I love going to networking events. Especially when they involve fried food and beer. I attended another such event this evening, this one put on by Ryan Price, founder of Florida Creatives. They are a Florida based arts and culture group with essentially the goal of bringing together people of creative minds and artistic backgrounds in order to collaborate and network. While enjoying a savory adult beverage, I met a local actor and arts blogger, Mark Baratelli. He writes for and is the editor of The Daily City, a blog that focuses primarily on the local happenings of the Orlando/Central Florida arts and culture scene.
We had an interesting discussion, primarily focusing on the Orlando Opera Company’s recent collapse, and the ineffectiveness exhibited by the majority of arts organizations in regards to their online marketing and social media accounts. Mark made some really good points, and got me thinking about the arts organizations I am familiar with, and how their sites probably could be a lot better than they are.
Just because you build a website, create a twitter account, and have a Facebook fan page, doesn’t mean you’re actually using it properly. To take the line from the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams”, starring the “dreamy” Kevin Costner, “If you build it, they will come.” Unless your audience is coming back from the dead to see a show,(and if going by the majority of classical concerts is any indication, then some of them may be ), this marketing strategy will NOT work.
Furthermore, creating a multimillion dollar performing arts venue, (as is being done in Orlando), will not attract any number of significant new performing arts patrons. A shiny new building will be a beautiful addition to the Orlando skyline, but will there be any people in it? I realize they are years away from the grand opening, but if the current marketing strategies are any indication of the future, only the elite and already involved arts crowds will know anything about the concerts, operas and plays being held there.
Listen up arts administrators! Kudos for getting on facebook and twitter, but you cannot use them as a simple mini press release. You must engage your fans and your followers alike. Create contests. Share rehearsal pictures. Have an artist or musician blog for the organization, (it adds the personal touch). The point is, ENGAGE people. In this age of shared information and social networking, the more you can make a fan/patron/client feel personally involved with your organization, the better.
So, next time you find yourself thinking, “If you build it, they will come.“, strike it, and create in your mind the revised more realistic version, “If you build it, they may come….but more likely than not, they won’t.“
This symposium falls on the Sunday before the 2010 Arts Advocacy Day, and is considered the ‘kick-off.’ This is a GREAT networking event, and a wonderful opportunity for those in the field under 35 to keep updated on best practices and refine their skills in the workplace.
