Three truths about theatre marketing
We all want to sell out our shows before we even open, but unfortunately this isn’t always possible.
There’s a myriad of reasons for this, and it’s vital to manage expectations about what publicity and marketing can and cannot do when it comes to selling tickets.
Here are three truths about theatre marketing.
No show has universal appeal
As much as we’d like everyone to be interested in the arts, this simply isn’t the case.
Identifying who your show DOES appeal to will allow you to focus your attention on people who are likely to buy tickets if only they knew the show was happening.
Taking some time to focus on who your audience is will allow you to better target Facebook advertising to get the most bang for your buck.
Multiple touch points sell tickets
Pause for a moment and think about the last time you bought a theatre ticket. How many times did you see the show advertised before you decided to buy? How long did it take you to organise a suitable time with friends or family?
Whatever your promotional strategy, make sure you maintain some kind of presence in the market for an extended period of time using different channels to remind your audience that your show is coming up. With some creativity and planning, this is possible to achieve even with a digital-only strategy.
Audiences are waiting until the last second to buy
This isn’t a new phenomenon, but it has become more of an issue after the pandemic. The fact is, many prospective audience members are only booking their tickets in the week leading up to the performance.
The key thing to remember here is don’t panic if ticket sales aren’t booming two weeks before opening. Ok, there’s a caveat here: you have to do the work first. Check out our checklist if you’re not sure where to start!