Kevin Sprague, Creative Director, Studio Twostudiotwo.com

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Workshop: “Using Technology to Attract a Younger Audience

to Historic Theaters”This workshop is provided through

Iowa Economic Development Authority / Iowa Downtown Resource Center / Main Street Iowa with the financial support of USDA Rural Development

thanks to a USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grant.

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• Attracting and Engaging Audiences

• “Who” are Your Audiences?

• Why Programming Matters

• Technology and Fluency

• Getting the Word Out

• Take off the White Gloves

• Community and Partnerships

• Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Topics

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Attracting and Engaging Audiences

• Creating Awareness and curiosity

• Creating investment - buying tickets

• Converting customers into advocates

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Mark H. Dold in Barrington Stage Co. “Breaking the Code”

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Creating Awareness and curiosity

• Speak clearly and simply. Repeat (Branding)

• Shout, don’t whisper. You have to market

• Show and Tell - what’s my experience going to be?

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Speak clearly and simply. Repeat. (Branding)

• Define your organization’s core message

• Be consistent with images, words, design

• Stick with the brand year after year

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Shout, don’t whisper. You have to market

• There are no magic bullets in marketing

• Consistent, visible presence in your markets

• Create a realistic budget for every production

• Innovate and test

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Brand Elements

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Posters

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Online Display Ads

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Show and Tell what’s my experience going to be?

• Use images and video to show the experience

• Show action, excitement, and audience

• Use active language to describe the event

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Creating investment - buying tickets

• Convert to online ticketing now

• Absorb fees and streamline ticketing

• Customer service matters. Train your box office

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Convert to Online Ticketing

• eventbrite.com - tools, apps, seating charts

• get rid of old box office software now

• All sales are online sales - even in-person

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Case Study - eventbrite.com

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Absorb fees and streamline ticketing

• K.I.S.S - Don’t make your issues your customer’s

• Make it easy to discount and sell last-second tickets. Young audiences don’t plan ahead

• Discount by age group, special offer codes

• Make sure ticketing is mobile-optimized

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Customer service matters. Train your box office

• Make sure the Box Office know your top patrons by name (interact with development)

• Script their responses and trouble calls

• Train them to put the customer first

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Actual Box Office Call…

• Customer: A Midsummer Night's Dream, that's a musical right?

• Me: Well, it will have music in it but it's a not a musical per se.

• Customer: It's not Shakespeare is it?

• Me: Yes, yes it is Shakespeare.

• Customer: But it's a comedy?

• Me: Yes, it's a Shakespearean comedy.

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Case Study - Zappo’s

• http://www.zapposinsights.com/

• Do you have customer service in your mission?

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Converting customers into advocates

• Your Theater is Their Theater

• Create paths to ownership and participation

• YoungPatrons groups, foursquare check-in discounts, advisory boards, pairing with social good orgs.

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Case Study - Seattle Rep

• http://www.arts.wa.gov/apli/detail.php?page_id=73

• for patrons to be good, long-term social media ambassadors they need three things:

• Passion for your organization

• Tools that make social media sharing easy

• Incentives to continue singing your praises to their friends

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“Who” are Your Audiences?

• Existing and Potential Audiences

• Think categories

• Surveys and demographics

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Existing and Potential Audiences

• Children, Families Teens, Young Adults, Adults, Seniors

• What is your strongest audience? Age and Interests

• Focus on your strengths and grow your branches

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Think Categories

• Sports

• Music

• Games

• TED Talks

• Technology

• Environment

• Film

• Drama

• Comedy

• Musical

• Belief

• News

• Families

• Art

• Dance

• Politics

• Open-Mic

• ?

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Surveys and demographics

• Survey Monkey and Google Surveys

• In Person - If arts organizations want to maintain and engage their audiences someone in the organization must spend time surveying and checking in with patrons. And market research itself can be a way of engaging audiences as well.

