John DiMare discusses the four Es of creating a simple marketing plan. The four Es stand for Effect, Execution, Engagement, and Evaluation. John explains each one of these mindsets and gives examples on how to use them to create a marketing plan for your productions.
John started his first small business, a mobile DJ entertainment company, when he was 17 years old and a freshman in college. There he learned skills in running a business, working with other event vendors, as well as working with sometimes difficult customers.
John is a certified Ziglar Legacy Trainer and presents lectures and workshops on many of the key Ziglar development programs. He answers business questions and hosts podcasts on topics such as marketing, sales, and team development on his website AwesomeImpact.com.
Show Notes:
Awesome Impact – http://awesomeimpact.com
Email John - askjohn@awesomeimpact.com
Download the 4 Es worksheet – https://wellattended.com/blog/026-4-es-creating-simple-marketing-plan-john-dimare/
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Matt Marberry discusses how to market your shows as an attraction. He explains how to advertise with coupon books and rack cards and how to partner with tourist gift shops to sell tickets. He also explains how pre-sales are helping him recover advertising costs.
Matt was raised in Las Vegas where he was able to see many different productions during his childhood. Matt began his professional entertainment career as a singing bus boy at the Stratosphere Casino. He has worked with companies as Sea World Parks and Entertainment, Disney Cruise Line, and Universal Studios where he performed as Jake Blues from the Blues Brothers. After years of performing, he was given opportunities to direct shows at Mystery Dinner Playhouse and Captain Jack's Pirate Ship in Virginia Beach.
Matt founded OBX Mystery Dinner in 2014 where he creates, produces, and manages shows. Matt has quickly expanded to other attractions including a ghost tour in the Outer Banks and a second Mystery Dinner Theater in Williamsburg, Virginia. He recently formed a partnership with Tim Hass to write scripts for his Mystery Dinner Theatre and now sells the performance rights to other producers.
Show Notes:
Matt Marberry on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/matt.marberry.7
OBX Mystery Dinner in North Carolina – http://obxmysterydinner.com
OBX Mystery Dinner in Virginia – http://mysterydinnerwilliamsburg.com
OBX Ghost Tours – http://obxghosttours.com
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John DiMare discusses the seven deadly sins of small business marketing and how to avoid them. A few topics include how to create a persona to make your marketing more effective, how to build a premium brand mentality, how to grow relationships with customers, and much more.
John started his first small business, a mobile DJ entertainment company, when he was 17 years old and a freshman in college. There he learned skills in running a business, working with other event vendors, as well as working with sometimes difficult customers.
For years, friends and colleagues have asked John for advice in many areas of small business. John now answers those questions on his website AwesomeImpact.com. There he hosts podcasts on topics such as marketing and team development.
John is a certified Ziglar Legacy Trainer, which means he has been certified and trained by the Zig Ziglar Corporation to present lectures and workshops on many of the key Ziglar development programs.
Show Notes:
Awesome Imact – http://AwesomeImpact.com
Strategic Planning Worksheet – https://wellattended.com/blog/024-7-deadly-sins-small-business-marketing-john-dimare/
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Paul Draper discusses how to get theatres to book your show. He talks about how to find theatres, the best ways to contact them, what theatres are looking for in an act, the type of promotional tools to send them, and he explains the differences between a corporate show and a theatre show.
Paul is an anthropologist, magician, and mentalist who has traveled the world in search of magic and mysteries to bring you his show, “Mysteries of the Mind”.
Some of his recent TV appearances include: Hell’s Kitchen, Pawn Stars, Ghost Adventures, Mindfreak, and House Hunters. He's also been featured in articles for Psychology Today, Glamour Magazine, AskMen.com, and has many guest contributions for the AP and AOL News.
Paul has lectured and performed at Yale University, Apple, The World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and The Magic Circle in London. As a respected Las Vegas entertainer, Paul has headlined in the 800 seat showroom at the Orleans Casino and is the House Magician for the Venetian Hotel & Casino.
Show Notes:
Website - http://www.MentalMysteries.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MentalMysteries/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paulwdraper/
Demo video - https://vimeo.com/pauldraper/pauldraper2017
TV Shows - https://youtu.be/BK4RuRq61lk
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_W_Draper
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Freya West discusses why classes are a good business model in conjunction with shows. She talks about why she started offering burlesque classes, why she teaches classes 5 days a week, how she prices her classes and shows, and she explains the first steps in creating classes for your patrons.
