Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools a theatre can use to build community engagement and boost attendance. Through it, you can speak directly to past patrons, new potential ticket buyers, and local supporters with timely, personalized messages. Whether your messaging revolves around announcing an opening night, sharing behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, or offering last-minute ticket deals, email marketing helps keep your audience connected and keeps the buzz going throughout the summer season. Plus, it’s cost-effective and trackable – providing valuable insights into what promotions and messaging are working. What more could you want?
However, email marketing alone isn’t enough to keep engagement (and ticket sales!) high. To truly fill seats and grow your audience, theatres need a multi-faceted marketing campaign that reaches people across multiple platforms, ages, and interests. Social media, for example, paired with local partnerships, in-person outreach, and digital advertising all play key roles in raising awareness and creating momentum for your summer offerings. A successful campaign blends these efforts together, delivering consistent branding and messaging that appeals to as many demographics as you can reach.
If you’re looking for ways to boost your summer stock performance attendance, On The Stage offers a multi-pronged marketing approach – and several easy-to-enact tips to try!
Craft a cohesive campaign that sells the summer stock lineup as a full, immersive experience. As a starter, create a unique seasonal identity and design tiered ticketing packages that appeal to different kinds of audiences on different budgets. A few ideas include:
Next, pair this with a visually striking campaign on social media and in print mediums like local magazines, emphasizing the full experience of the summer stock world: Outdoor picnics, warm weather, sunset shows, and community! Who wouldn’t want to join in on the fun?
Keeping in line with our multi-pronged marketing approach, another great way to promote your summer stock season is by partnering up with others – whether they are local influencers, local businesses, or tourism entities in your area. If you’re not sure where to start on this particular networking journey, here are a few ideas to get you started:
By partnering with other creators, businesses, and offices in your area, you’re increasing your theatre’s credibility exponentially, as well as cementing your summer stock offerings as must-do items on the getaway itinerary.
Make your summer stock offerings more than just performances by hosting pre- or post-show events that appeal to either a target niche or are family-friendly and open to all. These events don’t have to break the bank – in fact, they can be as simple as you want them to be. After all, people (and families with kids, especially) are always looking for things to do on summer afternoons and evenings. A few ideas to include in your pre- and post-show offerings include:
Offering these events outside the traditional summer stock show creates the opportunity for social media content, increases the appeal for groups and families, and gives you more potential to make additional revenue.
While in-person events and social media marketing are key elements of your campaign, you also need to focus on all-important email marketing strategies. Remember, your patrons aren’t all the same – so your messaging should be tailored to specific demographics. That’s where audience segmentation comes in. When you’re working on messaging for your summer stock email marketing efforts, segment your ticket buyers into simple categories like:
After you’ve created your segments, create tailored messaging for each audience fragment to lure them in. Within your messaging, include compelling calls to action, exclusive promo codes, and visuals that showcase the vibrant energy of summer stock productions. Who could say no?
Everyone loves feeling important and like a true insider. You can capitalize on this feeling by using your social media – especially channels that have a lot of followers – to share casual yet informative content that shows the personality of your cast and crew, as well as the energy of your production. Behind-the-scenes content has aaaaall upsides: It endears people to your cast, puts a face (or faces) on your theatre, increases interest in your show, farms engagement, and increases ticket sales. What’s not to love?
Ideas can range from:
Remember for this specific type of content, you want things to remain casual, quick, and upbeat. Use stories or reels to spread the word, and make sure you’re promoting the logistics in these videos: upcoming shows, dates, and your show sites should be clearly visible.
Much of your engagement for summer stock productions can come from a smartly crafted marketing campaign – or, in short, painting a fun image of summertime whimsy. After all, summer stock audiences often want a full experience, not just a show. Help them plan a fun night they can enjoy with friends, family, or a date. Or, in other words, be their summertime fun guru!
Ways you can do this include:
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: Your current patrons are your absolute best marketing tool, so make sure it’s fun and easy for them to promote your theatre and your summer stock offerings. Ways to do this include:
As we’re in the midst of the summer season, you may be looking for a little help to spread the word about your summer stock offerings. That’s where online ticket sales platforms like On The Stage can help.
OTS’ marketing automations and Box Office portal are just what you need to boost ticket sales and attendance at your newest production. After all, we offer best-in-class marketing and promotional tools across social, digital, email, print, and traditional channels that are built on unparalleled industry expertise. With OTS, you can:
If you’re ready to elevate your summer stock productions – and your theatre at large – book a personalized demo with On The Stage today.