7 Last-Minute Marketing Pushes to Use Before Performances

Picture this: Your theatre showcase is perfect. Your actors are prepared and excited. Your backstage team is ready to go. But, upon checking the numbers, you see you’ve still got a startling percentage of your tickets left unsold.?While many would panic at the thought of being this off-pace on ticket sales so close to opening night, we promise it’s not the end of the world. After all, sales targets often stray from their projections. It’s nothing a little last-minute marketing can’t help!

Instead of accepting the sad fact that you won’t have any sold-out showcases, why not harness the power of the final days for unique and targeted marketing objectives? After all, data tells us that 25% of patrons buy their tickets within the last four days before a performance. Let their procrastination work for you!?

On The Stage explores seven last-minute marketing pushes to use before performances – ensuring more tickets sold and more eyes on your (stellar) work!?

7 Last-Minute Marketing Pushes to Use Before Performances

Push Video Content

Now is the perfect time to get your smartphone out and start recording. This way, you can entice patrons with video content from your tech week rehearsals and backstage shenanigans. It’s true that different generations absorb and respond to marketing efforts differently – but pretty much everyone will be enthralled with the right type of video content, as long as it’s short and sweet.?

Whether you hop on the latest TikTok trends, create a full-out trailer for your show, or post small clips from anticipated scenes, now is the type to push video content on all your social media platforms.?

If you have the time and bandwidth, consider offering digital streaming options alongside VIP video content for ticket buyers. You want to incentivize buying tickets by offering rewards to those who do.?

Promote Your Merchandise

An excellent way to increase your bottom line while pushing ticket sales is by promoting your theatre’s merchandise on your show website, on all social media platforms, and on printable marketing materials.?

Merchandise, after all, is a walking billboard for your production – so the more people purchase and wear your merchandise, the more people will see that merchandise and want to learn more about your theatre. Those who stumble upon your show website will see that you have an upcoming show … and want to buy tickets, of course!?

Pro Tip: Make sure the design of your merchandise is consistent in its branding. You want to create pattern recognition so that patrons and everyday people alike can recognize your theatre through design, no matter where they are. (Think the Nike swoosh or the Apple logo – aim for the stars.)??

Market Towards Other Demographics

Let’s say you’ve studied the ticket sales demographics and have captured the attention (and sales) of elder Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. Excellent! We’ve got a handle on marketing efforts for older(ish) patrons.

Perhaps you’ll notice very few Gen Z and younger ticket buyers coming through your theatre. Now is the time to enact targeted marketing efforts just at them – that way you can corner yet another market demographic at your theatre.?

Do some research into which social media platforms Gen Z patrons will be on and the types of marketing efforts they respond well to. For example, it’s no secret that Gen Zers love TikTok. They also love short-form content. That said, you shouldn’t post static Facebook ads to entice them to see your show. No – quick, catchy, and informative video content on TikTok is the way to go. In short, craft your messaging to appeal to them, and only them, for this specific marketing effort. Being a great theatre equals being appealing and accessible to people of all ages and interests, after all.?

Employ Scarcity and Urgency Tactics

We know – this kind of sounds like a marketing effort where you just … stress out potential patrons. But trust us, it works. After all, people are more inclined to purchase a ticket to an event if they’re under the impression that tickets are going fast or that time is running out.

The first of these tactics is scarcity. With this effort, you let patrons know that there are ‘X’ number of tickets left or ‘X’ percentage of tickets left. You can even add a widget on your show site showing the number of tickets remaining to truly motivate them to act now. The last thing any patron wants to do is miss out on an opportunity because they waited too long – and this will be a great strategy for those “on the fence” to get off that fence and come to your theatre, instead!

Along the same lines, creating a sense of urgency essentially tells your patrons that time is running out to purchase a ticket. You can enact a countdown clock on your website, as visual cues encourage patrons to purchase immediately.?

In short, you’re capitalizing on that dreaded feeling of FOMO – or Fear Of Missing Out. It’s a powerful tool, indeed.?

Promote Deals of the Day

Coupon codes and deals never go out of style and can also encourage patrons who originally couldn’t afford a ticket to now be able to visit! (Yay inclusivity!)?

Coupons and promo codes can be deployed at any time during your marketing schedule, but often work well with a week or so left in the countdown to opening night. Not only are you including those patrons who wanted to come but couldn’t afford it – you’re also going to reach discouraged patrons who may have thought they already missed their window to purchase tickets.?

To add another element to the discount codes, ensure they have time limits. For example, a discount code shouldn’t work for the entire week before showtime. Instead, enact it only on specific days or during specific time frames. This increases the urgency and makes it more imperative for people to purchase tickets as soon as they see the deal is live.?

Encourage Upgrades

If you’ve marketed enough to those who haven’t yet purchased tickets, it’s time to look back at your loyal patrons who already have tickets in hand. Why? Upgrades abound!

Perhaps a ticket buyer has seats in the balcony, but you know the mezzanine seats are available. Why not promote those seats to ticket holders for a small upgrade fee? Perhaps a ticket buyer has their seats picked out but didn’t pre-order concessions or merchandise. Why not market slightly discounted merch and pre-ordered concessions to them??

If your goal is to create a seamless theatrical experience for your patrons, upgrades are an excellent way to do so – and make more money while you’re at it!?

Get Your Cast Involved

If all else fails, you have a passionate team ready to help you sell tickets. Yes – we’re talking about a last-minute ticket sales contest!?

These contents will likely boost morale and, additionally, get a broader range of people at your show. Don’t have the biggest cast? Don’t be afraid to tap your colleagues, community partners, and business sponsors to participate in the contest, too!?

The prize for said content, however, is up to you!?

How On The Stage Can Help

If you feel like you need a little extra help getting more tickets sold, On The Stage can help. From theatre productions, concerts, and dance recitals to galas, sporting events, camps, classes, and conferences, you can give your patrons a world-class experience starting with their first interaction: finding and purchasing tickets.

OTS offers a suite of marketing and promotional tools that help generate awareness of your theatre and spread the word about your upcoming shows. OTS makes increasing your ticket sales simple with built-in best practices and turnkey technology.

If you’re hoping to deliver a world-class ticket-buying experience that is convenient for your patrons and effective for your theatre, book a personalized demo with On The Stage today.