ArtsMarketing.org

As the sole marketing staff member for TimeLine Theatre, a non-profit theater in Chicago with just four full-time employees and a budget well south of $1 million, I’m all too familiar with the need to do more and more with less and less. As TimeLine has worked to meet this need by becoming more sophisticated in tracking the effectiveness of our marketing tactics, I’ve discovered a number of return-on-investment (ROI) tools we use to maximize our resources. The ROI tool that really seems to get folks’ attention is Google’s Goals function.

Since there are no available studies or data on the needs, attitudes, perceived obstacles and values of Latinos in relationship to arts and culture institutions, we at Contemporanea, the marketing communications consulting firm that I lead, have embarked on the task of procuring this data by launching the following study: The Latino Experience in Museums study was created as a means to better understand how to engage the growing Latino population in the arts.

• “What are the attitudes of Latinos in the San Diego area towards arts and culture organizations?”

• “How do Latinos prefer to engage in science education programs with their families?”

• “What media is most effective to reach out to older, household decision-maker Latinos: newspapers or radio?”

All these are real questions that people have asked me in the last six months. As an expert in multicultural marketing communications, I am embarrassed to admit that my answer to all of these queries was “I do not know.” It is not that I don’t have a professional opinion about all these questions, I do. But as a marketing expert who strongly believes that all our strategies should be based on a sophisticated knowledge of our audiences (either through data that is already out there in the field, or that you have to go out and get), my most honest answer has been “I do not know… yet.”

A number of variations on the classic social entrepreneurship model have blended traditional giving models with innovations from social entrepreneurship. Some of the most recognizable approaches include venture philanthropy, microlending, giving circles, and new online giving strategies.

What does the term “social entrepreneurship” actually mean? Broadly speaking, it describes situations in which business principles are used to further social good. Many artists and organizations working in the arts and culture sector have already made use of social entrepreneurship with great success.

Building audiences for a performing arts organization is a multi-faceted endeavor. But there’s one common thread that, to me, is indispensable for helping the performing arts organization create and maintain connections with its audience, its staff and volunteers, and the general community within which it operates.

That common factor may be described as personalizing the performing arts group, whether theatre company, dance company, jazz trio, cabaret troupe, or chamber music ensemble. Personalizing involves putting a face on the company; it is being mindful of the vital role of communications in everything from your box office staff’s interface with ticket buying public to keeping your audiences informed of news about your organization and having your staff members participate in other cultural and service associations in the community.

Social media tools are fun, hip, sexy, cheap and easy to use. It’s not too surprising that arts organizations are quick to embrace the ever-evolving world of social media. While I believe a social media presence is almost always necessary, when I work with an arts organization or get asked a question about social media tools, my first response is to ask some key questions...

Securing private funding is more competitive than ever given this current recession. So, how do we make the case for supporting the arts and how do we maintain a vital relationship with the private sector in spite of the funding downturn? How do we define the relevance of the arts to business in the face of urgent and basic social needs?

Americans for the Arts is leading efforts to stimulate additional support from the three major areas of the private sector: business, foundations and individuals. Our efforts include two interactive opportunities for the public to weigh in on the future of private sector support.

We got started with two rules for building your research plan earlier this month. Click here for a refresher on beginning to think strategically and holistically about research. So you've figured out what you want to do with your research, and thought about creating a culture of evaluation in your organization. What next?

Your first instinct may be to research the people who are already coming through your doors (ticket buyers, visitors) and especially those who already have a committed relationship with your organization (subscribers, members). But as you develop your research plan, give some thought to those who aren’t yet attending (potential customers), as well as those who are important whether or not they themselves attend (donors, influencers, community leaders, and so on). Ask yourself whether the actions you want to take require a better understanding of those audiences, and what you might be able to learn from each of them.

“We just had a planning retreat with some of our board members, and they asked us questions about our audience that we couldn’t answer. So we realized we need to do a survey...”

As a researcher who works with arts organizations and museums, I get that call or email frequently. The marketing director of a theater, classical ensemble, dance company, or art museum will get in touch, often passing along a detailed request-for-proposal for audience research, and sometimes already armed with a list of survey questions that she and her executive director brainstormed together.