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Why Programming Matters

• “There’s no amount of packaging I can do that’s as impactful on our ticket sales to teens as a show simply being compelling to teenagers.” - Holly Arsenault, Seattle Center

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Why Programming Matters

• Programming reaches distinct audiences

• Technology can diversify your programming

• Engage your audiences in conversation

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Programming reaches distinct audiences with distinct interests

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Potential Audience

Musicals

Film

Rock and Roll

Country Western

What are the overlaps in your community?

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Case Study - Banff Film Festival

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Technology can diversify your programming

• 4k Projection - Programming in HD (Met Opera)

• Open WIFI throughout the theater (not expensive!)

• Amplification and Assisted Listening

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Case Study - San Fran Gay Men’s Chorus

• https://www.facebook.com/SFGMC/posts/10150270707065744

• When was the last time you went to a show + were told you to take OUT your mobile device/camera + video/tweet/photograph some of the great songs of the night? We will, tomorrow! During certain "Social Media Moments" we will ask you capture great moments at certain points of the night with your device of choice. The only condition..? Saying you were at SFGMC's concert + (hopefully) had an amazing time! and TWITTER CONTEST... If you tweet during one of the 4 Social Media Moments provided in the show and add @SFGMC you will be entered into a drawing for our June show, "Hootenanny".

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Engage your audiences in conversation

• People need a variety of ways to access and interact with an arts organization.

• Art organizations may need to go to the communities that they seek to cultivate first, rather than expect those communities to come to them.

• Social media and online forums can be an important a part of audience engagement efforts but they must be tied to “live” events.

• Teens want to be involved in the creation and expression of art.

• The process of audience engagement can have a positive effect on an arts organization.

• Audience development efforts take a long time and will unlikely show results in the first year.

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Technology and Fluency

• What do we mean by technology

• How do we choose

• Who will do it? Fluency Matters

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What do we mean by technology

• Your website

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Youtube

• Instagram

• Pinterest

• Google+

• Yelp

• FourSquare

• TripAdvisor

• foursquare

• Linkedin

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Mobile Site:Efficient

StreamlinedImmediate

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Managing Admin and Editor Roles in Facebook

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Ideas for Facebook - from http://bit.ly/LQjK6n

• Post photos of your theatre in action. Packed houses, amazing shows – get people visually interested in the stories you’re telling. Use dynamic photos that get people asking “I want to see more of that!”

• Profiles of actors, writers, designers and other creatives working on your latest show will add a personal touch. USE PICTURES – it’s a proven fact that people LOVE looking at other people, so keep it visual.

• Get resident artists involved by having them link to your Facebook on their personal pages, ESPECIALLY if they’re currently involved in a show.

• Place an ad to reach theatre fans in your particular area. Facebook’s free demographic analysis will be a big help in finding people in your area to connect with, or visitors to your city looking for entertainment.

• Create Facebook contests to get more people sharing and liking your page

• Join relevant Facebook groups to get your page noticed by theatre geeks all over your area.

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Ideas for Twitter - from http://bit.ly/LQjK6n

• Quotes from your staff/crew/artists about their experience as they rehearse or perform. Everyone loves insider information.

• Links to press about your theatre

• Trivia about your show! Or perhaps a quiz to test your followers’ knowledge? Everyone wants to play.

• Photos from your shows—Shows are gorgeous and tweets with photos have a higher share value than those that don’t.

• Exclusive parties and promotions

• Exclusive discount codes for tickets

• Shout-outs to OTHER theatre companies you have a good relationship with/love the work of (we’re all in this together, folks!)

• RETWEET posts from your resident artists

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Ideas for Youtube - from http://bit.ly/LQjK6n

• Short interviews with actors, stage designers, the director, crew or dramaturgs about the project

• Funny sketches that complement the current production

• A web-series! (specifically promoting your theater)

• Film a behind the scenes documentary

• Short, creative commercials

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How do we choose

• Your website - keep it simple and action focused

• Social Media - Choose one, do it well

• Review sites - participate and solicit reviews

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The Web - Users seek action

• Average user stats - 2:10 on site, 2-3 pages visited

• Top pages - Home, Hours and Directions, Calendar

• Focus on active language - “Buy”, “Subscribe”, “Learn More”, “Connect”

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The Web - AnalyticsGoogle Analytics

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Who will do it? Fluency Matters

• The Internet is a language

• Focus on hiring for and training for fluency

• Publishing is more important than perfection

• Don’t relegate this to an intern

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The next level?

