What Can Patron Loyalty Do for You in 2025?
Throughout 2024, TRG has frequently reminded the sector of the importance of patron loyalty. We build our counsel based on audience loyalty to secure reliable and recurring revenue for our clients. But what does patron loyalty look like in 2025? What might happen at your arts organization if you invest in audience loyalty from the start of the new year?
The Power of Loyal Patrons
Loyal patrons – your regular customers, often subscribers or members - are the lifeblood of your organization. These individuals engage consistently, invest financially, and act as ambassadors for your brand. They champion your work, introduce others to your programming, and provide a stable revenue base in times of uncertainty.
Here’s what patron loyalty can do for you in 2025:
1. Enhance Revenue Stability
Loyal patrons tend to spend more over time. Whether it’s upgrading from single tickets to season subscriptions, purchasing premium seating, or contributing as donors, their deep engagement directly translates to financial security. Oh yeah, and they are much less expensive to market to than new customers.
2. Build a Resilient Community
Loyal patrons also form the core of the community that forms around an organization. They are your most passionate supporters, participating not just in your events but also in discussions, advocacy, and volunteering efforts. They become the social proof of your values as an organization.
3. Fuel Data-Driven Growth
Loyal patrons leave behind a wealth of data. Analyzing their behavior helps you tailor programming, refine pricing strategies, and forecast revenue more accurately. Their feedback can also be vital in assessing the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns, your programs, and your overall customer experience.
4. Amplify Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Your loyal patrons are also your most effective marketers. Positive reviews, social shares, and recommendations from trusted individuals can drive new audiences to your doors more effectively than any paid advertising campaign.
Rethinking Loyalty Strategies
In 2025, customer behaviors may continue to evolve. Arts organizations must adapt by prioritizing personalization, investing in experience, engaging in two-way conversations, and fostering long-term relationships. Generic marketing campaigns will no longer resonate; organizations need to leverage patron data to craft personalized communications that acknowledge preferences and past engagement. Loyalty grows when patrons feel valued, which requires a focus on the complete experience—from seamless ticket purchasing to thoughtful post-show follow-ups. It’s also essential to engage in two-way conversations, actively listening to patron feedback and demonstrating its impact to deepen their connection to the organization. Finally, loyalty isn’t transactional but built through consistent, meaningful interactions over time. By developing programs that nurture relationships at every stage of the patron journey, arts organizations can build a foundation for long-term success.
Real-World Success: Case Study
The Charleston Symphony invested in loyalty by focusing first on increasing the total number of single ticket buyers, ensuring the quality of their experience, and then following up with intentional subscription package invitations. CSO leveraged launching fixed package sales while their season was still ongoing, announcing from the stage, and reinforcing how many concerts sold so well last year, that of course you’d want to subscribe to lock in a great seat next year. These intentional strategies resulted I record subscription levels for CSO in 2024!
Key Takeaway: Loyalty Is an Investment
As we look to 2025, organizations must treat loyalty as an investment. It requires intentional strategies, cross-departmental collaboration, and a commitment to understanding and serving your patrons’ evolving needs.
By doing so, you can transform loyal patrons into your greatest advocates, your most consistent revenue stream, and the foundation for your organization’s future success.
Is your organization ready to maximize the power of patron loyalty in 2025?
TRG offers three Planning Sprints to help you hit all your revenue goals. Of course, one of them is focused on Patron Loyalty. Rooted in our signature loyalty analytics, your organization will better understand the state of loyalty with your consumers unique to your circumstances. At the end of the sprint, you will have a customized action plan that defines every consumer’s loyalty journey, encourages deeper investment, and reduces attrition. Learn more and let’s start building audiences loyal to your organization.
