Email has been one of the most popular marketing tools in the internet age. Harvest its power for the benefit of your community theater through the strategies below.
- Keep the fire of volunteerism burning.
We can’t stress the importance of volunteerism enough. It is the energy through which a community theater runs. Calling for volunteers via email is one of the most effective means to get your need announced across a big audience.
Another great way to persuade more people to join? Include a feature in your emails that highlight your current roster of volunteers. When people see their peers participating and getting appreciated for their efforts, it gives them an extra push to sign up.
- Keep your target audience regularly updated with upcoming shows and events.
Obviously, this is one of the major marketing steps for your theater: to convince people to buy tickets and fill in the seats. If you aren’t consistent with your updates, you’ll risk getting ignored by your recipients. Inconsistency sends a message that you aren’t taking your emails seriously. If worse comes to worst, your mailing list may start to dwindle due to people opting to unsubscribe from your updates.
- Invest the time.
Constructing effective emails takes time. You can’t just expect yourself to whip up a fascinating, creative, and noteworthy email in a day. For best results, start writing your descriptions and planning your email layout weeks before the show date. Make appropriate changes as your production evolves. With this, you have more time to arrive at the best possible outcome.
Also, invest time by composing various emails that are targeted for different dates. You can send “preview” emails weeks before. Send regular teasers periodically—all leading up to the actual official publicity materials. This keeps your audience excited and makes them feel more “involved” with the production.
- Don’t forget to check in during off season
This point is relevant to the previous two strategies. When it’s off season and there are no upcoming shows to promote, it’s important to still keep in touch with your mailing list. This keeps the people engaged and the theatre on the viewers’ minds. By establishing this relationship, you’ll have people patronizing your theater and coming back year after year.
- Provide channels for donations and other forms of support.
Email is also one of the most effective ways to reach out to possible donors. Take advantage of the exposure by providing them with convenient means to carry out their donations and express their support. Keep all pertinent details like bank accounts visible or, at the very least, readily available upon request.
- Share theater news and press releases.
Last but definitely not the least, in sharing theatre news, you give your audience something to look forward to. Maximize the email-based press releases by offering special deals to your email subscribers. When a show is ongoing, you may also include its good reviews on news articles and websites. Better yet, include a video or an article that will make the reader want to pass it on to a colleague. If you do a good job, your show promotional material may even go viral!
