Promoting a membership campaign for a community movie theater

July 15, 2018 9:35 AM

I’m the owner of an old-fashioned, single-screen movie theater (I'll call it the "Paradise Theatre" here). I’d like to launch a new membership program, and I need marketing advice to maximize purchases.

Lots of community movie theaters have membership programs, though most of these theaters seem to be non-profit organizations. We are ostensibly a for-profit business – though in reality, we're hemorrhaging money at an alarming rate. However, the Paradise Theatre is also a much-beloved neighborhood institution with a cadre of long-time, loyal customers, most of whom live in the immediate area.

I’d like to leverage that goodwill by offering a multi-level membership program, with progressively increasing benefits. You can view a rough draft here (it’s a work in progress).

The question is… what’s the best way to promote it? In reality, I'm counting on the membership program to prevent me from having to close the doors permanently. However, I don’t think I want to appear quite so desperate, lest people decide that they'll pay their money only to see the business close anyway. On the other hand, I do want to give people some sense that this is serious – if they don’t step up to the plate, then they’re in danger of losing a neighborhood gem.

I’m not really a marketing guy. I’m looking for basic advice about the whole campaign, from the overall theme of the promotion, to possible taglines to use, or any other thoughts people might have.

posted by JD Sockinger to Work & Money (13 answers total)

Just wordsmithing suggestions from me.

For the higher dollar memberships, list the premium perks first. Don't make your high dollar donor wade through the same things the cheaper memberships are getting before they get to their private screening, or their birthday announcement.

Name the tiers, don't number them. You can suggest prestige and altruism better with words than with numbers.
posted by the Real Dan at 10:01 AM on July 15, 2018 [2 favorites]

Some of your customers might respond to an invitation for more engagement. Can you offer them some input on the selection of movies that you show?

Do you know exactly who your loyal customers are? Can you mail or email them directly?

Get your flyer designed and printed, in keeping with the style of the theater, and mail it to the residences in the "immediate area", as a personal invitation. Clearly identify the Paradise Theater in the return address (I get a lot of marketing email that appears to be personal letters but are not).
posted by the Real Dan at 10:18 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think the key to success with something like this is building a community. Consider having members-only events more frequently, and open to everyone with a membership. I used to attend the LA Silent Movie Theater/Cinefamily events, and that felt like a great way to be part of a very cool scene. (Until, you know.) Can you partner with a local public radio station to see about maybe co-hosting some events, and using their broadcasting power to reach interested parties?
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:24 AM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

I actually work in movie marketing and have a billion thoughts about How Hollywood Needs to Adapt to Reach Audiences. If you want to have a conversation with specifics, MeMail me. I'm interested in what city/neighborhood you're in and what your physical space is like.
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:57 AM on July 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

I have a lot of experience working with small cinemas like this.i think you need to up the number of passes your high-level members get. A $500 membership should be a free admission all year tier, and I'd adjust the number of passes for lower-level members accordingly. This is just me spitballing based on what other small, struggling theaters do to build a membership program.

Members love feeling like they are part of a community. I'd open your members appreciation event to everyone who purchases a membership. If this takes off, you can create a more exclusive member event later. Consider letting higher-level members call ahead to reserve a seat for big screenings, they love that kind if thing.

It's fine to level with your audience about what's at stake. When rolling out this program, I'd get into some of the financial realities you face. "Did you know that we only keep $X of every ticket sold?" Talking about some of the tremendous overhead costs movie theaters face is illuminating for your customers and you can spin it as "we can't do this without you!"
posted by cakelite at 10:58 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

(I would also ditch the $25 tier and start it at $50. Consider having a special membership for seniors, if you're a rep house you probably have a sizable senior customer base?)
posted by cakelite at 11:01 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

A neighboring town has one of these wonderful old-school movie theaters, and the owners have done a couple of interesting things to increase community participation, including:
* partnering with a local college to screen movies for student groups/college-wide programs;
* hosting a specialty Saturday-morning film series for a month;
* providing space for local musicians to perform;
* offering passes as prizes in library contests.

As a patron (no membership program here), I like:
* getting advance notice of dates and times for movies, which allows me to make plans with friends or for my kids;
* matinee/under-12 pricing, which is a couple of bucks less than evening shows;
* rapid response from the theater's Facebook manager

My wish-list:
* Movie pass books for purchase (I would give them as gifts);
* A way to get one-off screenings of art movies (this may be a contractual issue, I dunno) and documentaries relevant to community organizations;
* Working with the local libraries to screen book club selections;
* Post-movie conversations on occasion, led by an expert in that area;
* Our public radio outfit should really do a live broadcast of a locally-made show, with an old cartoon as a chaser...
*...and I wish they'd do movie sing-alongs.

