Maximising return on investment (ROI) in arts marketing
Maximising return on investment (ROI) in arts marketing
By
Rachel Escott
The shoestrings we once marketed the arts on are growing ever shorter and there’s a renewed evaluation of the role audiences play in the funding model for the arts in Britain today. Hopefully this comes alongside fresh recognition that adequate resources should be given to arts marketers so they can do a professional job. It is therefore our responsibility to ensure every penny is worked hard to get maximum return on that investment. This article looks at how we can sweat our budgets to market our arts organisations more effectively.
You can only get inside the heads of your target audience(s) if you do the research. Investing in considered research
will always pay off, helping you make those solid decisions about where and how to place your marketing spend. Start close to home. An analysis of your contacts database, cross-referenced with an Acorn or Mosaic2 analysis of postcodes, will reveal the types of people coming, their relative numbers, how often, their average spend and their preferred art forms. This is the basis for understanding different segments within your overall audience. Use already published research to flesh out the picture and understand the zeitgeist of your audience. Then make it personal – find out who your audience really are and what they really think.