Do Arts Patrons Prefer Online Marketing?
It amazes me how, in this age of the Internet, there are still theaters and venues that don’t go online to drum up interest in their shows.
Maybe it’s a lack of know-how, which is not an excuse, really, since there are loads of free resources out there.
Maybe it’s a fear of the new. However, the Internet isn’t new anymore (20 years and counting!).
Maybe it’s because they think most of their patrons aren’t looking for them online.
If that’s what you think, then think again.
A while back, on our third show, I interviewed Eugene Carr, President and CEO of Patron Technology.
In an effort to better understand arts patrons’ preferences, Carr’s company surveyed 50,000 customers of their PatronMail email service.
Of those arts patrons who responded to the survey, 52% said they spend more time on average on the internet and less time with radio, television, newspapers and magazines, stating they would rather receive marketing emails directly from arts venues or visit a production’s web site.
“An organization that has been doing direct mail and print could continue to do it, but I would say that it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. We are now living in a world where their customers are taking in information on the web and by email and our research shows that a large portion of those people actually prefer web-based marketing to offline marketing,” Carr said in the interview.
The finding is in keeping with the growing trend of consumers spending more time on the internet and less time with traditional media like television.
A fact not lost on marketers who, according to Forrester Research, will increase online marketing spending to over $61 billion by 2012.
“Is direct mail and radio and print enough? Not anymore. Today, if you want to have a marketing program, email and web marketing must be a part of it if you want to be effective and, most importantly, if you want to develop a newer and potentially younger audience for your arts organization,” Carr said.
So, if you’re not marketing your venue online, why not?
Your patrons are looking for you.
Theater and Pierogies: Innovation Attracts an Audience
Venues face more competition than ever for their patron’s attention and, in turn, their dollars. And let’s face it, no money equals no venue. It’s a business reality and an arts reality.
Consumers have seemingly endless ways to spend those entertainment dollars. Why go out to see a play or concert when they can stay in and enjoy entertainment in the comfort of their own homes in the form of the Internet, DVDs, Cable T.V. and Video Games?
It’s a daunting question. The obvious answer is to give them something they can’t get at home: The thrill of a live performance, passionate actors on stage, musicians riffing within arms reach, the communal experience of being in a crowd enthralled by the performance.
But those inherent aspects of live performance haven’t stopped a steady decline in ticket sales nationwide.
What’s a venue to do?
In an early episode of the In The Box podcast, I talked to arts marketing consultant Joanne Scheff Bernstein about structuring shows around patron’s lifestyles. She described one venue that scheduled performances during commuter hours to better accommodate working professionals. It was a rousing success. (InTheBoxPodcast.com/iTunes)
One clever organization has found another answer: give patrons more than an experience they can’t get at home, give them one they can’t get at other venues.
In this case, it’s a performance piece called “Etiquette” in which the audience are the actors. It takes place at a deli in New York’s East Village as part of The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival.
Audience members sit at a table, wear head phones and follow a script that takes them through a conversation, each person hearing a different part of the scene.
“It’s about being here in the cafe and then finding yourself taken away. The idea was to think of conversation as a theatrical experience at the same time as performing it yourself. You’re the audience,” says Anton Hampton, co-founder of Rotozaza Theater Company, the troupe behind “Etiquette”.
“It’s like being in a good art film,” said one audience member.
Innovative productions like “Etiquette” and the aforementioned commuter series are an interesting strategy when it comes to competing for the public’s attention in this age of endless, fractured entertainment options.
Small theater and production companies like Rotozaza may be among the first to recognize this and the first to experiment, but sooner or later larger organizations must realize that innovation, as difficult as it can be to sell to board members, just might be the ticket for increasing audiences and revenue.
The New York Times site has a great video report on “Etiquette”. Watch it at NYTimes.com: Theater and Pierogies
Podcast: Blogs and Twitter and YouTube! Oh My!
You have, no doubt, heard of YouTube, the insanely popular Google-owned video sharing site. And I’m guessing you are familiar with blogs too–you’re reading this after all. Maybe you’ve even Twittered a few times (in public no less!).
But did you know you can use these online tools and others like them to reach patrons?
In the latest episode of the In The Box podcast I interview arts marketing consultant Maryann Devine, who tells us how to get the most out of these popular technologies and use them to create lasting relationships with patrons.
Oh, and did I mention most of them are free?
Listen now:
In The Box: Blogs and Twitter and YouTube! Oh My!
Or get on iTunes (free).
Welcome to the In The Box Blog
Welcome to the In The Box blog, where we’ll explore the same big ideas and issues that we do on the In The Box podcast. Like the show, we’ll be focusing on giving you the best information for running your live arts organization.
There will be plenty of regular features–performing arts industry news, original articles, loads of resources and useful links, guest posters, and more.
And, of course, we’ll be letting you know when new episodes of In The Box are released and telling you about upcoming guests. Stay tuned.
