Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Marketing Best Practices

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Debflo
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Topic: Marketing Best Practices
Posted: 6/28/07 at 2:26pm

Hey all! So I have been reading some of the older posts and it occurs to me that there are a lot of marketing ideas we may be able to share with each other.

In my specific case, we are a very small, non-profit theatre and we are still working on building up our houses. We have a 72 seat house, and most of our shows will draw to fill about 1/2 - 3/4s of the house. I will be meeting with the board of directors soon to discuss new marketing techniques to try and compete with "the big boys" in the city. We are in Denver, so there is a lot of competition for the almighty theatre-dollar.

What are some of your best practices for marketing your shows and theatre? I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love some input here?

Thanks!

Deb

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biggertigger
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Posted: 6/29/07 at 10:02pm

Wow, good questions, too many answers. First we know the objective, putting more butts in your seats.

What is your target audience? Here, I think it's those that occasionally go to the theater or have little interest in theater. How can you peak thier interest to attend shows more regularly. The name of the show or the writer is a good way to bring interest. Even the subject matter can bring desire to watch the show. But you want repeat business, not just the occaissional theater goer.

Then there is how to advertise, what marketing venue should one use? Commonly is the media (newspaper print and local television/radio). Magazine (unless local) will not hit your target market. But a local magazine has a longer life then news print and television/radio.

But direct marketing (mailers/e-mailers) right to people can draw interest. There are many ways to gain addresses that wont toss the advertisment away.

The trick is to create different levels of advertising. Review what you are currently doing for advertising, get feed back from your audience to find what is work and what is not. Then create a plan to get new/better marketing to increase your audience size.

The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.

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Debflo
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Posted: 7/01/07 at 12:50pm

Very good points. I think part of our problem over the past couple years has been that we haven't identified our target audience yet. Most of our shows are filled with family and friends. And they are great, but lets face it, your family and friends will only come to see so many shows before they get burnt out.
We have built a mailing list of people that have come to our shows, and that is definitely one area I will be focusing on. I have always heard that mailers need to be recieved several times before people will read them and not throw them away. What is your thought on that?
Thanks so much!!

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biggertigger
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Posted: 7/01/07 at 11:06pm

You are correct, those that like theater will always find you out. Now it's finding those that don't know about you.

What are some of the marketing practices that the other theaters in your area are doing? These practices maybe something to look into.

Another thing I would look at is the theater itself. Be critically honest, how are your shows being preceived? How is the theater itself? Location? Remember, image is everything.

There are many different ways to get the advertisment out. Mailers are a great way, but they tend to find their way to the trash before the show is in rehearsal. Though this is money well spent, you are only reaching those that are already interested in your theater. You'll need creative ideas to reach that target market you are trying to woo.

I have a few ideas, but I am interested in what others have done.

I'll be glad to discuss this further. Hopefully others can get creative too.

The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.

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Debflo
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Posted: 7/03/07 at 12:21pm

thanks again. I think we need to sit down and really asses how our theatre is percieved. I think because we are in a more "urban" setting and that we haven't done a lot of publicity in the past, we may not have the most "favorable" image in the community. Honestly, our quality rivals that of anything I have seen at the same level, so I think we need to get that accross.

I would love to hear what some people have done too, hopefully more will start contributing to this thread :)

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biggertigger
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Posted: 7/08/07 at 6:25pm

Ok, quick ideas based on what you gave me. First off, if you are doing the same quality as the others, are you cheaper? Is this worth the trip for a better price?

You are out of the way a little, what brings people to your area? Have a restaurant that brings people in? Can you pair with them (Dinner and tickets, coupons in programs for a discount, etc.)?

Why are you not a "favorable" image in your community? What are ways to change this. Do you have a Chamber of Commerce that can work with you to help promote your theater?

Other ideas is to begin targeting audience based on the show. This will begin to bring in some interest and the best advertisment is word of mouth. i.e. If you are doing the popular "High School Musical" begin advertising through radio (this is pop music kids love) team with the radio to get the advertisment out. Create fun ways for kids, free tickets, autographed post, cast album to a caller. There is many ways to advertise this show. Think of the various posibilities.

The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.

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Debflo
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Posted: 7/10/07 at 3:36pm

Yes, our tickets are usually $3 to $5 cheaper than the other theatres. And while we are out of the way, we do have free parking (which most other theatres here do not) so thats another draw here. I like the idea of pairing with restaurants near by.. we have a couple that are independently owned that may work with here...

To answer your question about why we aren't "favorable" in our communiy, I think it has to do with our more urban setting. We are smaller, in a "worse" part of town, things like that. I can't say for sure that is the case, but thats the feeling I get when I speak to other CT people.

I really like your plan of attacking the marketing based on the show. I think our next show may be a good one to start with too. We are doing On Golden Pond, so maybe we can focus that marketing on the specific audience that would want to see that.

