Playhouse on the Square finds 200 new subscribers online

For a local theater that puts on 15 to 18 shows a year, it’s a full-time job simply keeping theatergoers in the loop. And it gets even crazier around the holidays — when six of those shows play back to back.

Taylor Manning, Playhouse on the Square’s marketing director, is the person responsible for this chaotic and exhilarating work. And because it’s a team of one, he manages everything from email to content to digital advertising.

He said, “The organizational stance before I arrived was focused primarily on print. They were in the traditional channels: newspaper, the occasional magazine, radio, and local television interviews. But other than that, there wasn't really any true marketing.”

One of the very first things Taylor wanted was to expand their digital presence. And the first step was finding a marketing platform where he could orchestrate his diverse and segmented campaigns.

He said, “We were able to secure Feathr last October, and we really started very small until this season began, and now we’re doing everything on the platform.”

Making emails easier

“Since the start of all our email marketing campaigns, we’ve generated about $106,000 in revenue,” Taylor said. “And for the season alone, it's about $65k.”

But it isn’t only about results, it’s also about the process. Before switching to Feathr, Playhouse on the Square had been using Constant Contact as their email service provider. And though it had many of the functions Taylor needed, he felt it wasn’t living up to expectations.

“When I was introduced to Feathr and then began building emails, I was like, my gosh, this is so easy,” Taylor said. “It's just drag and drop. You can easily change anything you want. It's one of the best email platforms I've ever used.”

Because Feathr is built for nonprofits, it comes packed with pre-built campaign plans — called Flights — that make it easy to get marketing campaigns off the ground. But that isn’t the only resource the platform offers. There’s also every kind of email template imaginable — from Giving Tuesday asks to event invitations.

Email example from Playhouse on the Square

And with the time gained from ease of use, Taylor began testing different designs and formats, listening closely to how his community responded.

He said, “We've been integrating more video into our emails so people can actually see what they're paying for. And then when it comes to the data side, it's nice to see who it is that's actually buying a ticket — and exactly where they're coming in from. Because with our email marketing, we're also tying that in with our online advertising. So it goes hand in hand.”

A place where the whole community gathers

From the Theatre Memphis to the Orpheum, the people of Memphis have options when it comes to live theater — and that’s not even including all things Elvis (his house, Graceland, is a big draw for the city). 

Taylor said, “When it comes to building awareness, the Memphis theater community is large and there are a lot of other theaters that people love to go to.”

For a small, local theater, it’s often much harder to find new attendees than it is to get people to show up for a second show. The value of the programming is clear once someone walks through the door. So the question becomes, how to find the right people to invite?

The first way that Playhouse on the Square engages these theatergoers is through Geofencing campaigns, which serve ads to people who have visited physical locations. If someone visits a nearby theater, there’s a higher likelihood they’ll be interested in an upcoming show at Playhouse on the Square.

Taylor said, “We're not necessarily trying to steal their audience, but have them purchase a ticket here and there. More like, ‘share the love.’ At least that’s how I like to think about it.”

Another way Taylor has found these new audiences is through Affinity campaigns. These ad campaigns use data from around the web to build similar audiences to the ones that Taylor knows are already working. 

He said, “The affinity campaigns have helped a lot. We're trying to broaden our demographic base. Memphis is a diverse city, and we want to be a place where the entire community gathers.” 

Digital ad example from Playhouse on the Square

Meeting challenges with creativity

Like a lot of theaters and museums, COVID was an extremely difficult time for the theater and the community at large. And it disrupted one of their key revenue streams: subscriptions. 

Taylor said, “These subscriptions are really important for us from a business perspective. So this year we had to rethink how we were going to approach it.” 

This was Playhouse on the Square’s first year launching their revamped subscription model, which they marketed through email. And they’re already past their initial goal of $150k in revenue. 

Taylor said, “We're at $180,000 right now and a majority of those are coming through email — where we’re tracking each individual conversion. So we're doing about three to four season subscriptions a day online.”

To put that on a more human scale, that’s 200 new people that are attending their annual lineup. Taylor said, “We'll have 800 people in our pool of subscribers by the end of the month.”

That’s not too bad for a new idea!

We all need a little help from our friends

If someone says that marketing is easy, they either haven’t done it long or they haven’t done it right. And that’s why it’s so important to have the right people in your corner — because it takes buy-in and commitment to build a community.

Taylor said, “It’s super wonderful to have everything in one place because it makes it easier for me and for the people I work with. I share live reports with our board, our executive director, our managers, directors, and everybody who has a stake in our mission.” 

Playhouse on the Square’s marketing results are a testament to the creativity and hard work Taylor puts into every single email, line of content, or ad. But he didn’t shy away from sharing credit with the team members who joined him along the way.

He said, “Feathr is going to be a better solution than you’re even expecting. And given the support that Feathr offers, it alleviates a lot of the stress of carrying these things alone.”