Freya began her burlesque journey in 2008 when she started learning from Michelle L’Amour. She now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and produces and performs with Music City Burlesque and is a featured performer at Skulls Rainbow Room. She started her finishing school for fierce ladies, Delinquent Debutantes, in 2010. And in 2014, she kickstarted her own studio to have a place to teach classes and produce shows.
Freya has been on stage in 15 states and 4 countries, including headlining Iceland’s very first burlesque show. She's been on screen in several music videos and a few reality TV shows. She has taught nearly 1,000 women the power of the shimmy in her burlesque classes.
Show Notes:
Delinquent Debutantes
Website - www.delinquentdebutantes.com
Facebook - https://facebook.com/delinquentdebutantes
Instagram - https://instagram.com/delinquentdebs
Freya West
Facebook - https://facebook.com/foxyfreyawest
Instagram - https://instagram.com/freyanator
Email - freya@delinquentdebutantes.com
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Jim DeLutes discusses how to produce a successful arts festival. He talks in detail about how he formed a partnership with a college, how much a festival costs to produce, how he advertises and gets sponsors, and how he has grown his attendance over the past 5 years.
Jim has been the director of the Denver Arts Festival for the past 10 years and the director of the Affordable Arts Festival for the past 5 years. He took the Denver Arts Festival from a barely ranked show to one of the top 25 shows in the country. By year three of the Affordable Arts Festival he had the show ranked in the top 40 out of 600+ shows in the country.
As an artist himself, in the past 16 years he has been in over 300 shows on the national circuit. He also has a background in business as a stock broker and business broker. Jim brings an interesting balance to the art festival business because he understands how to run the logistics of a large festival and knows what artists need to make the shows successful for them.
Show Notes:
Denver Arts Festival - http://www.denverartsfestival.com/
Affordable Arts Festival - http://www.affordableartsfestival.com/
Jim DeLutes - http://www.jdlphotos.com/
Jim DeLutes - 303.330.8237
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Joanne Bernstein discusses how to enhance your customer experience. She describes how to delight your audiences, how to measure customer satisfaction, how to create a customer service strategy, and how to plan for service recovery.
Joanne is an educator, author, consultant, speaker and manager for non-profit organizations, primarily in the field of arts and culture management and marketing. Joanne is the author of Standing Room Only: Insights for Engaging Performing Arts Audiences which is a comprehensive sourcebook with up-to-date marketing strategies and techniques for theater, music, dance, and opera organizations.
Show Notes:
Anticipation and the Unexpected
Additional WellAttended Interviews:
How to Sell More tickets and Increase Repeat Patrons
How to Increase Your Theatre's Revenue
Books:
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Kayt Peck discusses how to use strategic planning to grow your organization. She talks about how to create a 3 to 5 year plan, how to create a development plan to set fundraising goals, and how to apply for grants.
Kayt is a Certified Fund Raising Executive with over 25 years of experience as a fundraiser and project manager in the nonprofit sector. She has raised over $30 million for organizations both domestic and international. She currently serves as president of Nat Gold Players in Las Vegas, New Mexico and is a board member for Theater New Mexico. She is also an accomplished playwright as a two-time winner in the Rocky Mountain Voices competition and creator of "Sheltered Women," the play which won top honors in the 2015 New Mexico AACTFest which went on to receive a special award for Excellence in Play Writing at the Region VI AACTFest.
Show Notes:
flyingpings@aol.com
kayt.peck@flyingpigsconsulting.com
505.454.0060
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Mike Broemmel discusses how to be successful as a theatre company that produces new work. He talks in detail about how he first got people to attend shows, how it gives his company an edge in a competitive marketplace, and how producing plays about local figures fills seats.
Mike is an award-winning playwright, novelist, short fiction author, and an inspiring lecturer. Mike began his career in the political arena working in the White House Office of Media Relations during the administration of Ronald Reagan.
In the past decade, Mike has garnered attention for his compelling and at times controversial plays. A number of his plays have been produced across the U.S., including The Row, Goddess People, Taking Tea with the Ripper, and The Bonfils Girl.
Show Notes:
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David Serero discusses his past, present, and future marketing strategy, why you should invest in your audience, how to use other mediums to make money from your productions, and how to set ticket prices for your first few shows.
David is a singer, actor, producer, and recording artist. At only 35 years old, he has performed in more than 1000 concerts and shows and is in more than 100 films. He produces theatre, opera, musicals, music and film festivals, and has his own record label. He is also marketing consultant and works around the world.
Show Notes:
David Opera Singer on Facebook
Email - davidsereroopera@gmail.com
Join the WellAttended Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1844088272479545/
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Gregg Tobo discusses how to start performing at fringe festivals, how to set your ticket prices, how to advertise, how to stand out, and how to select the right festival for your show.
Gregg is known as the man who mastered Pi for memorizing more than 1,149 digits. He has performed professionally as a magician for the past 9 years and has successfully performed at over 15 fringe festivals.
Show Notes:
Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals
U.S. Association of Fringe Festivals
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Laurie Colton discusses how Venice Theatre uses direct mail to increase their ticket sales. She discusses the type of mailers they use, how much money they spend, their return on investment, and the most cost effective way to start marketing with direct mail.
Laurie is the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Venice Theatre which is the second largest community theatre in the United States. Born and raised in Chicago, Laurie holds a BA from Loyola University. She has worked in the fields of education, social services, and non-profit management at a variety of organizations in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Sarasota. Prior to coming to Venice Theatre in 2008, she was the Director of Communications for Habitat for Humanity in Sarasota.
Show Notes:
Welcome Wagon
Wrike
Every Door Direct Mail
Venice Theatre
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
TripAdvisor
Sign up for the Venice Theatre Newsletter
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Doug Borwick discusses the origins of art, how the arts can benefit the community, how to focus more on community engagement, and how to lower the barrier of entry to get non-theatre people engaged with your organization.
Doug is a past President of the Board of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and was for nearly 30 years Director of the Arts Management and Not-for-Profit Management Programs at Salem College. He is the CEO of Outfitters4 which provides management services to nonprofit organizations and ArtsEngaged which provides training and consultation to artists and arts organizations to help them more effectively engage with their communities. He is also the author of Building Communities, Not Audiences and Engage Now!, and writes a column for ArtsJournal.
Show Notes:
Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the United States
Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable
Doug Borwick's Blog Engaging Matters
Read our previous interview on the WellAttended blog.
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Kent Whipple discusses his overall strategy of using Yelp to grow Unexpected Productions Improv. He talks about how to create an account, how to get 5 star reviews, how to respond to reviews, and how he tracks which customers are coming from Yelp.
Kent is the marketing and development director at Unexpected Productions Improv which is located in downtown Seattle. He has served as a gallery director in some of the major art centers in the country, including Santa Fe and Scottsdale. He is also freelance writer, creating and developing articles that are published nationwide.
Kent is an active member of the Seattle’ Market the Arts Task Force and part of Yelp’s Coast-to-Coast Community which is a group of business owners and managers who work together to find ways to use Yelp. He has been chosen to return to San Francisco in November to Yelp's annual gathering where he will be sharing his advice on how to most effectively use Yelp.
Show Notes:
Unexpected Productions on Yelp
Yelp for Business Owners Mobile App
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Click here to download Kent's Yelp letter and activity report
Tony West explains how having a built in audience increases ticket sales, how he got a sponsor, how he promotes his screenings, and how he makes extra money by selling his DVDs.
Tony has worked in television for over 20 years as a cameraman, sound tech, and editor. He has worked for all of the major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, and ESPN. He is a two time National Emmy Award winner for his coverage of Major League Baseball.
The Safe Side of the Fence is his first film as a director. The documentary gives a detailed look into what workers went through in St. Louis from working on the Manhattan Project and the challenges of dealing with the fallout of creating some of the world's first nuclear waste.
Show Notes:
The Safe Side of the Fence on Facebook
Contact Tony - tony@thesafesideofthefence.com
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Joanne Bernstein discusses how to set ticket prices, ways to upsell tickets, the best ways to offer discounts, and how to add value to tickets. She also explains the best ways to increase your audience attendance with the birds of a feather principle.
Joanne is an educator, author, consultant, speaker and manager for non-profit organizations, primarily in the field of arts and culture management and marketing. Joanne is the author of Standing Room Only: Insights for Engaging Performing Arts Audiences which is a comprehensive sourcebook with up-to-date marketing strategies and techniques for theater, music, dance, and opera organizations.
Show Notes:
Additional WellAttended Interviews:
How to Sell More tickets and Increase Repeat Patrons
How to Increase Your Theatre's Revenue
Books:
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Download our free marketing resources at https://wellattended.com/resources
Carol Givan shares her curtain speech and breaks it down so that we understand the purpose behind what she says. She also talks about how she builds relationships with her patrons and what it takes to get them to come to her theatre time after time.
Carol is a magician and a co-owner of the Theatre of Dreams. The Theatre of Dreams is an elegant, 74 seat theatre in Castle Rock, Colorado. For over 12 years, they have featured world class magicians from across the globe.