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jayzehr
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Posted: 7/10/07 at 10:51pm

I don't know if this would apply to you, but for our last show our costumer worked for the local university and listed our production as a play that could be reviewed as part of a requirement to attend and review performing arts events. We wound up getting a lot more students than usual.

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biggertigger
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Posted: 7/10/07 at 10:59pm

Oh, On Golden Pond, talk to your adult homes (old folks home, senior citizen centers, etc.) to come and see the show. Sell out just one night specifically for them, they'll love the opportunity. Many of these places have a bus they can use, if not, talk to your local school about donating a few hours to bus them in.

You could also appeal to the Red Hat society about sponsorship/fund raiser. This is a group of girls that like to have a good time and theater is one way for them. Not sure how your theater works but we did one show that planned a one night event (a bigger ticket price) that paired it with wine tasting before hand (and small snacks). Of course we did a comedy and the red hats went crazy for the show. Many of them came back with other friends later to watch the show again.

I know how that worse part of town thing works. Makes it difficult for all businesses in the area. You could try to contact your local police to offer additional security during show nights or hire security (maybe cost prohibitive). And make a point during conversations and/or during ticket sales to mention that parking is free in our secure parking lot. For your convenience we will be happy to have a guard escort you to your car after shows. Or something along this line.

Gosh, I love this stuff. If you want to hire me to do publicity, I'm always available.

The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.

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Debflo
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Posted: 7/11/07 at 1:23pm

jayzehr - I never thought of that, thats a great idea. There are a bunch of colleges in town...

BiggerTigger - I love the red hat idea!! I've in the past marketed (somewhat successfully) to a retirement community's drama club. I got a group of 30 to come to the show with a wine and cheese party before hand. I think expanding on that to inlcude other groups would be a good idea - like the red hats. I just need to find out how to contact them.

I definitely think we also need to list that parking is free in our "secure" lot. I think the word secure needs to be in there for sure. Not sure if we have the budget to hire security, unfortunately though it is a great idea.

I'm thinking OGP is going to be a great show to start out with our new marketing plans. Its a well known show, and it should draw well. (I hope)

Wow, you are right, you are great at this stuff! I'm loving this conversation! Thanks so much!!

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Topic: Marketing Best Practices( Topic Closed)
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Author	Message
Debflo Star Joined: 6/06/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Topic: Marketing Best Practices Posted: 6/28/07 at 2:26pm
	Hey all! So I have been reading some of the older posts and it occurs to me that there are a lot of marketing ideas we may be able to share with each other. In my specific case, we are a very small, non-profit theatre and we are still working on building up our houses. We have a 72 seat house, and most of our shows will draw to fill about 1/2 - 3/4s of the house. I will be meeting with the board of directors soon to discuss new marketing techniques to try and compete with "the big boys" in the city. We are in Denver, so there is a lot of competition for the almighty theatre-dollar. What are some of your best practices for marketing your shows and theatre? I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love some input here? Thanks! Deb

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biggertigger Celebrity Joined: 4/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 188	Posted: 6/29/07 at 10:02pm
	Wow, good questions, too many answers. First we know the objective, putting more butts in your seats. What is your target audience? Here, I think it's those that occasionally go to the theater or have little interest in theater. How can you peak thier interest to attend shows more regularly. The name of the show or the writer is a good way to bring interest. Even the subject matter can bring desire to watch the show. But you want repeat business, not just the occaissional theater goer. Then there is how to advertise, what marketing venue should one use? Commonly is the media (newspaper print and local television/radio). Magazine (unless local) will not hit your target market. But a local magazine has a longer life then news print and television/radio. But direct marketing (mailers/e-mailers) right to people can draw interest. There are many ways to gain addresses that wont toss the advertisment away. The trick is to create different levels of advertising. Review what you are currently doing for advertising, get feed back from your audience to find what is work and what is not. Then create a plan to get new/better marketing to increase your audience size.
	The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
	IP Logged

Debflo Star Joined: 6/06/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Posted: 7/01/07 at 12:50pm
	Very good points. I think part of our problem over the past couple years has been that we haven't identified our target audience yet. Most of our shows are filled with family and friends. And they are great, but lets face it, your family and friends will only come to see so many shows before they get burnt out. We have built a mailing list of people that have come to our shows, and that is definitely one area I will be focusing on. I have always heard that mailers need to be recieved several times before people will read them and not throw them away. What is your thought on that? Thanks so much!!
	IP Logged

biggertigger Celebrity Joined: 4/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 188	Posted: 7/01/07 at 11:06pm
	You are correct, those that like theater will always find you out. Now it's finding those that don't know about you. What are some of the marketing practices that the other theaters in your area are doing? These practices maybe something to look into. Another thing I would look at is the theater itself. Be critically honest, how are your shows being preceived? How is the theater itself? Location? Remember, image is everything. There are many different ways to get the advertisment out. Mailers are a great way, but they tend to find their way to the trash before the show is in rehearsal. Though this is money well spent, you are only reaching those that are already interested in your theater. You'll need creative ideas to reach that target market you are trying to woo. I have a few ideas, but I am interested in what others have done. I'll be glad to discuss this further. Hopefully others can get creative too.
	The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
	IP Logged

