Marketing Strategy Guide

This guide will help you get clear on your show, your audience, and how you're going to reach them. Work through the four templates below and you'll come away with a simple, practical marketing plan you can actually run with this Fringe season, and beyond.

TIP: You don't need a marketing background for this. Keep it honest, keep it simple, and focus on what you can realistically do.

What's in this guide

1. Your Show Goals
2. Know your Audience
3. The Path to a Ticket Sale
4. Your Marketing Action Plan
5. Your Marketing Budget
6. Marketing Channels to Consider
7. Quick-start Checklist
8. Download the Editable Template
9. Additional Resources

Your Show Goals

What are you hoping to get out of this Fringe season? Keep your goals realistic and something you can actually measure: Eg sales, audience growth, press, or your own development as an artist.

•    Eg Sales goal: Increase ticket sales by 10% on last year

•    Eg Audience growth: Grow your email database by 10%, social followers by 15% etc

•    Eg PR: Get coverage in two local media outlets and grow visibility in your genre

•    Eg Professional growth: Attend two Honey Pot sessions and network with interstate presenters

Know Your Audience

Before you invest money on advertising, get clear on who you're actually talking to. Look at your past ticket buyers or social media followers as a starting point. First show? Start with your own networks, eg family, friends, and community, and build out from there.

TIP: A themed show often appeals to a particular group. Eg a comedy show about teaching will appeal to teachers. Think about who your show speaks to and how you'd pitch it to them directly.

It's also common for a show to have more than one audience profile. You might have a core group of regulars, plus a few other types of people who'd enjoy the show for different reasons. For example, a stand-up show could appeal to regular comedy-goers, first-timers drawn in by a social media clip, and corporate groups looking for a fun night out. If that sounds like your show, fill out a quick profile for each group using the template below.

The Path to a Ticket Sale

People rarely buy a ticket the first moment they hear about your show. They discover it, weigh it up, buy a ticket, and (hopefully) tell their friends. Map out how you'll show up at each stage.

Your Marketing Action Plan

Turn your goals into a simple set of actions. This is the plan you'll actually work with from day to day.

TIP: On average, it takes seven touchpoints before someone decides to buy. Don't rely on a single post or ad, plan for repeat exposure across a few channels. See section 6 choose the marketing channels available. 

Your Marketing Budget

A marketing budget keeps your advertising spend realistic and tied to what you can actually expect to sell.

When working out how many tickets you need to sell to break even, don't be more ambitious than 20–25% of your total ticket inventory, especially if this is your first Fringe, or previous seasons haven't sold a high percentage of tickets.

Setting your ticket price

• What can your audience realistically afford?

• What are similar shows charging at Fringe?

• Does the price feel fair for what people are getting, and does it line up with other Fringe pricing?

• Think about when discounting makes sense, and when it doesn't

• Use Fringe pricing tools like Fringe Memberships

Working out your break-even point

• Add up your costs: registration, venue hire, marketing, crew, cast, etc.

• Add up your potential income: grants, sponsors, crowdfunding, private investment, and box office

Once you've done this, use our marketing budget template to plan your advertising spend.

Open the marketing budget template

TIP: As a rough guide, your marketing budget should be about 10% of your expected revenue. If you're expecting to sell $5,000 worth of tickets, budget around $500.

Marketing Channels to Consider

Not every channel will suit your show or budget, but it helps to see the full picture before you decide where to focus. Use this as a checklist when you're filling out your Marketing Action Plan above.

Quick-start checklist

☐  Set 2–3 clear, realistic goals

☐  Build a simple picture of your audience

☐  Map how people go from hearing about your show to buying a ticket

☐  List the tactics and channels you'll actually use

☐  Set a realistic budget

☐ Track how your campaign is performing

Download the Template

Use the editable Marketing Strategy Template

Additional Resources

• Make sure to check our Analytics and Pixel Tracking resource to help you understand how to track your campaign performance.
• Contact the Marketing Team marketing@adelaidefringe.com.au.