etc.  Be more specific and unique with your email address.  Rather than using contact@…. Someone could use ashley@ or raceteam@…..

Don’t use a generic gmail, yahoo, aol or Hotmail account.  For best results, be sure to send/receive from an email address belonging to your organization’s domain name.  For instance, rather than using [email protected], I use [email protected].  Having the domain name in the email address brings credibility to the receiver and to the spam filters.

There are countless ways to beat the spam filters, but the 4 items listed above are a great place to start.  Are there other tips you have found that keep your emails out of the spam folder?  If so, comment below.  We’d love to learn from you.

[ticketspice-blog]

Team Webconnex Participates in the Shamrock'n Half Marathon

Last Sunday, three of our team members rocked Fleet Feet Sacramento’s 10th Annual Blue Diamond Almonds Shamrock’n Half Marathon.

It was the perfect day for a PR.  Cody ran down a personal best with a finish time of 1:33:01, while Ashley and Aaron completed the day with their first half marathon finish in the books.

Aaron and his awesome wife Amber were able to share in the first time finisher experience.  ”It’s really incredible what consistent training can do”, says Aaron.  ”At the beginning of 2014 neither my wife or I were ‘runners’. We had set a goal to do a 5k, and were somehow talked into a half marathon. By starting small and each day pushing ourselves a little further past what we had done the day before, we were able to accomplish something we never imagined.  It’s only March and we blew way past our 5k goal!”

It was a super fun experience and we look forward to our next half.

[ticketspice-blog]

Tech Tip Tuesday #13 - Coupon To Discount Per Ticket

Here are three easy steps to create coupon codes that are set to apply per ticket; as well as, how to customize the per ticket discount. Step 1: Edit your campaign, enter the coupon tab and select Add Coupon. There you will type in the coupon, the description and campaign you would like it to apply to; just as you would for any other coupon.

Step 2: Then you will enter the amount (fixed dollar or percentage) of the discount and choose either "percent off tickets" or dollar "amount per ticket". Note: Only use these options if you actually are using the Ticket Box Field in the layout tab of your campaign.

Step 3: Once this option has been selected additional options will appear for you to select the specific type of ticket(s) that you want the coupon to apply to as well as additional customization options.Below you can see how the coupon will function on your form.

For any additional questions or clarification on the per ticket coupon code functionality; don't hesitate to hop on the chat, email or call into our customer support. Phone: [phone] ext. 709

Email: [email protected]

[ticketspice-blog]

Give Your Form A New Look!

Who doesn't love a good facelift? Referring, to your forms, of course! We recently updated the design tab with more templates to make designing your form a breeze.

To choose a graphic design template for your form, simply edit the campaign, then enter the Design tab and select "Try one of our free graphic design templates here." There you can easily select or preview the designs that you would like to use to customize your form. Below are some of the templates to take note of.

Brand Spankin' New Templates - Burbon, Canvas, Formaility, Simpleton Dark/Light, Wander lust

You will notice some of these templates have customized submit buttons, input fields, with new header and background images as well as additional CSS. Once a design is chosen feel free to customize it further by adjusting font styles, colors, header images and more!

For any tips and tricks on creating a great graphic design on your form, contact Webconnex Support at 888.317.4539 ext. 2.

[ticketspice-blog]

Book Review - Fred Factor

Our team here at Webconnex always enjoys a swift kick in the pants from a good book. So much so, our Webconnex library of butt kicking books is constantly growing. We figured while we're devouring these books we would share our favorites with you.

We recently read Fred Factor, by Mark Sanborn. Fred Factor is a quick and easy ready with a powerful message leaving you ready to make the most of every encounter, act of service and mundane task. The book features a postal delivery man named Fred and his knack for making the most ordinary of circumstances extraordinary. It covers who "Fred" is, how you can be a "Fred" and how to hire a "Fred".

                       After reading Fred Factor, we sat down to chat about our individual takeaway's from the book. It was fascinating, while not surprising, to see how we each connected with three different aspects from the book, all fitting with who we are and our role on our team.

Aaron, our intellectual, philosophical and harmonious Customer Support Ninja learned from Fred, what a difference one person can make performing even a menial task or job. This quote from the book summarizes it best, "The person doing the work determines the difference between the mundane and the magnificent." So something as simple as answering people's questions over the phone can mean positive, memorable experiences when done with passion and excellence.

