Marketing and Publicity

The arts are very unique

The arts are different from a manufacturer who usually creates a product that they try to sell to potential customers

Artists – their product is they create performances /workshops/ but they also need to try and sell it to the public

Marketing

Persuading your target audience to see/buy your work

Increasing awareness about your company and its work in relation to other arts organisations

Increase awareness about your company and its work for funding bodies

Attracting business sponsorship for future projects

Decide

What do I have to sell?

Who will want to buy it?

Arts organisations work with small budgets and cannot afford to waste their resources

Therefore you really have to know all about your target market

Who and where will your target audience be found

Do you have any specific selling points you can exploit

Product

You must be able to describe your product in a clear and easily

understood form

Your project

Does the show/performance incorporate two or more art forms

How many weeks is the project How much money do you need to raise from

each performance/workshop What makes your show/performance

different from the work of other companies

Marketing Strategy

Your marketing strategy needs to be developing alongside the development of the performance or project

Those involved in marketing and selling the product need to be involved from early in the work so they have a good understanding and are therefore better able to sell your performance /project/workshop etc

Marketing Mix What methods will be best suited to your project

Press releases

Direct mailing

Posters

Flyers

Special events

Advertising

Direct selling

Posters -Flyers -Leaflets

This depends on the type of project and will also need to be targeted A play- touring theatre company you will

need flyers / posters to advertise in the arts centres/theatres /community centres

Schools/ community /health projects you will need to produce a leaflet of information and mail it to your target group

Price/Fee

Ticket price ?

Ticket concessions?

(children students etc)

Fee for a show ( e.g to schools/colleges etc )

Fee for a workshop

Any special prices? -with reduced price for e.g.

booking more thank one performance/workshops

a performance and a workshop together

Place

If it’s a touring play

Make sure places, times and booking

details are clear on the publicity

If it’s for schools or an organisation –

Running time of the programme

performance / workshop

performance and a workshop

What space/s facilities you will need

Advertising

Specific leaflet Press release Advert in a paper – magazine What's on Guide Web site Face book /Twitter Radio TV Business cards

Press release

Specialist mailing aimed at journalists who may work in print or in broadcasting

A good press release is: Well written and attractively presented Gives sufficient but not too much information Times and dates –are very clear Contact information- who in the company can

they contact and how

Elements a journalist will always ask forwhen preparing a story

Who

What

Where

When

Why

How

Adding to the press release

You can give more detail about your past work where you will be on tour next etc

But An editor will cut from the bottom so make

sure you have all the key facts first

Example LISTING INFORMATION

Prime Theatre Presents

‘Do You Turn Somersaults?’ VENUE:  The Courtyard Theatre –

Pitfield Street, London. N1

DATES:       Tuesday, 23 October to Saturday,

18 November 07 (except Monday’s)

TIME:           8pm

TICKETS:    £16 / £12 conc.

VENUE BOX OFFICE:     0870 163 0717

                                    www.seetickets.com

What sells the best

Attractive but very appropriate publicity

( Layout and design - Right images – good readable type face)

Word of mouth

Good networking is very important

As you develop your work/company – keep a data base of interested clients /contacts for future mail outs -emailing

Critical commentary

Remember its about publicity and marketing in general so needs to cover all the key issues and a broad range of strategies.

It is however useful to include some well chosen examples to illustrate specific points – eg a web site – flyer – information leaflet –….etc and comment on why it’s a good

example