Advertising, Marketing & Social Media

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Advertising & Marketing

When working on any show it is important to promote the work being done by the students. Advertising productions is key to building and keeping funding for arts programs. As my time as a teacher I have also had to work as a producer for my shows making sure funding was accessible for all the needs of a production as well as developing advertising and marketing plans with marketing and design professionals to promote the amazing work being done by students.

When deciding on productions it is key to think of what shows will teach students, but also what can engage the community and school populations to attend and become repeat customers supporting the program. Reaching key demographics of students, colleagues, parents and families, as well as senior citizens is key to keeping a consistent base of audience members. I have always worked with my students, professionals in the field, and more to develop smart and creative ways to advertise and market our shows and programs so that we could develop strong repeat customers supporting and promoting our work.

One way that we achieved such success over the years is by building student buy-in into the program and having them promote the shows they are working on. Some easy ways I found to do this is by having students sell tickets to their friends, family and community members with a pre-sale competition. Another way of having students market and advertise shows is through poster distribution and t-shirt and hoodie sales. The more students became invested into the program the more they wanted to help get large audiences to come and watch their work. Students, parents and colleagues would often wear their hoodies and t-shirts promoting the shows and the Theatre program with a sense of pride. With each new school there was an effort to tap into this pride and build this sense of community by establishing bold and creative logos and designs for the Theatre Department as well as for each production. This building of pride in one’s work and a commitment to design and reaching out to the community helped build large audience numbers and a sense of pride in the community and school.

Over time people came because they heard a production was being put on and they wanted to come see the quality work being done by the students.

Advertising in the community can be difficult, but with a dedicated team of students, parents, and staff the word can get out to draw people in to see shows. I employed everything in my arsenal from advertisements in local newspapers and newsletters, to radio ads on local stations, to street signage and posters. All of these advertisements and designs helped draw potential audience members’ attention and give them something to look forward to within the school and community. The goal with every show was to draw people into the performances with our designs, advertising, and ticket sales and once we brought people in they were brought into an atmosphere where they feel welcome and experience a show they would not forget and spread the word to their friends and family. After all the best advertising is positive word of mouth and recommendations. This process takes time at every school and district, but it is a very achievable goal and one that I have set out to do wherever I am working on a production. There is no program that cannot use a fresh eye to marketing and advertising to continue to build it’s audience numbers and this is something I have the experience and success of doing.

Social Media

Another amazing way to reach audiences is through the use of social media. Within my time as an educator and directing and producing shows the advent and growth of social media has been tremendously helpful in the marketing of productions. Through the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram I have been able to connect Theatre programs to past, present and future students, parents, and community members as well as build large followings to like and share content.

The use of social media for the arts is everywhere and there are many ways to use and connect the productions to people. A few ways that I have seen success is by building a fan base and having them help share and promote the shows and work being done by students. In this digital age a like or a share can have a lot more impact on an audience size than even a poster or flyer. Using these platforms to show the community what is happening and coming within your school and program helps build excitement and anticipation for future events. Students love using social media and it is a great way for them to share photos, sell tickets and spread the word about the work being done in the program and upcoming events.