The Power of Social Media

In this day and age its hard to miss the impact that social media has on pretty much everything going on in this world.  More and more people, companies, and organizations are flocking to using social media. Not having an online presence in the world now is almost taboo.  There are a few stragglers that are still coming up to speed on the possibilities that social media can bring.

One of those stragglers are theaters.  Many can and have utilized the possibilities that social media can bring but a large majority of the industry have yet to use them to their full potential.  Social media platforms like Facebook have the power to make or break a show.  It is a useful tool to not only inform people as to what your show is but to also promote it.  Many use ads as a tool for promotion but ads will not cut it alone.  Having reviews and ratings is what will help a customer decide if they would like a show or not.  

These reviews or ratings could be from professional critics in newspapers or from your average joe on different websites.  But the thing that will impact a person's decision to see a show or not is actually not the opinion of a professional or a stranger but rather a friend or family member. According to authors Tracy L. Tuten and Michael R. Solomon, "71% say recommendations from friends/family have substantial influence over purchase decisions."  Having a personalized review from someone you know, trust, and maybe share similar interests with is what can make someone want to see a show.  

In an article," What Social-Media Marketers Could Learn From Broadway," by Gian Fulgoni, there is a point he makes about the importance of the phrase, "You've got to see it."  It is true that if I see a commercial or ad for a show or anything really, and it happens to catch my attention/interest, I am likely to check it out.  But if someone I know says, "You've got to see this, it's amazing," I am far more likely to go, and go soon because I want to see what they are so amazed with.  

The power is not only in what a business/organization posts but also in what fans and their friends/family share about those things.

Thanks for Reading!

-PerformingArtsPatron