Marketing – It’s Not a Myth!

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by Karen Chace

Storytellers share wonderful tales and offer amazingly creative shows, but do they have great marketing behind them? We lament the lack of attendance at venues, yet many times I receive an e-mail publicizing an event that is taking place the very next day. Often that e-mail was the only marketing tool used and I have to wonder how committed the producer was to ensuring the program’s success.

People lead full and busy lives and often a day’s or even a week’s notice is not enough to get them in the seats. If you want to fill the room, put your marketing hats on early and often and go beyond the traditional advertising routes. Embrace the array of social media tools at our fingertips; the promotional opportunities are endless.

Let’s make sure the follow-up publicity includes the words “standing room only!” Here are some tools to help you make it happen!

Blogging Services

The CMO’s Guide to the Social Landscape

This chart will help you decide what may work best for your needs.  
http://tinyurl.com/3lt894w

Email Marketing Services

Event Calendars

Below are two examples of free newspaper events sites from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Check your area newspapers for similar services.

Event Marketing

Press Releases

We don’t have to throw the baby out with the bath water. Some of the old tried and try methods can still work. Here is a great tool to help you jazz up that press release!
Community Media Workshop –A guided press release creator tool with media strategies and techniques to help you produce a press release with pizzazz!

QR Codes

Connecticut Storyteller Carolyn Stearns offers and easy “how to” on the latest rage since bar codes were invented!

Social Media Sites

Remember, the event is not done when everyone leaves. Make sure to stay connected by uploading video of your event and create buzz for the next time!

Hootsuite

When you have all of your marketing ducks in a row, you can streamline your web activities using this social media dashboard. http://hootsuite.com/

Social Media Tools

And for those of you who have already rounded the learning curve, here are some of the newest social media tools available. 22 Hot New Social Medial Tools Worth Exploring

Storybug.net

The following two sites are links to my blog where I have compiled websites and information to help move your work forward using various types of business tools.

About Karen

When she isn’t telling stories Karen is teaching children to share their own tales. A workshop leader and author she writes for Storytelling Magazine as well as her own blog and newsletter with resources for storytellers and educators. She is a contributing author to the National Storytelling Network’s publications, A Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children and offers her own publication, Story by Story – Building a School Storytelling Troupe. Karen was the recipient of the 2011 National Storytelling Network’s Oracle Award for Leadership and Service in the Northeast and the 2009 recipient of the LANES Brother Blue-Ruth Hill Award.

Contact Karen

Website: www.storybug.net
Email: storybug@aol.com
508-763-8565

6 thoughts on “Marketing – It’s Not a Myth!”

  3. Uschi Erlewein

    Thanks Karen, i always get new ideas from your posts! You are right artists need to marked themselves nowadays in order to be seen. And i have the impression the more technology we have it gets more and more. Before when i was hired by a cultural instiution here in Germany they made all the promotion and now ( with web 2.0 ) they expect me to take over some part of that as well. It is not enough to do our art, we need to be our own publicity agency, tax-office…sometimes i feel like i spend more time with promotion, homepage, mailings, creating flyers, office-work…than with my artform. I know it makes sense and it has an effect, but still i look for more simplicity and am not happy spending so much lifetime for something people forget about so easily.

    1. Karen Chace

      Hi Uschi,

      My apologies for the late response; I just read your comment a few minutes ago. Yes, I understand your frustration with having to wear so many different “hats.” Ten years ago we could never imagined how the social media would explode. It is both a blessing and a curse.

      In my blogging workshop I always encourage people to pick one or two types of social media and focus on those for awhile. Once you reach a comfort level, add another. We don’t have to do it all but social media is here to stay. If we are going to reach new audiences, particularly the 20+ set, we need to meet them where they are.

      Another key is to be persistent. We can blog, Tweet, Facebook, etc. but if we are not consistent, we will never build a following, which translates into audiences. The good news is that you are not alone; many of us are in the same boat. All we can do is our very best and continue to learn.

      Best wishes for a prosperous and joyful New Year!
      Karen

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