Show Notes:
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Click here to download Carol's curtain speech.
Learn how Bill Gladwell gets followers on Facebook and Twitter and how he got over 700 hundred five star reviews on TripAdvisor. We also discuss several tools that will save you time while promoting your shows.
Bill has studied and mastered the unique art of reading and influencing people, and he demonstrates his skill in a thought-provoking performance for intelligent audiences. He performs his show five nights a week on Hilton Head Island. His show is ranked number one for nightlife entertainment.
Show Resources:
Bill Gladwell's Client Spotlight
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Click here to download the TripAdvisor thank you letter to get 5 star reviews.
Josh London talks about how to rank higher in search engines, how to build a better website to increase conversions, why you should use videos to promote your shows, and the best practices for Facebook ads.
Josh is a magician and entrepreneur. He has been performing magic since the age of 5 and travels the country performing for corporate and private events. He is also the founder of Click Convert Profit in which he coaches and consults with entertainers, performers, variety artists, bands and musicians who want to book more gigs.
Show notes:
Magician for Private Parties and Corporate Events
San Diego Magician Josh London
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Ann-Lisette Caveny discusses how to learn improv and it's benefits, how start an improv troupe and find a venue to perform shows, and how OKC Improv built their audience through community engagement.
Ann-Lisette holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Central Oklahoma and has been performing improv for over 10 years. She currently performs with Heel Turn, Everybody and Their Dog, KHALC, and performs at various festivals across the country. Ann-Lisette has performed with OKC Improv since it's creation in 2009, and she currently teaches and works for the non-profit as the Assistant Managing Director.
Show Notes:
OKC Improv
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Click here to read OKC Improv's Client Spotlight.
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Joe Diamond discusses why he started a weekly show in his studio, how he builds relationships with the press and got his own radio show, and his clever use of publicity stunts to get media coverage. He also talks about the benefits of being in small venue.
Joe may look like a normal guy, but he has turned his fascination for the strange and mysterious into a full time career! In 2010, Joe became a World Record Holder for Solving the World's Largest Maze while blindfolded! Since then, he has found hidden objects in graveyards, and even driven a car blindfolded! He has become a local celebrity in his area due to these incredible stunts on TV, News, and Radio. He hosts a radio show where he talks to everyone from authors, to magicians, to psychics, to sword swallowers! He's the Co-Star of The Magic Cabaret in Chicago, named by Travel Channel as “One of America’s BEST Magic Shows!". He also produces his weekly one man show, Close Encounters.
Show Notes:
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Gloria Shanstrom discusses how to write stunning press releases that will get published, the best times to send them out, and how to start forming relationships with the media. Be sure to listen to the end where she talks about the importance of having a curtain speech.
Gloria has been involved in Denver Theatre since 1987. She has worked in marketing for the Temple Buell Theatre, co-produced the Denver Drama Critics Circle Awards, and was the marketing assistant at the Denver Center Attraction. She is currently the General Manager for the Colorado Theatre Guild. In 2004, she started Full Court Press, a company specifically designed to assist small non-profit arts organizations get a great press release out to the media.
Show Notes:
Email – shanstrom@comcast.net
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Bill Abbott discusses his weekly theatre show at Dave and Busters, why having a quality show matters, how he decides where to perform, and how he uses a custom backdrop for photo opportunities to help promote his show.
Bill was recently named Canadian Magician of the Year by the Canadian Association of Magicians. He has performed at over 5000 events in 11 countries. His clients include Microsoft, Kellog's, and Coca Cola.
Show Notes:
Second Records for intros and outros
Bill Abbott's friend Deni Gauthier
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Mitch Stark discusses the benefits of projection backdrops and how to start using them and why having professional scenic design helps fill seats.
Mitch is the founder of Theatre Ave and a scenic projection designer for theatrical shows. He shares the insights he’s gained from 15 years as a graphic designer and illustrator and 8 years designing for theatre companies worldwide—for productions such as ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Annie’, ‘Seussical the Musical’, ‘Lion King’, and beyond.
Show Notes:
Mitch's WellAttended Guest Post
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Thom Britton discuss how to get booked in theatres and how he markets his show, including how he writes press releases, how he hands out promotional material, and why videos are an important promotional channel.
Thom Britton is a fire-eater, a classically trained Chef, and a director and producer of circus shows. He has worked for Master Chef Rick Bayless, opened for Green Day, and has won acclaim for his one-man show, FreakShow & Tell.
Show Notes:
Thom Britton's Video Marketing Series
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