Running a community theater takes serious people power. From volunteers and stagehands to crew and actors, the show couldn’t go on without them. But organizing all the groups of people that are essential to your shows can be stressful – and then you have to sell those tickets.

Creating a mobile marketing strategy is a simple, low-cost way to help you cover all these bases, from organizing your staff to connecting with your audience. 

Mass texting, for example, lets you organize and communicate with ease with as many targeted groups as you want. And the low cost of mobile marketing for theater group makes it an easy fit for even the tightest of non-profit community budgets.

Shine the Spotlight on Mass Texting

Use mass texting to communicate more efficiently with your cast, crew, theater staff and other volunteers. Need to reschedule a rehearsal or meeting, or pass on some important news? Send out a single text that reaches everyone that needs to know. You’ll save time in only having to send one message, and with 90% of American adults owning an SMS-enabled phone, it’s one of the quickest, most convenient ways of getting in touch.

• Tailor your communications to target groups – create a range of groups so you can target messages to just the relevant receivers

• Your members can reply too – this means you can get RSVPs from everyone in the run up to auditions, rehearsals, meeting and shoes, making organization so much easier

Mobile Marketing to Connect with Audiences – and Sell More Tickets

Mass texting also helps you to increase audience numbers.

• When you’re creating your promotional materials, from print ads to posters, flyers to radio spots, add a texting call to action. It’s a simple way for people to get in touch to find out more about your show right there and then.

• Text updates about your latest shows and special ticket deals to your subscribers or to targeted audience groups. This provides them with info that’s easy to pass on to friends and family that they think will be interested too.

• Texting is fast. A social media message or email might not be checked right away. With texting, you can send a reminder within 24 hours of a show or event and know that it’s landed right in your recipient’s pocket.

Boost your Fundraising Reach

All community theaters rely on funding and donations from the local community. A mobile marketing strategy that includes a text donation campaign can help you boost your budget.

• During fundraising drives, text your subscribers asking for a donation

• Add a texting call to action to your donation requests on playbills and other advertising

• Donate via SMS – you can set things up so that all people have to do is text a keyword to a given number to automatically donate a specific amount of money, which is simply added to their phone bill. This makes it really easy for the community to send you donations, but it does create extra work at your end

• Text a donation link – a more straightforward alternative is to simple text a link to a donation page to your subscribers. It means people can choose how much they want to give, and lets you receive more of the money too

Find your Next Star – Onstage or Behind the Scenes

• Mass texting helps you to boost the impact of your casting calls. Add a text call to action to as a way for interested actors to quickly and easily get in touch with you as soon as they’ve seen your ad.

• Create a group of people in your text subscribers who have helped out in the past or expressed an interest in helping out in future. One text will let them all know about your upcoming casting calls, fundraising events and volunteer opportunities.