Sometimes more isn't better

I've always loved that line from the Sabrina movie (the remake, thank you, not the original, oddly enough). "Sometimes it's just more." 

Problem: we don't have enough audience to fill our shows. 

Problem: we need to run three weeks because the first weekend is just for marketing, we won't sell out.

Problem: the local paper(s) is cutting theater coverage. how are people going to find out about us now?

Problem: we post it on social media but the only people who see that are people who already know about the shows we do.

Problem: there are so many different calendars/event listings/blogs. we don't need/can't afford another one. (Yogi Berra, anyone?)

The REAL problem: we haven't a clue who our audience is or who we want our audience to be. 

Those other things aren't problems. At best, they are marketing tactics that aren't being done correctly or efficiently. The first one listed is a metric, a data point that doesn't have any relevance because most theater companies aren't sure what "enough" means anyway, or how to correctly price their product. 

You can have audience churn, in which case the solution is advertising saturation. 

Or you can have raving fans, in which case the solution is to hone your art and message and service. 

But unless you have gobs of money or time, you can't have both.