FIVE SECRETS TO SELL-OUT SUCCESS

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==============================================FIVE SECRETS TO SELL-OUT SUCCESS by Ian McGregor==============================================Proven Guerrilla Tactics To Create AStampede Of People To Yo...
==============================================FIVE SECRETS TO SELL-OUT SUCCESS by Ian McGregor==============================================Proven Guerrilla Tactics To Create AStampede Of People To Your EventMost independent theatre and film companies have to getcreative if they want to draw the kind of huge crowds thatguarantee a decent pay cheque at the end of the season foreverybody. We all would love to access to the resourcesused (to great effect) by mainstream entities like StateTheatre Companies and Distributors.
But there are ways toget noticed and create a stampede of punters to your eventsby successful use of a few simple ideas.In this article you'll learn...* What your IMAGE says about you* How to get people TALKING about your work* Who to get guaranteed media LEADS from* How to create a media VIRUS* OUTRAGEOUS measures to stand out from the crowdMany people are blatantly unaware of potential publicitygoldmines that lay hidden at their feet. Utilising somecost effective means to generate the kind of buzz you needto draw a crowd is easier than you think.
Valuableimplementation of print media, electronic highways and theviral benefits of word of mouth will increase you profilequickly and with great results. At the recent MEAA conference, "Getting It Up", Lyn Wallace, Director of B-Sharp at Belvoir St, hit the nail on the head..."Despite leaps and bounds in the state of communications,and in a sector full of young people where 21st centuryskills are rife, we are still relying heavily on the sameold methods to reach audiences.
Wildcard did the same thingsfor this show that I did 20 years ago and the results are -pretty much the same. In an age of creative hydroponics weare still using old McDonald's tractor."By implementing these guerrilla tactics, you'll realise themore creative you are at telling people to see your work,the MORE people will come along.
You can start with a fewtried and true methods and move on to downright outrageouscampaigns that have shocked even their creators by just howsuccessful they are!GET AN IMAGEAny dummy knows that postcards are a good idea, it feelsgood to whip one out at an opportune moment and give it tothe right person but be careful to avoid the commonpitfalls; make the image multi-purpose and use it as aposter, email flyer even stickers. You can 'brand' yourimage onto the retinas of potential punters by keeping thethemes consistent, simple and striking.
Get the words on itas clear as possible and have it read by several people asyou'd be surprised to see what sometimes slips through. Getenough… a couple of thousand is fine and you want to avoidunnecessary wastage at the end.
If you've got access to acolour printer, top up the ink and print your own. Plus forbonus points, make the image something that would stimulatediscussion or get a reaction.
As an exercise, stand infront of a rack or table of promotional cards and flyersclose your eyes for a moment, clear your mind then openthem. Which one do you see FIRST! Collect ones that workfor you and find out why.CREATE A BUZZBy telling people about what you are doing or planning todo without sounding like a broken record over and overagain works - word of mouth spreads fast! Most people needto be told 3 to 4 times before they'll come along.
If theyget word form several different people they are even morelikely to get along to the show or screening etc. It maysound airy-fairy but a vibe about something can have astrong influence as to why people go and see stuff.
Keep itENTERTAINING. One way of doing this is to have your emaildo the work for you, but more on email later.MASS YOUR FORCESIt's easy to overlook the tricks your colleagues and othersmight have to share, right under your nose.
If someone youknow has a work intranet, access to resources, who can slipa flyer into a mail-out or publication, or any angle forpublicity… exploit it. Do this as an exercise, ask all themembers of the cast, crew or company for a short storyabout themselves and get ideas from that.
Don't hold backfrom following any wild lead that might ariseUNLEASH AN EMAIL VIRUSNo not the sort that deletes hard-drives but ones thatplant your info right on people's computer screens. Imentioned earlier about using your email signature to dosome of the work for you.
Here is a clever trick that works.Make your sig. file a P.S.
and make it somewhat personal.Look at this example of the one I use to draw people tosubscribe to my ezine, Performing Arts News:P.S. Start making use of this awesome resource...
Now!Click >> http://performing-arts-news.on.to and discover freeinside knowledge of new Australian plays & films, discounttickets and local and global creative vision.After you finish reading this article write one foryourself, send it out to your friends when you email themand get onto email or web forums focused on your particularfield and start posting messages using your new signature.If you aren't already, start collecting email addressesfrom everybody you know. Once you have a few, run acompetition giving away tickets or something else ofperceived value, to all who forward the email on to, say,five people and Cc it back to you so you can collect theiraddresses.
If you've got a website, even better, as you canhave a box for people to type in their email to join yourlist. Have an "Email Book" at the event and ask thosepeople if they'd like to hear more about your company.
Beaware even though jpeg images look whiz-bang people respondmore effectively to plain text.BE OUTRAGEOUS"When a circus in the mid-1950s said they had a unicorn ondisplay, 50 percent more people came to see the show. Howcan you argue with a 50 percent increase in business? Werethe people stupid? No.
They were CURIOUS."-- Joe Vitale, http://www.mrfire.comThere are no points for lying, but you can s t r e a c hthe truth and create some dramatic effects by making someOUTRAGEOUS claims that you can dismiss or back up later.Take for example the crazy line used by Theatre Songe on apostcard for the recent 10X10 play festival: "Now MoreTaliban Than Ever". Clearly chosen for shock value, thestatement is neither true nor tactful.
However, it gotpeople interested on another level, whether they believedit or not. The season sold out!There you have it! Five surefire essential tips to get aflood of interest in your creative pursuits.
There areliterally hundreds more, so thoroughly work on theseprincipals and discover the potential for more creativepublicity that strikes the hearts, minds, and wallets ofyour soon-to-be audience.© Copyright, Ian McGregor - August 2002 Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .