The One Tool Your Theatre Company Now Needs.
If coming out of this pandemic doesn’t inspire you to create a written marketing plan for your business, then nothing will. In fact, if you don’t create one now, the likelihood is that you never will, and you will probably end up winging it for years.
“Winging it,” in case you didn’t know, is the kiss of death. Why would anyone wing it when so many things have changed and shifted in such a short period of time?
As theatre goes, the marketing plan at this very moment in history is going to be your most important business tool for survival. Few businesses or industries have experienced a year like the one we’ve witnessed. It’s a perfect storm; a clusterfuck of bad, unexpected events that no one could have predicted. If you are still around after a year like this, take heart, revel in what is mostly good fortune, and pull up your bootstraps for the most challenging comeback you could ever imagine.
If you are still around after a year like this, take heart, revel in what is mostly good fortune, and pull up your bootstraps for the most challenging comeback you could ever imagine.
Why? Because like most arts, theatre is extremely vulnerable to economic fluctuations. Even in the best of times, staying afloat is an ongoing challenge for any theatre company. The never-ending scramble of finding audiences, and selling tickets is a subject that’s always being discussed in theatre production circles. Theatre companies, in general, are constantly searching for regular revenue streams, securing donations, building subscriber lists, and seeking to win grants. Now, imagine all of that drying up almost overnight. As it stands right now, 60-70% of all independent theatre companies in New York City will be forced to close as a direct result of this pandemic. These numbers are shocking and will have a lasting effect in the industry for years to come. The question is what happens now? If you’ve not asked that question and started seeking answers now, you are doing a disservice to all your stakeholders.
In my honest opinion, that’s the most important question you should be asking, and the marketing plan is the only weapon in your arsenal that can point you in the right direction, whatever that “right” direction is for you. And that’s why you need to have your meetings, and come up with something, and look for as many possible solutions as possible. Even if your strategies are not perfect, at least you have anticipated and planned for what needs to happen to put you back on track. It is really that simple.
The marketing plan is a living, breathing document or record of the best ideas, solutions, and answers to your problem. So, then, what gives? Why do so many theatre companies skip the creation of this plan? I recently surveyed over 20 theatre companies, and only 3 had a new, updated, written marketing plan ready to face 2021. How’s that possible?
The answer: Many theatre companies operate on a budget-sensitive, reactive mode, instead of an aggressive proactive mode. Some have been so busy putting “fannies in seats” for years, that they didn’t have a long term strategy (or had the wrong one) going into the pandemic. Now, they have nothing to help them come out of it.
But, you need to be discussing the questions that plague your theatre company. What grants or PPP loans are you eligible to apply? How will virtual audiences help your theatre company grow? Where did your subscribers go, and can you get them back? How will you roll out live-theatre productions, and will you be profitable under new restrictions? When/where will you choose virtual? What if the virus returns? What if your team have moved back home and you’ll need new volunteers? How will you catch up on past due rent?
If you can think of the threats ahead of time, you can think of solutions to solve these problems. That’s what the marketing plan can help you accomplish before everything begins to happen. It doesn’t have to be volumes of paperwork or reports, or even a wordy collections of ideas. If you sit down, start planning, jotting down notes, and even creating a 1-Page Marketing Plan template* you will be ahead of the game!
Reach out if you need help. At Alliance Media Theatricals and with our 90-day fast-track, we can help you launch a process in a matter of days, and find multiple ways for your theatre company to prepare for any number of scary scenarios. We don’t charge for chatting.
* The 1-Page Marketing Plan is one of the fastest, most flexible tools to get the planning process moving. Ask us how at 646-285-3033.
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