5 Ways You Are Keeping First-Time Visitors From Coming Back

The first time someone comes to one of your productions is a formative experience. By the end of their visit they will have drawn conclusions about what your organization is about. They’ll even have come up with a rough idea of whether or not they would enjoy any of your future productions.

We’ve all been through this ourselves. Sometimes we’re planning our next visit before we even leave the theatre. Other times we’re counting the minutes until we can leave and never come back.

What makes someone want to leave for good?

Earlier this year I surveyed my email subscribers on possible product ideas here at Sold Out Run. I wanted to know what topics people were most interested in learning more about.

Overwhelmingly the people who responded to the survey were interested in how to convert a first-time visitor into a regular patron. I’ve been thinking more about that, and it begs the question: why don’t more people become regular patrons?

I can think of several possible reasons.

1.) They don’t like the show

Not every show will appeal to everyone. Even if you do everything right with the production, it might just not be their cup of tea. You can minimize this by working hard to craft your marketing campaign to reach the right audience, but there’s no need to beat yourself up when this happens.

Or the production itself might be bad. Most theatres can’t compete with the largest theatres of New York and London on production value and talent, but we all need to be producing shows to the best of our capacity – whatever that capacity is. A first time visitor doesn’t know that this production falls short of your otherwise high standard. They just know that this production isn’t very good, and they don’t want to see more productions like this one.

2.) Bad experience with your staff

If your box office and ushers were rude or inattentive, that’s going to leave a sour taste in a visitor’s mouth. The people who work at a theatre are fans of the art form themselves, and my interactions with them are almost always friendly and pleasant.

The best way to develop a relationship with a first-time visitor is to capture some means of connecting with them again before they leave.

People are prickly creatures, though. If a visitor feels brushed off because your staff gave a cursory answer to a question or didn’t give everyone in the party a program, that’s enough to set someone against you.

Tempted to say you don’t want such sensitive people as your regular patrons? Everyone’s a little extra sensitive when we’re in a new environment and just getting the lay of the land. You’ll earn their trust and willingness to go with the flow once they’ve had a few good experiences with you and feel comfortable.

3.) Doesn’t occur to them to commit now

If someone has a pleasant evening, they will probably walk out the door with the thought that they wouldn’t mind coming back to your theatre again at some point in the future. Now that they know who you are, they can always find you again.

The problem is all the headaches and distraction of tomorrow are going to push all thoughts about your theatre right out of their heads. That’s why you need to capture something about them while they are still in the theatre.

The best way to develop a relationship with a first-time visitor is to capture some means of connecting with them again before they leave. An email address is great if you can get it. A social media follow is a distant second.

When your next production rolls out you have a means of contacting them and reminding them of the positive associations they have with your organization.

4.) It isn’t clear how to connect with you

When someone has a good time at your production and knows they want to come back, what would you like them to do? If they know they want to stay connected, do you make it painfully obvious how to make that happen?

There’s a difference between making someone feel like a first-time visitor and making them feel like a regular visitor who just happens to be here for the first time.

You might be reluctant to overwhelm someone on their first visit, and I think that instinct is sound. In most cases it’s probably too much to ask someone to buy tickets to your next production in the first few hours that they’ve known you. But it is not too pushy to tell people how they can hear about your upcoming shows.

The program, table tents at the box office, the curtain speech, and receipts are all great places to encourage your visitors to sign up for email updates or follow you on social media.

5.) They feel like an outsider

Your loyal fans who have been coming to your shows for years know that the bathroom is down that hard-to-see hall behind the box office, but how would a first time visitor know that? Every theatre has small idiosyncrasies that add to its character. You shouldn’t get rid of them even if you could.

But what you can and should do is use these quirks as opportunities to foster a relationship with your first-time visitors. Instead of letting them fend for themselves – and possibly feel disoriented along the way – why not have an usher give them the scoop while escorting them to their seats?

Where are the bathrooms? Do the performers come out into the lobby after the show? What’s the best place to park? Any special deals that the regulars take advantage of?

There’s a difference between making someone feel like a first-time visitor and making them feel like a regular visitor who just happens to be here for the first time.