I guess I want to see my theater as a true community space--a place where all kinds of people can relax and mingle and participate. Have you considered inviting patrons for a one-off conversation about what they'd like to see? Like you'll provide the popcorn, and they can bring their ideas? And letting them help shape the membership program?
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:04 AM on July 15, 2018 [3 favorites]

I don't get the individual or couple thing. Does that mean that I, a single person, can pay 1000 for unlimited access for just me, while a couple can pay the same and both get unlimited access? Do they get two matinee screenings? At the very least an individual should be allowed to have one guest at any time, given the couple pricing. (Otherwise this would possibly turn me off enough that I would quit going to your theatre at all. A discount for a couple -- how is that defined? Two people at the same address? -- is one thing, but this seems extreme.)

I don't think the 500 tier is getting enough compared to 250. Is a pass for a single person?

I agree that saved seats would be great if that is possible.
posted by jeather at 11:17 AM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

In reality, I'm counting on the membership program to prevent me from having to close the doors permanently. However, I don’t think I want to appear quite so desperate, lest people decide that they'll pay their money only to see the business close anyway. On the other hand, I do want to give people some sense that this is serious – if they don’t step up to the plate, then they’re in danger of losing a neighborhood gem.

I have a similar theater in my neighborhood, and it is beloved, but I can tell you, that at least in my situation, there's a bit of frustration in the community that it's a for-profit enterprise and not a nonprofit.

Have you thought about going non-profit? I ask because I think there are a lot of benefits to that in terms of community engagement. I look at it this way: if it's a non-profit, with a board made up of people from the community, than donating feels like an investment in the community, in an institution that benefits the community. If it's a for-profit enterprise solely owned by one person, I'm not going to feel as personally responsible for its survival. I mean, yeah, I'll choose to go to the movies there over the multiplex, and I'll buy concessions instead of sneaking them in, but why would I be responsible for "stepping up to the plate" for a private business?

Sorry, I know this is a bit off-topic for what you've asked, but when I see language like "stepping up to the plate" it makes me think you are expecting (or at least hoping) the community to share ownership of the fate of this theater. And I think people will be a lot more likely to do that if it's not literally owned by an individual.

Nonprofit status has a lot of other benefits for a small arts organization. You can get local grants. You can run a capital campaign to get nicer seats or better equipment. You might even be able to get volunteers with experience in fundraising since people do really love their local movie theaters. Just something to think about.
posted by lunasol at 11:39 AM on July 15, 2018 [4 favorites]

The NPR station in LA has offered discounts at several indie theaters as a membership perk.
posted by brujita at 1:18 PM on July 15, 2018

I'd keep the tiers more simple, like 3 tiers. Usually when I see donation programs it's worded like,

Tier Bronze: Fabulous Freebies
Tier Silver: Fabulous Freebies PLUS All You Can Eat Sweeties
Tier Gold: Fabulous Freebies, PLUS All You Can Eat Sweeties, PLUS VIP Access to our Super Cuties on Super Cutie Night
...or whatever. Idea being re-emphsize: You get the Bronze Level, the Silver Level AND the Gold Level!!!!@#!!

My local community theater (which is not in a theater so it is easier for them to do non-film events), along with second run and retro movies, has tons of community events, some of which are free, some of which are community fundraisers, I imagine in hopes of attracting loyal regulars. They show the Oscars, big sporting events (World Cup right now), stuff like that. They have bingo, trivia, and a couple kind of "club" type nights (documentary night, feminist film club thing, etc), this week they're showing Beyonce's Lemonade...

Good luck! We need theaters like yours. I appreciate your work!
posted by latkes at 2:54 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'd be worried that this would mainly amount to giving a discount to your best customers, making the problem worse. I'm also not clear what individual/couple means (does $75 get me 12 movie passes?), but $50 for 6 passes, 6 popcorns/drinks, a shirt, and a drink cup seems like it's not going to make you any money unless the people buying it weren't your customers in the first place. It's a problem if your long-time, loyal customers buy a $50 membership instead of six tickets+popcorns/drinks, which presumably cost more than $50.

A beloved bookstore near here saved itself from a financial hole with a sponsorship program, but they're very clear that the main benefit of sponsoring is 'we continue to exist,' while the additional benefits cost the store little to nothing. It's hard to make that work, especially when you're for-profit, but it shifts the conversation from "will I get my money's worth out of this membership" to supporting the place.
posted by zachlipton at 3:03 PM on July 15, 2018 [1 favorite]

I would rephrase 'couple' as 'dual' -- that way it's clear that it can be for you and any specified other human being.

Also -- looking at the private matinee benefit of the highest tier -- have you thought about offering that separately? I imagine it could be popular for birthday parties, and having an 'a la carte' price makes it seem like the membership package is a bigger 'savings.'
posted by batter_my_heart at 4:31 PM on July 15, 2018