Easy ways to grow your concert audience
You know that feeling when you’ve put all that effort into a great performance, but barely anyone showed up to see it? It hurts! But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are 7 easy ways to grow your audience now.
1. Reward the early bird
Reward your existing customers for their loyalty. It’s a huge mistake chasing new fans whilst ignoring the ones you’ve already got!
It’s easier (and cheaper!) to retain someone than to convince a total stranger to try the experience. The most exclusive place to dangle a tempting discount on ticket prices is at your next concert, when your audience is on a high and wanting more.
So, plan at least two concerts ahead - and give them what they want, when they want it!
Bonus: Your treasurer will appreciate a clear view of ticket sales in advance.
2. Your last event is marketing for the next
Paint a picture in your audience’s mind. Better yet, bottle the memory of your event with high-quality photography.
Your brain thinks in pictures more than in words, so make your abstract ‘upcoming concert’ real by showing how great the last experience was!
Good event capture (photos, videos) turns your ‘concert’ into a unique experience, and provides tangible marketing material for your next event.
The record of what you do is as important as doing it. Show, don’t just tell!
3. Prioritise user-friendly digital media
People are 60% more likely to show up to your event if they have engaged with your content online. Quality digital invitation drives in-person attendance!*
Make sharing social media posts easy. Write irresistible email copy.
Share stories about your ensemble, the music, membership, audience (the crux of a good story is when a character is transformed), ask questions, and know the difference between repetition and reinforcement.
Search online for groups like yours that are nailing it, and take inspiration.
*Print marketing has a place. I love it when I turn up to perform in a new town and see the organisers have nailed advertising with concert banners everywhere.
Great - if you have the time!
So, make spreading the news about your concert as easy as possible. Think of an ATM - you don’t need to know the complex bits behind the machine, you just want the correct cash and balance.
Remove friction, grow your audience.
4. Leverage collaborators and soloists
Tag and invite your venues/visiting performers to be collaborators in select social media posts. You’d be surprised how often this is missed, but it means you will reach a wider audience: both groups of followers will see the post. Courtesy message them first!
If you’re unsure how to do this, Google or your nearest young person!
Don’t forget to send that irresistible copy for them to share with their mailing list. Again, make this as easy as possible for them, and you get access to their followers.
Bonus: The right soloist or collaborator may come with a loyal following of their own. It might mean a bigger investment, but a substantially higher return if they bring their audience!
5. Facilitate your membership
If you’re reading this, you're probably the hero (or heroic sympathiser) who feels responsible for making live performance a success. It’s a struggle, but let’s look closer.
Marketing is everyone's responsibility.
Your job is to facilitate a passionate membership that will go out and spread the word. People want to feel they belong. They do belong, because they show up to rehearsals and concerts - they just need a map and the tools.
As facilitator, your job is to craft the tools. Make it easy for members to spread the word: that this is an experience worth being a part of.
Membership can mean patrons, performers, audiences, or season ticket holders. Here, membership means those people who will advocate for why you should share in this experience.
6. Manage expectations, plan with audiences in mind
You know what to expect at a performance. But you also know what it’s like to be in a new environment where you don’t know the rules.
Every environment has rules, even if the rule is that there are no rules.
Don’t miss the opportunity to remove friction by being upfront in your advertising, which is downstream from knowing your audience(s). Here are just some examples, you decide the occasion:
What to wear? Sometimes, it’s nice to dress up for something other than a wedding or funeral.
Start/end times? Approx end times are an overlooked barrier.
Is this a good ‘first’ exposure, or ‘deepening’ the journey?
Travel & Parking details
What happens during the interval?
Performance Ettiquette? Applause? Phone recordings? Cough sweets? Drinks?
These aren’t ‘rules’, but insights about the experience!
Before the final tip…
Coffee?
If you’ve found this letter helpful, consider supporting my work with a contribution - equivalent to buying me a post-rehearsal coffee!
7. Be ‘unreasonably’ hospitable
Since the Lockdowns, hospitality has become a lot less hospitable: pay more for food and drink, spend less time at the establishment.
Live performances should reconnect us with the eternal human desire to be taken care of.
Good hospitality is about thoughtfulness, rather than luxury.
Walk through your experience with your team - what frustrates them? Where can we remove friction and exceed expectations?
If you know your seating is uncomfortable, think about cushions. If you know it gets cold in the winter, offer blankets or serve hot drinks before the performance.
People love to play, yet the world often only considers utility. How can you and your team make your experience more playful? Make your guests feel like VIPs?
You have the opportunity to craft an experience, which is what the concert journey is all about.
Thank you for reading!
If you'd like personalised help implementing these ideas for your group/venue/series, get in touch!