Why Standup Comics Need Their Own Marketing Platforms

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Image Source: FreeImages

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If you’re a standup comic, you know all about marketing. You know that you need to market yourself if you want to develop an audience, sell your tickets and build your brand. But as much as we all love comedy, it’s not always the easiest subject to tackle when it comes time to actually putting together a marketing campaign. Standup comics are artists and entertainers. The majority of them have day jobs in unrelated fields while they build their standup routines. Which means that although they love what they do every night after night on stage, coming home after a performance and figuring out how to market yourself afterwards can be just a little bit… taxing. Standup comedy is also a niche field that doesn’t have its own marketing platform or digital community yet. Sure, there are some great resources for comics out there online but nothing centralized where comics can go for everything from finding new gigs and partners to networking with other performers and keeping tabs on their fans from show to show.

So Why Do Standup Comics Need Their Own Marketing Platform?

Standup comics need their own marketing platform because they’re a different kind of artist. They don’t just perform a one-off show in a theater or at a festival: They’re on stage night after night, working hard to build their rep and get the word out to new fans and potential ticket buyers. That’s not an easy task. It’s not the same as the type of promotion that other artists and entertainment professionals might pursue. Standup comedy is a very performance-driven art form. When you’re marketing your show, you don’t want to talk about how great your composing process was or how you spent a year writing your set. You want to talk about your fans. You want to talk about what happens at your shows.

What Is a Marketing Platform?

A marketing platform is an organized system for promoting yourself and your brand. It’s a place where you can keep track of your fans, your shows and your content. A place where you can keep tabs on your partnerships and find new opportunities to perform at clubs, theaters and festivals. Ideally, it’s a place where you can make money from your fans by offering sponsorships, paid content and other ticketing and merchandise opportunities. There are tons of great examples out there of platforms that have been built for artists, musicians and comedians – from Patreon to YouTube and Twitter to Instagram. With your own platform, you can create your own comedy marketing brand and community. You can build a place where your fans can come to get updates on your latest shows, see pictures and videos of you performing live, and buy tickets and merchandise. By building your own platform, you become the curator for your own brand. You can make sure that everything your fans need to know is centralized in one place.

The Basics of Building Your Own Comedy Marketing Platform

Building your own comedy marketing platform is a massive undertaking. It’s not something that you can build in a week or a month – or even a year. It takes time, patience and consistent effort to build the kind of brand that comics need to succeed in today’s digital marketing landscape. With that said, there are some simple steps that you can take to get your marketing platform off the ground and on the path to success: - Get a URL - Before you do anything else, you need to get a URL. Whether you’re building your platform around Twitter, Instagram or another social media platform, you need your own URL. Your URL is your online address. It’s where fans can go to find everything they need from your comedy content to your merchandise. - Pick a name - Once you’ve secured your URL, you need to pick a name for your brand. Whether you’re going for a name that’s funny, serious or a little bit of both, your audience is going to have to remember it. They’re going to have to see your name day after day and have it stick in their minds. This is only going to happen if you pick the right name. - Build Your Site - Once you’ve got your URL and name, it’s time to build your website. Your website is the home base for everything that you’re doing. It’s where fans can find your latest content, your social media feeds, your merchandise and ticketing pages. It’s where you can also find your partnership opportunities and keep track of your partnerships.

How to Find Partners, Audiences and Show Opportunities

As you build your comedy marketing platform, you’ll begin to notice that more people will begin coming to you with partnership opportunities. Clubs, theaters, festivals and other entertainment venues want to work with comics that have built their brand. But sometimes, it can seem like an uphill battle trying to get in touch with these venues, even if you’ve built a big enough following to get their attention. That’s why it’s important to keep tabs on show opportunities and partner with as many brands as you can. The sooner you get your name out there, the sooner you’ll start to see consistent success – both on the stage and in your partnerships. Here are some simple ways that you can find show opportunities and keep tabs on your partnerships. - Start with your local scene. In your town or city, there are likely plenty of venues that host comedy shows. Find out who’s booking these shows and get in touch with them. Make sure they know who you are and that you’re interested in booking shows. Keep tabs on these venues and their contact information so that you can follow up with them when you’re ready to book a show. - Keep tabs on booking opportunities in your scene. From time to time, there are booking opportunities for standup comics that are centralized around social media. Sites like The Funny Times and upcoming platform Comedy Big Picture feature opportunities for comics to get booked for shows. Keep tabs on these sites and get in touch with the organizers if you’re interested in booking a show. - Keep tabs on your social media presence. Your social media presence is one of the most important aspects of your comedy marketing platform. It’s a great way to network with other comics and interact with your fans. Find other performers online and reach out to them, seek out booking opportunities and find new ways to grow your brand.

How to Build a Network of Like-Minded Fans

As your comedy marketing platform grows and you start to build a network of like-minded fans, you’ll notice that you have a reliable source of income. You’ll have a fan base that’s willing to pay to see your shows. They’ll buy tickets to see you when you book your next show, they’ll buy merchandise and they’ll make donations to your content. Building a network of like-minded fans is one of the best ways to make money as a standup comic. And it’s one of the most important aspects of your marketing platform. Here are some ways that you can build a network of like-minded fans on your platform: - Create content that your fans want. Your fans want to see your latest videos, live shows and photos. They want to be able to find your content and keep tabs on your latest developments. But most importantly, they want to see content that they want to see. Create content that your fans crave. Create content that they’re willing to subscribe to and pay for. - Engage with your fans regularly. Keep tabs on your social media feeds and respond to comments, posts and messages as often as you can. Make sure that you’re keeping tabs on your emails and messages too. Your fans want to see that you’re listening to them and keeping tabs on them. They want to know that they’re being heard. And they’re more willing to pay for your content if they know that you care about them.

How to Build an Audience for When You’re Ready to Record Live Shows

One of the biggest challenges that standup comics face is building a live audience. Once you’ve built a network of like-minded fans, you’ll want to start recording your live shows. These live shows are your best opportunity to build a bigger fan base, sell tickets and make money with your brand. They’re your chance to go

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