Without an audience...

2011-12-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

The audience.

That's really what it comes down to. How can I find out about your show?

Word of mouth
- Online or offline, this is still the best way to find out about a new show because, not only am I hearing that your show exists, it comes with an endorsement from someone whose opinion I trust. Social media sites allow this to spread faster, but if I don't know someone who has heard about your show, information about your show won't reach me by word of mouth.

Posters and flyers
- This type of printed material is great as a reminder when I've already decided I want to see your show. You might catch my eye if you've put one of these up in a place that I frequent regularly. However, the owner of the location has you at their mercy when it comes to how long it stays up and how prominently it's displayed. Not to mention the guy who is coming along two blocks behind you with the intention of covering your poster with his, so I won't even get to see it.

Email and social media invitations
- This is a great way to reach me directly but there can be a lot of noise from all the other messages coming at me using the same channel, so you might have difficulty standing out. Oh, and I need to have seen a previous show to have signed up to be part of your mailing list.

A show at the same venue
- When I see a show, I often look around as I'm on my way out. I might see your show notice on a bulletin board, in the printed program or even hear an announcement that your show is one of the upcoming shows. My impression of your upcoming show is now associated with my experience of this unrelated show, whether it was good or bad.

Traditional advertising
- A big show at a big venue with a big audience has a big marketing budget. If your show is big, I would expect to find it in print ads, on billboards, on buses, on the radio or even on TV. It's expensive to do, and your show is being promoted to a large section of the population who are NOT your audience. You also have no easy way of knowing which piece brought me to your show.

Your website
- This should be the best and most in-depth source of information about your show, with photos, bios, videos and the like. Hopefully, it's where most of the above methods will direct me when I want to find out more or buy tickets. If I use a search engine to find your site, it's easiest if I know your name, know the name of your show or use the same words to describe your show that you did.

You might spot a pattern here. These methods are most effective when I already know about you and/or your show.

Even if you are using ALL of the above channels, you are stillcompeting for my attention through a lot of noise. Stuff that I asked to hear about and stuff that I have no interest in hearing about.

Other forms of entertainment, like movies, have sites where you can look up what's currently playing and where. Sites where you can find descriptions and trailers to help you decide what to see without having to filter through pages and pages of non-related results.

Live shows need a site like that...a site where live performers and their shows are ready to be discovered by new audiences.

Stagetrailers is being overhauled to BE that site.

How are YOU seeking out new audiences?

Stagetrailers.ca

Without an audience...