There is a lot done on using marketing tools and strategies in the arts – both in practice and in research. Many arts organisations and professionals use online social networking sites to achieve concrete marketing goals. Online communication tools and strategies in the arts are helpful because they inform, attract attention, provoke interest, persuade, encourage, create desire and stimulate actions for purchasing and participation. And they do it for little or no money. In many cases, using social networking sites as a marketing tool is directed towards stimulating demand and increasing revenues.
It is important to remind ourselves that marketing is not only about selling. It helps an art organisation to compete successfully for the audiences’ attention, time, money and volunteering in a world of so many other choices and possibilities. It also allows developing programmes based on constant feedback from clients and customers. Marketing online can create or reposition an image, can influence habits, can involve and can advocate for a cause. Bringing audiences is not only about money, it is about achieving support, improving visibility of arts works and cultural products, creating tastes of audiences and not only satisfying them.
Competing for audiences’ attention and time online is successful when not done in an aggressive way. Public visibility of creative products needs an emphasis on public relations and image building, rather than on purely commercial advertising and sales promotion. It is important to think and act ’beyond the box’ – implementing non-conventional methods of marketing and communications, concentrating on what others are not doing.
Internet and online tools has proven their power to bring attention, increase visibility, sell products, attract supporters, create and share with audiences and users online. It is indeed important how we use them for content development, artistic creation, community building and motivating volunteering.
Read the Douglas McLennan blog on ArtsJournal to find out more: 10 Ways to Think About Social Networking And The Arts” here:
http://www.artsjournal.com/diacritical/2009/05/power-in-numbers-there-ought.html
Other useful viewpoints on how we use social networking for art marketing and PR related goals:
http://www.nytimes.com/allbusiness/AB11702023_primary.html?ref=smallbusiness
http://www.artseventures.com/Other_Online_Arts_Marketing_Services.html
http://www.arts-marketing.blogspot.com/
http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=881191
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/online-arts-marketing.html
LabforCulture ist eine Partnerinitiative der European Cultural Foundation. LabforCulture dankt seinen Förderern für Ihre Unterstützung.