Your flight to Chicago just landed. Your friend picks you up and asks "how was your flight?"
"Fine" you reply, and then quickly move on to other - more interesting - topics.
Think about all the things packed into that "fine". A fine flight means that your luggage was effectively moved hundreds (or thousands) of miles. It means that your flight crew was pleasant and competent. It moves that your plane didn't crash, or experience any mechnical difficulties.
In short, a lot of good things happened.
But you didn't notice it. You certainly didn't rave about it (or the airline).
Why?
Because it was expected.
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Here's your challenge (and mine) in a nutshell:
The most effective marketing in the world happens when people rave about your work.
People rave about things when it exceeds their expectations.
The problem: People have high expectations.
To exceed those expectations you have to give them a little more.
Think about the products, movements or causes that have managed to cut through the clutter by offering something unexpected, or delightful, or just plain weird.
Think of Southwest and their pricing policy, or their stance on bag fees.
Think of Zappos and their stance on customer service.
Think of the restaurant that you love where they know your name and (every once in a while) whip up something special for you and your guests.
Now think about all those perfectly good products and services that you ignore every single day because they don't offer just a little bit more.
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There is no magic formula for success in the arts, or any field, but if there was it would be something like this:
Quality Work + A Little Something More + A Little Luck + Good Timing = Success.
The luck and the timing aren't under your control.
Quality work is about putting in the effort, sweating the artistic details, putting your heart + soul into the work and improving over time. If you aren't doing that then you're screwed and no marketing plan will save you.
Then there's the little something extra, the thing you need to exceed the expectations. You should spend some time thinking about what that is. Just remember that it doesn't need to be a big thing, it can be something small.
Here's one example of a small gesture. At my day job we have gotten into the habit of created show specific websites. For an upcoming production set in the 1980's we decided to create a playlist of hits from the 80's and 90's and put it on the web.
Why do we do it? Because we know a lot of people sit at work/school and like to listen to music. Might as well give them something to enjoy. Our hope is that as they scroll through the music they will find a song that jogs a pleasant memory.
Maybe it will make them smile.
That smile is the extra thing.
You expect a website for a theatre to have a production calendar and a way to buy tickets.
You don't expect it to do anything to make you smile.
Get it?
What's your something extra?