The first step is to research your venue and its specifications. What is its capacity, location, accessibility, reputation, and audience profile? How does it fit with your production's genre, style, and message? How can you leverage its strengths and overcome its weaknesses? For example, if your venue is a small, intimate theater, you might want to emphasize the immersive and personal experience of your show, and use word-of-mouth, social media, and email marketing to build a loyal fan base. If your venue is a large, prestigious theater, you might want to highlight the quality and professionalism of your production, and use traditional media, press releases, and partnerships to generate buzz and credibility.
The crucial step is to specify the right and relevant marketing content approach that resonates with the preferences and algorithms of each platform. Understanding the unique characteristics and user behavior of each platform will help you craft a powerful action plan that enables you to achieve your main marketing objectives while effectively utilizing that platform. To adapt your marketing strategy, consider the following key points in each platform taking into account the comprehensive marketing communication strategy which all of these platforms are set to serve. -Customer Journey -Audience Engagement -Posting Frequency -Marketing Budget -Performance Monitoring -Community Engagement and Growth -Omnichannel Marketing perspective
Knowing your venue is pivotal for a successful production: Resource Optimization: Understand your venue's unique features and limitations to adapt your production effectively. Audience Engagement: Venue location impacts your audience; tailor your marketing to reach the right people. Reputation Alignment: Align your production with the venue's reputation to attract an audience that matches your show. Adapt the Show: Venue size and layout require adjustments to maintain the quality of the performance. Marketing Strategies: Tailor your marketing to the venue's image and audience expectations. Budget Considerations: Venue costs should be factored into your budget planning.
Adapting your marketing strategy to different venues and platforms requires a deep understanding of each unique space. Research and analyze the demographics, preferences, and behaviors of your audience on each platform. Tailor your messaging, content formats, and posting schedules to resonate with the expectations and norms of each venue. For instance, on LinkedIn, focus on professional insights and industry trends, whereas on Instagram, prioritize visual storytelling and engaging content. By knowing your venue inside and out, you can craft targeted strategies that maximize engagement and impact across diverse platforms.
The second step is to choose the best platform or platforms to promote your production. There are many options available, such as websites, blogs, podcasts, videos, social media, email newsletters, flyers, posters, banners, and more. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your goals, budget, and target audience. For example, if your goal is to raise awareness and interest, you might want to use platforms that have a wide reach, high visibility, and low cost, such as social media, videos, and flyers. If your goal is to generate bookings and sales, you might want to use platforms that have a high conversion rate, direct communication, and clear call to action, such as email newsletters, websites, and banners.
Choosing the right platform to promote your production is pivotal: Audience Fit: Select platforms that align with your target audience's preferences Goal Alignment: Match your goals with the platform's strengths - awareness (social media, videos) or conversions (email newsletters, websites) Budget Awareness: Consider your budget and allocate resources wisely Content Match: Use formats that suit the platform and resonate with your audience Resource Allocation: Choose platforms that align with your available time and workforce Past Success: Learn from similar productions' successes on different platforms Integration: Combine platforms for a more comprehensive strategy Adaptability: Stay flexible to adapt to changing digital trends
The third step is to segment your audience and tailor your message to each group. Not all potential customers are the same, and they might have different needs, preferences, and motivations. By dividing your audience into smaller segments based on criteria such as demographics, psychographics, behavior, and location, you can create more personalized and relevant marketing campaigns. For example, if you segment your audience by age, you might use different language, tone, and imagery to appeal to younger or older customers. If you segment your audience by location, you might use different incentives, offers, and testimonials to attract local or distant customers.
The fourth step is to test and measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. You need to track and analyze the performance of your marketing campaigns across different venues and platforms, and see what works and what doesn't. You can use various tools and metrics, such as web analytics, social media analytics, email analytics, surveys, feedback forms, and ticket sales, to evaluate your results. For example, you can compare the click-through rate, open rate, and conversion rate of your email newsletters across different segments of your audience. You can also compare the reach, engagement, and sentiment of your social media posts across different platforms.
The fifth step is to optimize and improve your marketing strategy based on the data and insights you gather from testing and measuring. You need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your marketing campaigns, and make adjustments accordingly. You can use various techniques, such as A/B testing, split testing, multivariate testing, and experimentation, to test different versions of your marketing materials and see which one performs better. For example, you can test different headlines, images, colors, fonts, and layouts of your website or flyer, and see which one attracts more attention and action.
The sixth step is to be creative and flexible with your marketing strategy. Marketing your theatrical production is not a static or linear process, but a dynamic and iterative one. You need to be open to new ideas, opportunities, and challenges, and adapt your strategy to changing circumstances. You need to be aware of the trends, preferences, and feedback of your audience, and respond accordingly. You need to be innovative, original, and memorable with your marketing materials, and stand out from the competition. For example, you can use interactive, immersive, or experiential marketing techniques, such as live streaming, gamification, or virtual reality, to create a unique and engaging experience for your customers.
Don't forget that your time is valuable, and time is money. Depending on your brand or campaign, niche or wide market reach, or other factors, you don't need to hit on every social media or advertising network. Also, slow and steady is a good rule of thumb to build your business or brand/campaign but look out for markers where you should look for faster media attention. It's a bit like surfing and monitering the market and trends and where you fit in to best meet your goals. Christine Araman @blueskybrandnewyork