How to Promote a Musical on Social Media

Theatres and arts organizations worldwide put unfathomable amounts of hours and energy into creating the most successful and creative season possible for their audience. A “season” is the set of shows that an art organization chooses to produce during the year's performance period. The rest of the year is typically used for rehearsals, education, and a break to refresh your craft. A method used by arts organizations is promoting the musical production on social media. The use of social media marketing is the organization’s way of combining advertising with the educational surroundings of the production. 

Tip #1: Build a Production Team 

All productions have a creative team, including directors, choreographers, musical directors, set, lighting, and costume designers. However, not all shows have a production team; this team is meant to produce the marketing materials, promote the musical on social media, and coordinate educational surrounding experiences such as the lobby experience, any program articles, and informative materials that may align with the show.

Tip #2: Plan at Least Two Campaigns Per the Social Media Account 

The best rule of thumb when going about promoting a musical on social media is to plan at least two campaigns for each social media account you have access to. These campaigns should start at least a month before the start of performances and continue on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The campaigns must be thoroughly planned down to minor details and coordinated with the production's themes. 

Tip #3: Create a Content Calendar 

Your production team's plans should be inputted into a content calendar. This calendar will allow you and the production team to stay on track and ensure nothing gets overlooked while the show is being produced. Content planners are recommended for all types of social media marketing, no matter the industry. Check out this source that addresses the effectiveness of a content calendar in social media marketing.  

Tip #4: Flow with the Show

Each musical is unique and has specific themes; your marketing should reflect that. Accompany your campaigns with smaller-scale posts, follow trends and create reels. Focus on the show's charm and the cast's energy to generate smaller spotlight posts that fill the gaps in your content plan. They don't require as much planning and often will draw in more attention than you’d think. The route a show can take can be unpredictable so staying on top of the social media promotion for the musical is extremely important.

Tip #5: Continue your Content into the Performances 

The importance of carrying on the promotion of the musical on social media until the end of performances(and sometimes even a few weeks later) can't be understated. The hype and promotion you’ve created surrounding the show must be maintained so that not only do you get ticket buyers to see the show but so that they either come again or refer others to see the show. Even if tickets are out, you must pivot your content to promote the show and carry on through performances until the closing of the production.