Audience: Who is your strategy aiming to reach?

I’m trying to reach scholars and the general public interested in music history; African-American culture; Broadway and theater history.  I’m also hoping to help promote my recent biography of Eubie Blake published by Oxford University Press.

–Platform(s): What social media tools do you plan to use to reach this audience?

The blog will be the main tool but it will link into my existing Facebook page for the book (https://www.facebook.com/Eubie-Blake-Rags-Rhythm-and-Race-100868321721599).  I would also cross-post to other Facebook groups of interest and also groups on Humanities Common.

–Messages: What message will appeal to this audience? What do you want to convey? What action do you want them to take?

I’m looking to engage with the broader scholarly and public community interested in the history of African American music, theater, and culture.  Because 2021 will be the 100th anniversary of the opening of Shuffle Along, I believe this is a good time to promote the importance of its contribution to the history of American theater and culture.  I would like to tie in to the anniversary year as a way of drawing broader attention to the show.

–Measure: How will you measure the success of your strategy? Consider using SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound) to frame your responses.

I would be hopeful to build the following of my blog to at least several hundred followers (the current Facebook page that I host gets about 250-300 hits for each posting) within the first six months of the posting of the material.