Maci our empathetic, Happiness Advocate, who loves investing in others, most resonated with this quote, "Be Kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle", by Philo Judaeus. When we pick up a support phone call or answer an email, we must keep in mind that each person has a life that has led them to the moment of this conversation. This can drive their approach to their questions and we must be empathetic; because our response has the opportunity to add to their value and make their day brighter.

Ashley our enthusiastic, people oriented, and work centered Director of Awesome First Impressions, focused on how a "Fred" is the kind of employee who will give your company a competitive advantage. The work environment should cultivate the space to allow folks to take risks, be themselves and have some fun. You can also convert your job into one you love, not by doing a different job, but by doing the one you have differently!

If you're looking for a quick read to help give you a fresh outlook towards your job or life snatch up a copy of Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn. You won't regret it!

[ticketspice-blog]

Spice Up Your Form With Custom CSS

We understand, not everyone has a nerdy knack for custom coding (me included).  Sometimes I walk in our developers’ office and feel as though I’ve just stepped into a scene from the Matrix. 

Get ready to have your nerd IQ jump a few notches as we show you a couple coding tricks to spice up your form.  Buckle up!  It’s about to get nerdy! HOW TO ADD A BORDER AROUND THE BODY OF YOUR FORM

Step 1:  Edit your formStep 2:  Click to the Design tab

Step 3:  Scroll down to “Additional CSS”

Step 4:  Copy and paste the below code into the Additional CSS field

.form_wrap border: 1px solid #000000; margin: 20px auto !important;

It should look something like this….

EDITING THE CODE:

Adjust border thickness:  Edit “border: 1px” to be a larger number ie “border: 7px”.

Adjust border color:  Edit “#00000″ If you’d like help finding the correct color code, you can click here: http://html-color-codes.info/

Shrink or grow the open space at the top of the form:  Edit “margin: 20px”  Make the number larger for a bigger space, or smaller for no space.

That wasn’t so terrible was it?  Now go make your form look awesome!  Your team will be shocked at your new nerdy knowledge.

We’d love to hear from you!  Are there any other nerdy tricks you’ve found helpful when designing your form?  Comment below.

[ticketspice-blog]

5 Ways To Snap Out Of Writer's Block

I’m sure by this point you’ve heard the phrase, “content is king”.  If not, maybe you’ve been living under a rock, or maybe you are fresh into your online marketing.  Either way, providing great content is a key way to drive traffic and sales.  This is great news, if you’re a good writer….

What about those of us who struggle to put words together in a cognitive sentence?  Or who are constantly bogged down by writer’s block?  I’m here to tell you, there are more kinds of content than just textual.

Here are five ways to snap out of writer’s block:

1.  Get to snapping:  My favorite way to bust loose from writers block is to start snapping photos.  Now, you’ve shortened your multiple paragraph blog post down to a simple photo caption.  According to HubSpot, photos receive 54% more likes and 104% more comments than text based posts.

2.  Caption this:  Better yet, let your followers come up with a witty caption for you!  People love sharing their two cents.  Simply post a photo with a caption that states, “Caption this!” and you are bound to have an inflow of comments.  Make mention that you will choose the best caption and repost the photo later with the winner.  You just saved yourself the time of coming up with a great caption, while engaging with your followers.  Score!

3.  Let it roll:  If you aren’t adding video to your online content, your media might be a little bland and dry.  Spice things up with a quick, fun video.  Maybe you’re better at talking than you are writing.  If so, totally go the video route.  It has a double bonus, because your constituents are able to put a face to the name and you get to add a little personality to your company.

4.  Fact or fiction:  Post some fun or interesting facts on your company, organization or industry.  You can even encourage and increase engagement by turning this into a fun contest by asking people to vote fact or fiction.

5.  Interview:  Instead of you coming up with all of the content, just come up with some interesting questions and let your interviewee provide you with all the content you need.Give these five tactics a try to quickly snap out of writer’s block and into some awesome posts.

Are there other tips or strategies you use to snap out of writer’s block?  We’d love to hear them.  Comment below and maybe we’ll feature some of your ideas in an upcoming post.

