This week I have witnessed a few organizations that have fallen a bit flat due to loss in energy. I won’t point out the who of this story, but I think you will be able to relate. You can feel if the energy is there just by looking at a website or at a marketing message. I will give you a good example of energy instead. I found the Denver Young Artists Orchestra website to be especially effective due to this type of energy.
I am speaking mainly to all arts marketing folks. We do have to be careful in this day and age not to get so caught up in efficiency that we lose the heart of our messaging.
A brand can look absolutely spectacular, clean and professional, yet without the energy from the heart, it will still fall flat for attracting audiences. Why is this?
Without the excitement behind the message, the message will be looked at as “that’s nice,” but not “I have to see this!” For example, sending out messages that only have the who, what, where, and perhaps a bit of the typical “Don’t miss this amazing event!” will be mainly ignored currently. There are so many messages of this nature flying around. If you want your messages to be seen and heard with the potential of actually selling more tickets and art, it is best to add the excitement behind what you are communicating.
How is the event amazing? What makes it stand out from all the other events? Why did you program this specific play? Is there a reason that you programmed a particular piece or pieces for your concert? What inspired you to create this art? Why are you excited to dance this program? When you add these types of communications to your messaging, you are inviting your audience to experience the excitement of the art itself, not just relying on the flat, typical marketing.
People become loyal to the excitement, to the art you produce, and to the energy you create for and with them that benefits their own lives. They become supporters of what comes from the heart.
It’s time to up our game as individual arts marketers. If we want bigger and better audiences, it would be best to connect with our audiences in everything we do. This means not glossing over our marketing to save some time, but rather taking the time to communicate about the art from the heart.
Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana
Shoshana Fanizza
Chief Audience Builder, Audience Development Specialists
A past webinar that drives this message home! The $5 fee helps me to continue with this important work. Thank you!
Classical Music: The challenges of making the affection clear webinar
$5.00
The conversation continues with, John Steinmetz, all around musician and educator. People get involved with music because they love it, yet too often the love is not clear enough. Musicians get distracted by technical perfection, administrators get distracted by all the responsibilities, and our way of writing and talking about music is often dry. How can we as an industry, as musicians, show and share the love again before the stuffiness of protocol buries us.
