Key Messages For Your Theatre’s Brand: Messaging Strategy & Exercises explains how to capture the unique value your theatre provides to its target audiences in messages that shape your marketing, sales, and communications.
 

The best marketers in the nonprofit arts world can’t make people buy tickets to something they don’t want to see, says author Alan Harrison in this article. "Chasing dollars for that uber-intellectual vanity piece that has nothing to do with the community (no matter how “important” it is to your artists) never works."

With the right theatre marketing strategies—ones that don’t break the bank or monopolize your time—you can make it a reality. 

This guide is designed to help build awareness, attract donors and  volunteers, and pull in audiences for your next production—and all those to come.

As theatre leaders, we have all “hit the wall,” slamming into an emergency or a crisis so hard that we think to ourselves, “It’s impossible –my theatre will never come back from this.” Certainly COVID-19 was an experience of uncertainty common to all of us as we worked through that astonishing time together.

If your theatre is one of the lucky ones, there will come a time—sooner than you think—when an “anniversary” will arrive. Whether it’s 25, 50, 75, or 100 years or beyond, moments like these in your theatre’s history will warrant public acknowledgement and celebration.

This article, by Katrina Ploof, offers some ideas on how to celebrate with your volunteers, audience, and alumni--and kick-start long-range fundraising. 

Break a Leg, Not the Bank: A Guide to Promoting Shows and Buying Effective Advertising

In marketing, the adage is you have to "pay to play." And businesses are taking this more seriously than ever.  Depending on your theatre and its goals, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.

This worry is normal. There's that looming question. "How much of our revenue do we have to put back into marketing to keep growing?"

In this article, you'll discover:

Do you remember your first family vacation? What about seeing a stage show or going to a museum? Travel and cultural experiences can leave lasting impressions on parents and kids alike.

You understand this transformative power. But honing your marketing budget on families isn't always a top priority—or a consideration. And it makes sense. Sometimes it's not an obvious fit; other times, you're focused on other demographics.

Before the house lights dim, performing arts companies must tackle the challenge of filling seats — often on tight budgets.

Here’s a look at five of what marketing companies say are the most effective ways to market your shows, both paid and unpaid, to reach your audience.

Every nonprofit is made of countless stories—the story of your organization’s founding, the moment a volunteer fell in love with your work, the day you changed a beneficiary’s life, and so many more. Compelling stories are all around you, and you can harness them as powerful tools for marketing and raising more for your mission. All you have to do is tell them effectively.