• Twitter Chats

• Blogger nights

• Facebook ambassadors

• “You Review” booths (BarringtonStage icritic)

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The next level?

Social media suggestions for theaters by platform:Network 9. Be a Smash Hit Online: Theatre in the Digital Age. http://network9.biz/2014/02/be-a-smash-hit-online-theatre-in-the-digital-age-pt-1/

Providing incentives to "social media ambassadors"Arts Participation Leadership Initiative. Seattle Reperatory Theatre: Play Pass.http://www.arts.wa.gov/apli/detail.php?page_id=73

Creating engaging video trailers to share on social media:The Guardian. Theatre Turns to Facebook to Bring a Younger Audience Through the Doors. http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/apr/22/theatre-turns-to-facebook

Performance includes chance to interact with characters in digital/social media before the show: Mashable. Internet-Based Theater Company Lives Between Cyberspace and the Stage.http://mashable.com/2012/03/24/new-paradise-laboratories/

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Case Study - Social Media Job Posting

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and/or characteristics:

• Bachelor’s Degree or progress towards a degree in Marketing, Journalism, Graphic Design or other related fields; · Superior verbal and written communication skills · Keen eye for copy editing

• Familiarity with a variety of social media platforms (Facebook, Facebook Ads, Twitter, Constant Contact, WordPress, Instagram)

• Flexibility, optimism, a good sense of humor, and the ability to receive and offer constructive feedback

• Design skills and proficiency in Adobe CS a plus

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Getting the Word Out

• Stay on message 360/365

• Give something away

• Invite people in

• Market across channels

• Make it fun and attractive

• Market online

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Stay on message 360/365

• Create a budget that allows for sustained and consistent presence in your market

• Keep your design and graphics consistent

• Market the theater and the program equally

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Posters for Season

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E-Blast

Brochure

Website

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Give something away

• Under-30 ticket discounts - online only

• Free tickets for email subscribers

• Discounts for “members”

• Special events, free events, food and drink

• Social Ambassador discounts

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Case Study - Social Benefits

• Theatre provides seats specifically for live-tweeters - another theatre has "twitter mission" where cast members answer questions about the show via twitter during intermission:http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/01/27/theater-tweet-seats/1868693/

• Museum offers $3 discount to people who check-in on foursquare:http://www.mosi.org/plan-your-visit/special-offers.aspx

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Invite people in

Show them your spaceHost open houses and community events

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Invite people in

Show them the experience

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Market across channels

• Budget to maintain multiple media placements

• Smaller, regular placements are better over time

• Look for sponsorship with media opportunity

• Include online media buys (adwords, Facebook)

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Case Study - Look to your own venue• Really use the marquee and your poster boxes• Consider putting a flat screen out front

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Make it fun and attractive

• Remember - you are in the entertainment biz

• Sexy, funny, scary, dramatic, colorful, spectacular, athletic, emotional, angry, happy, joyful, curious

• Use images of people

• Share this online - everywhere you can. Use video

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Kiss Me Kate at Barrington Stage Co 2014

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Market online

• Google Adwords - Search and Display ads

• CPC - Cost per Click - between $.25 - $2.00

• Google Grant Program for non profits

• Facebook - Pay to “boost” posts

• Pay attention to SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

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Google

• Search ads vs display ads

• https://adwords.google.com

• Target by keyword, interest, region, demographics

• Grant program - search credit

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Google Search Ads

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Google Display Ad

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Google Display Ad Report

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Google Grantshttp://www.google.com/grants/

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Facebook Boost

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Google”Organic” Search Results

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Take off the White Gloves

“Increasingly, I’ve come to suspect that we spent much of the twentieth century putting culture in a glass case (what is the nonprofit structure but a way of protecting the arts from market forces? what is the rule against clapping between movements but a way of protecting the concert experience from emotional spontaneity?). Maybe the kind of people who still feel comfortable inside that box aren’t representative, socially or psychologically, of the broad society. Maybe they’re the ones who are going to complain the loudest — and least politely — as we undertake the messy work of breaking the glass box and reconnecting the arts with lived experience and the rest of culture.

