Ms. Hyla Helsel London

When the Buzz is Too Late

Posted by Ms. Hyla Helsel London, Oct 27, 2015 0 comments


Ms. Hyla Helsel London

Just this October, our venue presented Orpheus in the Underworld (Virginia Opera) that got a rave review in a major newspaper.  But, by the time the review hit, the set was struck and it was too late for those readers to see the production. This is our challenge every week. Our audience members leave feeling inspired. We receive fantastic feedback immediately about our programming. Presumably, they leave our venue and tell their friends about their recent arts experience. The word is spreading! But, the artist was only on our stage for one night or at the most one weekend. The buzz is too late to sell those tickets and engage more audience. 

How do we, as arts marketers, turn this challenge into an opportunity?

I certainly don’t have the answers about how to market a one-night (or two) show, but over the years, I’ve come up with a few areas of focus. 

·         Content, content, content – Find or create as much as you can about the performance. Push it out in as many ways as you can manage.  The more you know….

·         Always brag about a great review.  Even if the performance is over, tell your audience about the great art they can see on your stage.  This can only serve to build reputation and buyer confidence.

·         Round ‘em up – Gather a few performances together to promote as a group.  Budgets for individual performances tend to be limited so gathering a few together may allow for more significant reach on an ad campaign or direct marketing piece.

·         Creativity is king – Never underestimate the impact of a creative press hook, community collaboration, or grassroots idea, especially when it comes to getting new people in the door.

Now, I must go take a bit of my own advice and see if I can inspire some La Boheme sales with a promise of a great show, according to audience and critics.

Want to discuss and brainstorm further?  Join me at a roundtable at NAMPC 2015 in Salt Lake City: “Marketing the One-Hit-Wonder”.

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