Generally the Arts are thought of as a progressive, liberal arena where innovative ideas are generated and fostered. But why are their marketing and promotion campaigns so archaic? Perhaps progressive marketing plans and promotions are revolutionary in some cases but from what I have been seeing the small to midsized organizations in smaller urban centers have been failing greatly in regards to change and being innovative.
People always say that whatever is "cool" in Europe becomes in vogue in North America on a two to five year delay. Smaller Urban centers such as London in relation to Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver share this same time lapse relationship. Many of the local organizations seem to be reacting to change much later than many of the major organizations in larger urban centers. Out two of the three larger arts organizations in London only one seems to be "keeping up with the Jones'".
For a progressive and liberal sector of our cultural landscape why have so many local arts institutions missed the mark, especially with online marketing?
The art that these organizations are producing is interesting and progressive but their methods of attracting people and getting their attention is entirely irrelevant. I found smaller to mid sized organizations are particularly lagging in their websites and effective use of social media. The websites do not give much detail beside a brochure tour of their organization. They tell people what they want to know, not necessarily what the people want to know. Arts Consumers today are beginning to dictate what they want to see and what they will attend. This is not to take anything away from artistic integrity, but rather to work with people rather than against them. Some organizations are so hooked on their artistic vision that their ability to share their work becomes completely inaccessible. Patrons of the arts need to be involved in the conversation and it needs to start with an effective use of engagement. Most organizations have a website because it's the thing to do. They pay little attention to how people actually use them. Websites need to be a resource to the people it serves firstly and then as a way to gather information from patrons by the organization. With the invention of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter organizations are now able to engage in meaningful conversations with patrons and get tangible results, good or bad. But again organizations need to be listening to their consumers.
It is wonderful to do all of these things but there needs to be some kind of method behind the madness. The question is not, are you using social media- because nearly everyone is. The question is how are you using social media in a way that firstly benefits your patrons and gets them excited about your organization and secondly how is it benefiting your organization. Perhaps social media is not a right fit for your organization at all but these are things that need to be thought out carefully and tested early on.
Money will always be an issue but there are always ways to be strategic and not just reactive in smaller organizations too.
The smaller to mid sized organizations often get swept up later in the rush to just do the "next best thing" instead of actually taking time to consider how it will benefit, if it will at all, their organizations. It is difficult to not live in the shadows of the bigger organizations but if they want to do things effectively they cannot merely react. They must have some calculated reasons for the things they are doing.