Debflo Star Joined: 6/06/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Posted: 7/03/07 at 12:21pm
	thanks again. I think we need to sit down and really asses how our theatre is percieved. I think because we are in a more "urban" setting and that we haven't done a lot of publicity in the past, we may not have the most "favorable" image in the community. Honestly, our quality rivals that of anything I have seen at the same level, so I think we need to get that accross. I would love to hear what some people have done too, hopefully more will start contributing to this thread :)
	IP Logged

biggertigger Celebrity Joined: 4/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 188	Posted: 7/08/07 at 6:25pm
	Ok, quick ideas based on what you gave me. First off, if you are doing the same quality as the others, are you cheaper? Is this worth the trip for a better price? You are out of the way a little, what brings people to your area? Have a restaurant that brings people in? Can you pair with them (Dinner and tickets, coupons in programs for a discount, etc.)? Why are you not a "favorable" image in your community? What are ways to change this. Do you have a Chamber of Commerce that can work with you to help promote your theater? Other ideas is to begin targeting audience based on the show. This will begin to bring in some interest and the best advertisment is word of mouth. i.e. If you are doing the popular "High School Musical" begin advertising through radio (this is pop music kids love) team with the radio to get the advertisment out. Create fun ways for kids, free tickets, autographed post, cast album to a caller. There is many ways to advertise this show. Think of the various posibilities.
	The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
	IP Logged

Debflo Star Joined: 6/06/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Posted: 7/10/07 at 3:36pm
	Yes, our tickets are usually $3 to $5 cheaper than the other theatres. And while we are out of the way, we do have free parking (which most other theatres here do not) so thats another draw here. I like the idea of pairing with restaurants near by.. we have a couple that are independently owned that may work with here... To answer your question about why we aren't "favorable" in our communiy, I think it has to do with our more urban setting. We are smaller, in a "worse" part of town, things like that. I can't say for sure that is the case, but thats the feeling I get when I speak to other CT people. I really like your plan of attacking the marketing based on the show. I think our next show may be a good one to start with too. We are doing On Golden Pond, so maybe we can focus that marketing on the specific audience that would want to see that.
	IP Logged

jayzehr Celebrity Joined: 8/11/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 537	Posted: 7/10/07 at 10:51pm
	I don't know if this would apply to you, but for our last show our costumer worked for the local university and listed our production as a play that could be reviewed as part of a requirement to attend and review performing arts events. We wound up getting a lot more students than usual.
	IP Logged

biggertigger Celebrity Joined: 4/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 188	Posted: 7/10/07 at 10:59pm
	Oh, On Golden Pond, talk to your adult homes (old folks home, senior citizen centers, etc.) to come and see the show. Sell out just one night specifically for them, they'll love the opportunity. Many of these places have a bus they can use, if not, talk to your local school about donating a few hours to bus them in. You could also appeal to the Red Hat society about sponsorship/fund raiser. This is a group of girls that like to have a good time and theater is one way for them. Not sure how your theater works but we did one show that planned a one night event (a bigger ticket price) that paired it with wine tasting before hand (and small snacks). Of course we did a comedy and the red hats went crazy for the show. Many of them came back with other friends later to watch the show again. I know how that worse part of town thing works. Makes it difficult for all businesses in the area. You could try to contact your local police to offer additional security during show nights or hire security (maybe cost prohibitive). And make a point during conversations and/or during ticket sales to mention that parking is free in our secure parking lot. For your convenience we will be happy to have a guard escort you to your car after shows. Or something along this line. Gosh, I love this stuff. If you want to hire me to do publicity, I'm always available.
	The two greatest days in a theater persons life, the day you start a new show and the day the damn thing closes.
	IP Logged

Debflo Star Joined: 6/06/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Posted: 7/11/07 at 1:23pm
	jayzehr - I never thought of that, thats a great idea. There are a bunch of colleges in town... BiggerTigger - I love the red hat idea!! I've in the past marketed (somewhat successfully) to a retirement community's drama club. I got a group of 30 to come to the show with a wine and cheese party before hand. I think expanding on that to inlcude other groups would be a good idea - like the red hats. I just need to find out how to contact them. I definitely think we also need to list that parking is free in our "secure" lot. I think the word secure needs to be in there for sure. Not sure if we have the budget to hire security, unfortunately though it is a great idea. I'm thinking OGP is going to be a great show to start out with our new marketing plans. Its a well known show, and it should draw well. (I hope) Wow, you are right, you are great at this stuff! I'm loving this conversation! Thanks so much!!
	IP Logged