You just wrapped up the final curtain call for a show you’ve worked on for months. All that time and effort has paid off in a major way, with standing ovations and sold-out productions. However, you don’t want all the buzz for your show to fizzle out as soon as your patrons leave your theatre.
While you may think your marketing efforts for a production should be done when the show closes, there are still opportunities to farm engagement and keep your audiences interested in your offerings. Post-show marketing, after all, keeps your theatre top-of-mind and fosters more opportunities for raising capital – whether that’s via show merch, season ticket subscriptions, or even donations. On The Stage offers 10 creative post-show marketing strategies to keep your audiences engaged with your theatre long after your final bows.
You can’t rely solely upon the enthusiasm of your patrons to ignite conversations about your production and your theatre – you need to spark that fire yourself! Encourage chatter about your show by offering patrons extra goodies to peruse and dissect post-show, including:
Social media integrations can and should be your best friend post-show for keeping engagement alive with your patrons and followers. A few ways to make the process fun and interactive include:
One way to reward loyalty within your theatre and encourage more people to purchase tickets overall is by offering exclusive content just for ticket holders of your last show. The type of content you offer is up to you – and may depend on your target demographics and general audiences – but some ideas for exclusive content include:
You don’t want the last time your patrons hear from you to be at your final show – right up until you’re advertising for your next show. Instead, make sure you’re showcasing your gratitude for their presence at your last event with a follow-up thank you message – whether that’s a handwritten note, email, text, or phone call.
After all, a simple “Thanks for coming!” message, with information about future shows, membership options, or a donation ask keeps your theatre top of mind.
A low-budget marketing hack to increase engagement? Encouraging user-generated content, or UGC, before, during, and after a show has wrapped. If you don’t know, UGC is exactly what it sounds like: content of any kind – like photos, videos, reviews, or testimonials – that are created by your patrons about your theatre and its offerings.
You can encourage your audiences to share their favorite moments of the show, reviews of the production, testimonials about their experience with your staff, photos at your theatre, or even video content. Ensure these patrons are tagging your theatre and using relevant hashtags to increase engagement even more! And if you think your audiences may need a little incentive to share content, don’t be afraid to offer small rewards for following your theatre on social media, liking your content, or sharing their own content about your show.
Right after your (amazing) show closes is the perfect time to promote season ticket subscriptions, memberships, season passes, and other money-making offerings at your theatre. Why? The excitement is fresh, and patrons know first-hand just how great your content really is.
Pro Tip: On The Stage makes setting up and managing any of these options a breeze. After all, OTS believes that selling subscription packages is a time-proven way for theatre organizations to increase ticket sales, improve cash flow, streamline operations, and reward loyal patrons. From flex passes to ticket packs and traditional subscription packages, On The Stage empowers you to create a variety of subscriptions to meet your patrons’ varied preferences!
Another excellent way to reward your ticket holders, keep engagement up, and foster new networking relationships is by partnering up with local businesses after the close of your most recent show.
Consider tapping restaurants, local shops, or other creative businesses and offering some sort of discount on their goods and services with proof they went to your show. Not only will this provide mutually exclusive perks for both you and your community partner, but it increase engagement outside the normal scope of your theatre. Win-win!
This marketing strategy requires some foresight – but if executed correctly, can help you with post-show engagement and help you increase ticket sales for your next show.
Make sure you are documenting the progression of your production, filming rehearsals, curating behind-the-scenes content, and capturing the final product with high-resolution video. This allows you to create a highlight reel of your show’s and cast’s best moments, which you can use both to increase engagement post-show and market your offerings for an upcoming season.
Another way to reward the loyalty of your ticket holders is to offer them exclusive access to your upcoming offerings, or behind-the-scenes looks at the entire upcoming season. Options for sneak peeks can include:
No matter what kind of sneak peek you offer, just remember to make the reveal worth it – your ticket holders deserve to feel special and appreciated!
Perhaps the best way to keep your finger on the pulse of your patrons’ preferences is by, well, simply asking for their opinions! A great way to do just that is by sending out surveys directly after a show asking patrons:
These responses are crucial to the future of your theatre, allowing you to shape your next productions to better suit their needs and preferences – while remaining true to your mission, of course!
Whether you’re looking for new and innovative ways to increase your engagement, want to sell more tickets, upgrade your theatre’s website, or just elevate the theatrical experience for everyone involved, On The Stage can empower your organization with the best way to sell tickets and manage box office, marketing, and fundraising activities in one robust ticketing platform – all for free.
Our all-in-one theatre ticketing platform gives directors, producers, box office managers, and patrons everything they need to succeed, across educational theatre, community theatre, dance and professional arts programs of all sizes, performing arts centers, immersive experiences and everything in between.
If you’re ready to take your theatre to the next level, book a personalized demo today.