Theatre Marketing in the Digital Age

Theatre is one of history’s oldest art forms; it’s been a popular form of entertainment for thousands of years! But now that we have ushered in a new digital era, how can you keep your theatre marketing fresh? To get tips and ideas for how to market your local theater, read on!

Why You Need Online Theatre Marketing

Producing plays and musicals requires many upfront expenses. From production rights to costume rentals, putting on a show is an expensive venture. Although these upfront costs may seem daunting at first—and indeed, creating any show requires some risk-taking—producers expect to make up for the expenses through ticket sales once the show is running.

As such, in order for a show to be profitable, it’s important to sell as many tickets as possible. By skillfully planning and executing a digital marketing campaign for your production, you are sure to sell more seats. After all, 62.6% of the world’s population are on social media—that leaves plenty of potential for connecting with audiences! 

What’s more, having a constant online presence enables your theatre company to forge a stronger connection with local theatre fans. By making your voice heard, you can maintain a dedicated fanbase for years to come.

How to Market Your Production

The very first step in marketing your theatrical production online is creating a website and social media channels (that is, if you haven’t already). Having your own website will provide you with an easy avenue for selling tickets, announcing your next show’s performance dates, and providing other updates to theatre fans. Likewise, creating several social media accounts on different platforms will allow you to connect with wider audiences and redirect them to your website for more information.

If you need help in setting up your website and social media accounts, or could benefit from a website makeover, then consider reaching out to a digital marketing company near you. We at Online Optimism offer web design and social media management, so we would love to make your show’s marketing one-of-a-kind!

Once your social media and website have been set up, it’s time to start planning your theatre marketing campaign! No matter which stage of the production process you’re in, there are ways to build community excitement for your show.

When You’ve Just Chosen Your Show

Have you just decided which play or musical you’ll produce next? If so, make your show’s announcement special with a trivia challenge! Each day for a week, post a hint about which show your theater is putting on next without revealing the title on your social media channels. This will encourage followers to make their guesses in the comment section, driving engagement on your posts and building excitement for the new show. For extra fun, start off with more obscure hints and each day make them slightly more obvious, making it easier for fans to figure out what show is coming to a stage near them. On the final day, reveal which show you’ll be producing with a link to audition information, as well as a link for buying tickets. It’s never too early to start encouraging ticket sales!

When You’re in the Middle of Rehearsals

Rehearsals are one of the most exciting times in a theatre production’s process; all of the actors have come together to develop their characters, directors get to see their vision assembled onstage, and crew members can start implementing lighting and sound design to make the show a full spectacle.

In order to continue engaging your followers and driving sales before your show opens, consider these ideas to bring your social media to life:

• Hire a Professional Photographer: Any dedicated theatre fan knows that one of the most important rules is that you can’t take photos during a show. However, hiring a professional photographer during a dress rehearsal will provide you with high-quality images of your cast in action. These can be used for social media posts as well as your website.

• Do a Social Media Takeover: As you count down to opening night of the show, feature each of your principal cast members. Record them introducing themselves and their characters, and then have them perform a short snippet of a song or monologue—just enough to get your audience’s attention!

Once again, remember to always provide a link on your posts to your main website and/or to your tickets. If an interested fan wants to attend your show after seeing a post, it should be as easy as possible for them to buy a seat.

When You’ve Opened the Curtain

After all of your hard work and hours of rehearsals, your show is finally open—congratulations (and break a leg)! But that doesn’t mean your theatre marketing campaign is over yet. Depending on how long your show’s run is scheduled for, consider posting anywhere from once a week to every other day with a quick interview with one to two of your actors, crew members, or pit orchestra musicians. Post their name, role in the show, a quick fun fact, and why they love being a part of your show. This will allow all members of your production to feel included and appreciated, as well as continue to garner attention for your musical or play during its run.

Once you start receiving positive reviews of the show, also make sure to repost and share them on your social media accounts! You’ll want the community to know how your cast and crew’s hard work paid off. Plus, this comes with the added benefit of getting the word out about how much fun theatre fans will have if they go to see your show.

Hire Online Optimism for All Theatre Marketing Needs

Looking for more ideas and support in your digital marketing journey? Consider hiring Online Optimism to take the stress off of you and your production crew. Our full-time digital marketing company is based out of New Orleans, Louisiana and Washington, DC, though we are happy to work with clients all around the country. We pride ourselves on over ten years of experience, which allows our marketing team to establish your theatre company’s unique voice, create captivating social media content, and update your website with the latest production information. Never has marketing been easier!

Ready to receive our Optimists’ above-and-beyond service? To learn more about Online Optimism and how we can optimize your theater’s next show, get in contact with us today! We look forward to hearing from you soon.