Promoting Shakespeare readings in a small town is always a challenge. How to build up the number of attendees is a perennial conversation. The way I’ve promoted the event in the past is through a Facebook page which allows you create and promote events on the various local interest groups, and with printed A4 posters distributed public noticeboards and shop windows around town.

After having a really good number of folks last time, today we had a much smaller group, just 6. Mind you, it was raining and it’s been quite cold so that probably puts some people off coming out.

Of course, I had hoped that there would be the same number, or more, on this second event, but it was encouraging to have a new person come along. So far the most successful promotion has been the posters in the pub itself. We also had one person come along who saw the poster in the local shopping centre and the new person today found out about us through the Facebook page.

The other posters in town haven’t given any obvious results, neither have the digital billboards. I found that some of the posters in shops had been moved or obscured with other flyers. That’s annoying because when I put a poster on a public notice board I’ll always tidy it up a little bit. I’ll take down any old flyers if the event has passed, and I’ll try to arrange it so every notice is visible. In future I’ll go back and check the condition of my posters a few times during the week.

I’ve had 25 more posters made up with new 4 dates, and I’ve had 5 of those laminated so we can use the outdoor notice boards that I’ve spotted around town. This time I’ll put posters a bit further afield in the neighbouring villages, perhaps that will be more effective.

With the digital billboards, I’ve noticed a couple of things. Firstly, we’ve actually seen people looking at them, so they certainly attract attention. I think this channel really needs a specific approach to make the most of its potential. It’s not an ‘A’ size, so we had a fair bit of wasted space on the advert. Also, the time on screen is very short, 30 seconds or less which makes it impossible to read all the text. Next time I’ll create a poster with a minimum of text and a striking visual instead.

I’ve also found out about a local radio station, that might present some more opportunities. The owner runs a shop in town, so I’ll pop in there on Saturday and try to find out more. The important thing is to keep on covering all the bases and slowly build up a better idea of which ideas to prioritise.