Holly Arsenault, Seattle Center

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Theater. History.

• Be a theater first. Be historic second (or third)

• People need a variety of ways to access and interact with an arts organization.

• The process of audience engagement can have a positive effect on an arts organization.

• Give people the chance to create art, not just see it.

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Theater. History.

• “We are no longer in an environment where we can push content and people will passively consume it. This season made us think about all the ways to engage audiences. It was a tipping point. For every program the overlaying question we always ask is how do we engage the audience? How do we invite them in? I don’t think we ever had those conversations.”

• http://bit.ly/1sRibmT

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Case Study - EdithWharton.org

Free Jazz nightsTeen Writing Competition

Edgy Art showsNo velvet ropesSculpture ParkFoodie events

Weddings

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Case Study - EdithWharton.org

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Case Study - EdithWharton.org

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Community and Partnerships

• Seek out advocates, partners and contributors

• Facilitate social connections

• Track and honor in-kind donations

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Partners and Sponsors

• Give visibility to your sponsors online and offline

• Link to them and track clicks (use an ad handler)

• Talk with your sponsors about how their product or service can be enhanced by connecting with you

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Case Study - Cross linking sponsors

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Facilitate social connectionsOpen the doors - be a venue to your community

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Track and honor in-kind donations

• Track the value of donated services and media

• Recognize those sponsors at the same level as cash

• Connect and “shout-out” on Facebook and Twitter

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Don’t Forget to Have Fun

Theatre creates Twitter persona for King Lear:InsideIU. 'Prose before bros' - read about the tweeters behind IU Theatre's innovative 'King Lear' campaign.http://inside.iu.edu/editors-picks/arts-humanities/2014-02-19-ah-king-lear.shtml

Theatre uses Twitter to broadcast entire play, and asks users to help write a musical number.The L Magazine. Broadway's Next to Normal wins innovative marketing award. http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2009/09/29/broadways-next-to-normal-wins-innovative-marketing-award

Theatre company has "Dr. Frank N Furter" take over Facebook and Twitter ahead of Rocky Horror production:BCDC Ideas. Raleigh Little Theatre - Social Media Engagement Campaign.http://www.bcdcideas.com/portfolio/raleigh-little-theatre-social-media-engagement-campaign/

Theater Company pairs with humane society for themed dog photo contest Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. 'Bark! The Musical' Dog Photo Contest.http://www.bwar.org/event/bark-the-musical-dog-photo-contest/

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In-House Survey - 25-30 year-old

• Get people to check-in. encourage it - maybe offer some sort of benefit like a free drink or ticket discount.

• Partnership with local bars or restaurants

• Discounted tickets for under 35s

• Use online ticketing - eventbrite - Make it easy to get last second tickets - we don't like to plan ahead

• Edgier, younger work - Making it fun and trendy to attend

• Big names and famous plays - things we've heard of

• Seasonal/themed performances: scary/creepy plays around Halloween, like Sweeney Todd at BSC

• Quality/interesting photos of the plays on social media are really important

• Community outreach - find the right people to spread the message

• Something different/not strictly theater. Haunted house? interactive theatre - tony and tina's wedding?

• Getting people in the door once for something exciting or offbeat opens the door for them to come back for a regular event

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Summary

• Attracting and Engaging Audiences

• “Who” are Your Audiences?

• Why Programming Matters

• Technology and Fluency

• Getting the Word Out

• Take off the White Gloves

• Community and Partnerships

• Don’t Forget to Have Fun

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Kevin SpragueStudio Two

studiotwo.comkevinsprague.com

@SpragueKS

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