In this post I will impart the 6 things to keep in mind when making a flyer for a show or event. It may seem simple and trivial, but a good flyer/poster will give people all the information they need to make up their mind to come to your show or not.
The purpose for the flyer/poster is to entice people who don't know your band or the other bands playing to come check you out. You are asking them to take their leisure time and hard-earned money and spend a fraction of it with you. Also, the flyer needs to communicate to your fans and provide them an incentive to return to your concert. Here's what 10 year of making flyers has taught me:
1) Highlight the date – The most important element is the time element. "When is the show?" is the most important question in your potential concert-goers mind. Also, the time the show starts is a nugget of information to never omit.
2) Include Websites for each band – Under each band's name, you should include the URLs for each of their Websites. This will give people a chance to check out the bands to see if the want to come out. Including a "Recommended If You Like" for each band if you can. For example, let people show your style, genre or similarity to popular bands your fans would like. People like new styles, but usually when ushered in a familiar way.
3) Provide venue information – This is important when making flyers to hand out at other local establishments. This lets people know where the show is and they can just type it in to their GPS on the night of. Also, include the phone number to the venue in case people have questions.
4) Mention giveaway or raffle – Letting people know what's in it for them for coming to your show is a good way to get those on the fence or first time fans. A good idea is to give away some music or tickets to a raffle. 2 or 3 songs on a download card or a CD-R works fine. Just make sure you provide a link as to where to buy more music or to find out when you are playing next. Remember, playing live can be very lucrative in the long run, much more so than music sales, so do not neglect your live experience and always give people more than one reason to come back out. Just ask The Dead, Phish, 311 or The Roots.
5) Provide ticket info and restrictions – Technology is making it easy for everyone to sell pre-sale tickets to their own shows, including will call and box office services using a laptop and a cell phone. Many bands and venues use these online ticketing box offices to get some cash flow to help with promotions. Also, you can measure the effectiveness of your marketing by seeing the number of pre-sales. If the online thing isn't for you, you can do pre-sale paper tickets people can buy or reserve at the club at a discounted rate or through text/phone RSVPs. In my opinion, venues should always encourage pre-sales through their own marketing efforts.
6) Have a reproducible flyer – Make sure your text is clear and that your graphic doesn't look like an ink blot when photocopied. Sometimes people will pass along the info. Since those types of referrals are invaluable, make sure you make it easy for people to be able to do so. Make a couple of versions for each medium: full color posters, black and white handbills and MySpace/Facebook banners.
Enjoy. Share. Promote.
Ivan
About Ivan
Ivan has an Advertising degree from UF, 9+ years in corporate and consumer marketing, 11+ years in design and promotions. When he is not dressing up like a clown for children's birthdays, Ivan runs his own independent record label and boutique "advermarketing" agency, Mohawk Bomb Records. Join Ivan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mohawkbomb
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2009.