2010-04-15

Marketing Means More than Facebook

Social media tools are fun, hip, sexy, cheap and easy to use. Its not too surprising that arts organizations are quick to embrace the ever-evolving world of social media. While I believe a social media presence is almost always necessary, when I work with an arts organization or get asked a question about social media tools, my first response is to ask some key questions such as:

Who is your target customer?

What is your current message?

What are your competitors doing?

Are you trying to reach a new market segment?

What are you trying to accomplish?

More often than not, I get incomplete answers, if any. When thats the case I need to break the news that the organization needs to put on the brakes, take a breath and spend some time focusing on the fundamentals. Why? Regardless of how cool and affordable these new social media tools are if they dont advance your marketing objectives or support your brand they dont make sense for your organization.

What are fundamentals and how do you find them?

While all marketers will remind you that marketing is not an exact science and there (usually) arent any silver bullets, the more knowledge you have of your marketplace, your organization, your target customer and what you want and or need to accomplish, the more successful your marketing efforts will likely be.

As you develop a marketing plan, youll naturally focus on the fundamental information for your organization. Not only will the marketing plan become your map for capacity and audience development but it will also provide you with a foundation of essential knowledge to better serve your arts organization.

"Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice.

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get," said the Cat.

- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), novelist and poet.

Lewis Carrolls adage about planning is still true in our 21st century world of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. While marketing plans dont need to be literary classics, they do need to include key topics ...