[ticketspice-blog]

Happy New Year! We plan on rocking 2014!

Each year, Webconnex sets out to make waves in each industry in which we operate.  For the past 5 years, we have consistently broken personal records and grown at a steady pace.  This year, we are gearing up for what we believe will be our biggest year yet!

Here are some fun and some serious ways we plan on kicking butt in 2014!

We will be sure everyone stays amp’d for the awesomeness with our daily dose of Red Bull!

We will be announcing the release of our highly anticipated Webconnex 4.0 platform!

We will be getting fit – as a team!  Even our developers will be breaking a sweat while training for their first 5k.  (Stay tuned for photos and updates.  They are hilarious)

We will be changing the world with our incredibly innovative, never before seen features and functionalities.

We will be growing.  With the release of our new platform, we are already anticipating the influx of new sign-ups and want to ensure our growing client base continues to receive top notch support.  Again, stay tuned for the announcement of ‘Employee #9”, we are confident you will love him!

We will be actively posting on our blog with feature releases, announcements and great industry tips and tricks.

We will be giving back.  In 2014, Webconnex will donate a (soon to be announced) amount of money to some very worthy causes.  What we do day to day empowers us to multiply the efforts of others.

We’d love to hear how you plan on kicking butt in 2014.  Comment below or Facebook or Tweet us.

[ticketspice-blog]

Happy Thanksgiving!

A very happy Thanksgiving from the Webconnex family. Today we especially want to thank our clients, because they are truly THE BEST around. We want to say thank you for the many ways you make our jobs awesome.

Thank you for swinging by our office just to say hi and to meet us in person.

  Thank you for inviting us to attend your events.

  Thank you for using your wit, simply to make us laugh.

  Thank you for the sweet free swag!

  Thank you for suggesting joint company ski trips with Webconnex.

Thank you for hopping on the chat just to say "Hi" and "You Rock".

Thank you for signing onto the chat as celebs like "Lady Gaga", "Eminem" or "Jennifer Anniston".

Thank you for sharing your love and excitement for Webconnex products to others.

Thank you for turning an average customer support conversation into the highlight of our day. You inspire us to continue to provide you with the best product and customer support possible. We hope you are having the happiest of holidays with your friends and family!

[ticketspice-blog]

Tech Tip # 12 – Use Invite Codes for Exclusive Events

Needing to restrict registration to only a select group of people? Use an invite code to ensure only those exclusively invited are allowed to register.

Step 1. Once you have created a campaign using a template, you will need to edit the campaign, enter the layout tab then select the green Add button. There you will add a new Page under Design Elements. Next you will drag and drop all fields onto the second page beginning with the field on the top of your first page to ensure the fields are placed in the exact same order. Note: You may wan to leave a few of the basic information fields on the first page.

  Step 2. Next, on page one, select the green Add button to add a Coupon Code field. You can label it Invite Code (or whatever is fitting for your event), and then be sure to choose the option to make the field required. This means anyone who would like to get to the second page to register must provide an invite code to continue on.

  Step 3. In the layout tab you will add a Submit button to be placed at the bottom of the page, to ensure folks can actually make it to the second page of your form.

  Step 4. Next you will actually need to create the invite code. Enter the coupons tab and select Add Coupon. Similar to an actual coupon code you can either simply have one coupon code and then control the supply to be limited if you would like; or you can select the option to import a unique series of coupon codes so that each individual will have their own unique code. Your first page of your form could look something like this.

  Note: If you choose to import a unique series of coupon codes, be sure to leave it as unlimited. The software already recognizes the coupon code should only be used once.

[ticketspice-blog]

Streamline the Experience

With all online transaction experiences, efficiency and natural flow are key elements to keep in mind, in order to provide a streamlined process for customers. With every click of a mouse or switch of a page, there are mere seconds of opportunity for the distracted mind of your customer to rethink their transaction or move on from your website to the bazillion other websites they can access. It is always important to eliminate as many questions, concerns or hesitations your customer can run into throughout this process.

With Webconnex you can customize your forms to feel like an organic extension of your website, so that most of your customers will never even notice that they have moved from your website to our secure servers, when submitting their transaction. One small yet important part to creating a natural flow when linking a button or text on your website that will send folks to your ticket sales; is to be sure the link is set to open in the same window and tab that they are currently using to browse your website.

