- Take at least one really good interesting photo.
This is the single most important tip. Find the most talented photographer in your network, beg them to do this for free (well an image credit and some beers!) and take the time to come up with, at the very least, one good, interesting photo that represents what you stand for artistically. And don't theme it to your current show otherwise you can't re-use it. Once you have this, you have an image that can be used in conjunction with a media release, you have the basis of a simple poster, you have a picture that can be used online in a variety of purposes. And you can re-use it over and over again (well for three years. DO NOT use it for longer than three years!). - You have no money but do you have time?
If you have time you can move mountains... for free! With time you can do the social networking thing (see upcoming tip), with time you can do the PR 101 thing (see upcoming tip), but time can also allow you to do other things too - are you hiring a professional venue? make the time to go there and ask what marketing support they can give you, does your play have a special theme - ie Green Grocers, with time you can make a list of green grocers and invite them to your show, if they'll display a poster or spruik it in their emails. If you don't have time, is there someone who does have it - a uni student friend studying marketing? A semi-retired relative that you respect? How ever you find it, look for time. - Never put 100% of your available funds into the show, always keep something, however little for marketing. Not much need to explain here other than if you can't do this, then maybe you shouldn't do the show.
- Really Basic PR
Write a press release - find examples online and copy them. Spend an afternoon researching your target journalists eg: music journos based in Melbourne, google or ring for their contact details, then send them the press release and your photo. The next day follow up via phone and ask if they'll cover your gig. Look for free gig guides, send your show details to them, but not just the media release do a cut down listing version that apes their format and again follow up and invite them. Gig Guide and What's On list compilers are the forgotten journos, a free CD or gig invite will be very well received. Can you do give aways? Again look for who publishes give aways, ring them up and offer some tickets. This all takes time, see above! - Leverage your offline networks
Engage all your family, friends and colleagues, make them buy tickets, get them excited, ask them to spread the word. Network, get out and about in your field go to other people's openings, build a support network for your artistic output. - Get serious about social
Don't just talk about the gig on your personal facebook page, make up a proper artist's one (find one you like and copy what they did!), make up events, invite people, post interesting info from your rehearsals, local radio interviews etc. With Twitter get an account, get onto it, search for those who are influential in your field and follow them, re-tweet them, engage with them, hopefully they'll follow you and re-tweet the cool bits you are saying about rehearsals. If you have lots of cool stuff to share, film it, put it on your own you tube channel, start a blog, both of these will help get you noticed and in a credible way. all of this is free it just, takes, time and effort! - Start your databases
At your gigs ask people to give you their emails, like you on facebook and follow you on Twitter, get enough of these people and you'll never have to take our a newspaper ad again. - Things that don't cost muchFind the most talented graphic designer (amateur or otherwise) and get them to do artwork for you for free tickets - can't find one, contact local uni's and TAFE's for students who are looking for real world assignments, then for a tiny outlay you can make up a few dozen posters, take these around to wherever your kind of audience may hang out and offer free tickets to the shop keeper (or whoever) to display them.
Have a little more money? Do the same with postcards as well. Facebook ads are easy to learn, set-up and can cost very little, you can speak to the type of people you are looking for in the town they live in. Google adwords the same. But beware the online ad world changes fast so always search for the latest info about best practice. - Become a student of marketing
Its all around you, TV ads, newspapers, in your phone, soak it in, question someone has done something and how might you apply that in marketing your own show. Talk to professional marketers pick their brains. - A cheap printing tip.
B&W is cheap, full colour less so, B & W (mono) with one spot colour falls in the middle somewhere. A larger poster or flyer run can be cost effective but still very attention grabbing when you say, go mono with a red spot colour, with good design, the eye will perceive black, white, red, grey and pink all in several shades. Impact wise you'll punch above your weight for less cost.The marketing world is full of tiny tid bits like this that add up to cheap marketing - can your poster also be a flyer? Can your poster also be the design for your email? - What NOT to do.
Do not do a small single ad in the newspaper because that's all you can afford. ONLY advertise in mass media if you can afford to do it more than once or twice and at a reasonable size.
Do not put all your eggs into a single marketing activity, diversify your efforts into at least three or four mediums/activities it will spread the risk if one doesn't work. But don't spread yourself too thin, pick a few things and do them well.|
Don't give away your soul for contra, sometimes you get a better result by simply paying money, getting tiny disocunt on a stress press ad in exchange for more tickets than the discount is worth ain't worth doing. Only contra-up with people who you feel are out for a genuine win-win.
I think that's about it for tonight if you are a self producing artist please have a read take a few of these ideas away with you.
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