The fall season is almost here, with back-to-school excitement floating in the air. You may just now be thinking about the audition process for your fall musical or show and all the details that come along with it. But it’s also time to think ahead – way ahead – which means starting to build, streamline, and market your show site. On The Stage explores why, exactly, you should be preparing your show site long before opening night.
The best way to build excitement and anticipation for your work is by promoting it early and often. By establishing a best-in-class show website during the rehearsal process, you have ample time to get people jazzed about your upcoming productions.
Dynamic websites are always a plus. With that being said, Consider updating the website throughout your rehearsal run. That way, people keep coming back for more!
In the hustle and bustle of today’s world, many people plan their lives, weekend outings, and general schedules far in advance. By getting your show site live nice and early, you eliminate the possibility of scheduling conflicts down the line.
These crucial details, especially dates and showtimes, guarantee a fuller theatre – because you’re now the event that people can plan for way ahead of time.
Leveraging your website for marketing purposes is an excellent way to increase engagement, improve your SEO, gain more followers online, and gather greater insights into promotion numbers and demographics.
You’ll be able to market your website on all social media channels, on merchandise, on posters, and other marketing materials both in print and online. This will drive further traffic to your theater, resulting in more audience members in seats during showtime.
A well-prepared audience will likely enjoy your show on a deeper level. Why? Because they have all the details and important context they need ahead of time!
Your website gives your audience all the tools they require to plan for and fully understand your show. A few examples of information to include are directions and details on the venue, cast introductions, a peek into the plot of the musical, and any sensitive content warnings.
The sooner your website goes live, the sooner you can promote and sell tickets. Leveraging the show site for early ticket sales is an excellent way to increase your engagement and pad your bottom line for future projects.
Consider early-bird or bulk discounts to ensure those most excited about your work are rewarded. You could even consider merchandise giveaways and other incentives to keep that ticket sale number from waning.
The more eyes you get on your website, the more likely you’ll be to form mutually beneficial community or business partnerships.
Whether you’re aiming to get a business to sponsor your production or want to create partnerships with area restaurants, museums, galleries, stores, and the like, having a top-of-the-line website at the forefront of your marketing efforts makes you appear prepared, professional, polished, and ready to make connections.
Alongside your ticket-buying portal, you should have opportunities for patrons to donate on your show site. The earlier you get your site up, the greater the chance people will feel confident in you and your theatre and thus be more willing to open up their checkbooks to help.
(Pssst – if you need a few ways to thank those ever-important donors, we have you covered.)
On The Stage’s Show Site Builder is the perfect tool to create a best-in-class website in no time at all. With this tool, you can immerse your audience in your production before show night. With the builder, you can:
Excited to get started? Chat with our team today to see how these tools can take your theatre to new heights!