Edinburgh Fringe Festival is one of the most exciting events in the UK during the summer months and it’s something that truly brings the city of Edinburgh alive. The city becomes a hub of entertainers, with endless performances, shows and incredible acts to enjoy and watch every hour of every day.
If you’re a performer, there’s no place you’d rather be in the summer than the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s a hub of energy, inspiration and fun – with the added bonus of endless audience members!
So if you’re headed to Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, whether you’re an oldie or a newbie, you’ll want to be sure you’re taking advantage of the many marketing and merchandising opportunities the festival has to offer. Remember – this festival is all about celebrating the arts and immersing yourself in a world of arts and performance – so making sure you market yourself is crucial.
Tip 1: Get on social media
Social media is where everyone shares their recommendations and show tips for Edinburgh Fringe Festival, so make sure you’ve set up social media accounts for yourself, and your show too. Having a personal account is great to document your experience as a performer, but then also having an account for your actual show or entire cast, means people can find it easier. Don’t be afraid of talking about Edinburgh Fringe Festival on social media, and make sure you update regularly and fully immerse yourself in the online side of marketing. We recommend finding the event and festival hashtags on Twitter and Instagram, and using them to promote your show and widen your audience. You can also use social media to connect with potential audience members too, and invite them to performances, and even give them a preview of the show or a behind the scene glimpse!
Tip 2: Run social media advertisements
Some of the biggest shows this year are running social media advertisements linking directly to ticket sale sites – which is hugely useful for boosting sales and increasing your audience. But don’t worry – this isn’t just for big acts and big performers, it’s something that smaller performers can get in on too – and you should. Running simple adverts on Instagram and Facebook (targeted towards people who like Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and who live in Edinburgh) is a great way to start increasing your online exposure gradually. You don’t need to spend loads on these adverts (a budget of £5 – £10 per advert would suffice) but you’ll likely see great returns from them.
Tip 3: Invest in merchandise
Merchandise such as printed t shirts, or tote bags are a fantastic way to embrace your audience and start building a bit of a fan base around your show. You can print personalised designs on your merchandise, such as the show’s logo, or a cast photo, or even a funny quote from your script or stand-up. Getting printed t shirts or tote bags (or a variety of other things!) and selling them after your show is a great way to keep your show fresh in people’s mind, and also help promote the show around the city afterwards. Remember – people will be proudly displaying any merchandise that they have purchased, so it’s a great way to get people talking about your show! You could even give merchandise away for free as a marketing strategy to get more people involved and interested in your show – the possibilities are endless!
Tip 4: Be consistent
With marketing and merchandising, you want to be sure you’re consistent with your designs. Make sure all your logos and fonts are consistent across any merchandise you’re selling – but also across any adverts you’re running and any profiles you have on social media. This will make you look more professional – which is a good thing when there are so many shows to choose from. People want to spend money on shows they know will be good, and projecting a good brand image with well thought out design and merchandise definitely does that.
Tip 5: Shout about it!
Take every opportunity you can get your hands on to discuss your show with everyone and anyone! It’s a great idea to contact your previous universities or school for interview opportunities, or even get in touch with local podcasts or arts podcasts, and see if you can be a special guest for an episode. Every chance you have to talk about your show – take it! You can never have too much promotion!
Tip 6: Run a competition
Running a competition for tickets is a great way to promote and market your show. If you can throw in a free night in a hotel for the lucky winner, you’re also bound to be inundated with entries and (therefore) inundated with lots of new exposure to potential audience members!