We suggest walking through every step of the process your customer will experience. While doing so, ask your self if parts of the process are distracting or could potentially stir up confusion. Understanding what others will experience will help you make adjustments to streamline the process. Ultimately an easier and faster user experience will result in more successful transactions.

For more information on how to test your page click here.

[ticketspice-blog]

Tech Tip #11 - Embed A Secret Coupon Code In Your Form URL

Did you know a coupon code can automatically be redeemed in a form without it showing the actual code in the form?  This can be done by including special text in the URL.  Read below to try it for yourself and see what we mean.

STEP 1:  Create a coupon code.  For this example we created a code called SPONSOR

STEP 2:  View your Webconnex form.  For this example we will use this form:  https://demo.webconnex.com/mud5k

STEP 3:  At the end of the form URL type in:                                                 ?coupon_code=YOURCODE&_hide_coupon=1  

Click here to see an example:  https://demo.webconnex.com/mud5k?coupon_code=SPONSOR&_hide_coupon=1

If you click the link above, you will see that the coupon code was accepted in the form, but did not show up in the coupon code field. This is a great way to discretely share coupon codes with sponsors, volunteers, family, etc.

If you'd like to learn more about coupon codes, you can do so here.

[ticketspice-blog]

Feature Friday - New Compare Events Reporting Feature

Do you ever wonder how the revenue of your current event is doing in comparison to a previous event?  Well wonder no longer because we have your answer.  As you may have seen in this morning's newsletter, we recently released a reporting feature that allows you to compare the progress of two events.

With an easy to understand graph and list format, you can see day-by-day progress of your events.  Use one of our default dates, or set a custom range.

This report will give you a piece of mind and a clear understanding of how your event is doing.  You can even use the compare report to see if registrations spiked around a particular promotion or price increase.  Evaluate the information to see what has effective and how you could market your event moving forward.

Below are screen shots of the Compare Report in action.  If you wish to see a step-by-step guide on how to create a Compare Report, click here.

If you are not currently a Webconnex client, but would like to take advantage of this reporting feature, click here.

What is the next feature you would like to have?

[ticketspice-blog]

Word to the Wise – Confirm Emails In The Confirmation Center

Anyone out there prefer to be the one making the mistakes rather than being the one learning from others mistakes?

If our Webconnex blog community were in one room, I’m pretty sure we would be able to hear a pin drop in response to that question. I think we can all agree, it is an easier road to learn from the mistakes of those who have come before us, than to go through the painful experience of being the one to making the mistake. 

From time-to-time there are situations for our clients that arise and it breaks our hearts a bit to know the headache of the situation could have been avoided, if only they had know. This is why this week; we want to remind you to confirm your Communication Emails to ensure they are submitted fully.

  On the same page for preparing the recipients and contents of your email there is a Continue button, which will bring you to the Confirmation screen for the email you wish to send out. This is a screen that gives you a chance to review the recipients, do a final spell check and either go back to edit the message or send/schedule the message if you are ready. In order for your email to be submitted for approval you must select the final Send Message button.  

  Doing so, will save you the heartache of expecting an email to be sent only to find that the email was never confirmed, therefore never submitted. 

[ticketspice-blog]

Tech Tip #10 - Set Quantity Limits

Don't run the risk of overselling tickets or merchandise.  Follow the steps below to set capacity and quantity limits on your forms.

STEP 1:  Edit your form

STEP 2:  On the Basics tab, scroll down and click Show Advanced Options

STEP 3:  Select Limited and enter your overall registration capacity (in the next example you can set individual registration category capacities)

You can set quantity limits in both Ticket Box and Multiple Choice fields.  These are most often used for event categories and merchandise.

STEP 1:  Edit your form

STEP 2:  Click the Layout Tab

STEP 3:  Edit the Ticket Box or Multiple Choice field on your form.  Or click the Add button to add a new field.

STEP 4:  Look for the Limited Supply option and select Limited and enter the quantity you wish to allow.  You can do this for each registration option and/or merchandise field.

NOTE:  As this option is selected, the 0 or 2000 in this example would alter.  It would become 1 of 2000, 2 of 2000 and so on.

Check back for tips on how to show the remaining supply for your participants to see.