Marketing Tips from our Social Media Manager

With HFF12 around the corner, it’s time to talk about what you new Fringers can do with your show marketing in the final few weeks to increase the visibility of your show in the fringe and larger Los Angeles Theatre community.

1. Write a Press Release. You may not be a PR person professionally, but if
you’re producing a show you MUST write a press release. Post it to the Fringe site. Pursue reviewers you want to see your show and send it to them. Spread it as far and as wide as you can.

2. Go to everything you can and bring cards. Show up to the opening party, hang out at Fringe Central Station, meet up with other Fringers to hang out, and go see shows. Do these things and bring your show cards or business cards. Network within the community to increase your audience and get to know some of the great people that make up both Hollywood Fringe staff as well as Participants, Actors, Producers, etc. Even at non-Fringe related events you should have cards on you. You never know who will want the information.

3. Tweet, Facebook. If you don’t have a Twitter account and/or Facebook
account – you should. For Facebook, create an event or a fan page around
your show with the information you need to get out and share that. On
Twitter you can create a personal account or a show account – both are
totally okay. Follow @HollywoodFringe for news, and check out the #HFF12
community hashtag. If you don’t know Twitter, do the tutorial when you sign up – it’s great. (Bonus Hashtag: #LATHTR)

4. Do more than blast information. Doing all these things can be great for
visibility, but you need to make people want to talk about your show or share a tweet, which is often the hardest part. Consider giving a discount to participants, raffling off tickets to your twitter followers, or including a charity donation from your show profits if it makes sense. Doing these things will set you apart from other shows that are just trying to sell tickets.

These are just a few basic ways to help improve the reach of your marketing plan and you will see many veteran fringers already doing these things. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box with your marketing so long as you’re not making your message confusing.

Rachel Stoll Armstrong,
Social Media Manager