The post Imperative of Innovation from Matt Lehrman appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Here are the key points and questions, raised by a diverse array of arts and cultural organisations.
“Because they are us”
“Without them, there is no us”
“We need their applause”
“That they are appreciating the experience”
We consider the art is the most important thing but just as much, it should be about the engagement. Without a focus on people, on the combined artistic and audience agenda, we are the proverbial one hand clapping.
“Finding money”
“Finding ways to make it personal when you are dealing with a mass of people”
“Lack of diversity. That we talk to the same people all the time”
These are all valid concerns. But why are we not worried about innovation. Your organisation needs to take responsibility for innovation.
Is the perception “quality” and “value”? Your audience doesn’t just worry about it – they demand it. Quality and value are ubiquitous.
It is the narrative you need to make your organisation’s work meaningful and purposeful. Programmes like the Olympics or the X Factor don’t just show you the event. They show you the back-story, the personal journey. And, three minutes later you are emotionally invested.
When it comes to emotional investment, we all do great work in the moment itself. But you had to be there. What does it take for us to get the audience there in the first place? A postcard or an email with a URL isn’t enough. This won’t build emotional investment.
The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz talks about how if you give people too many choices they buy less and are less happy with what they buy. So, don’t send your customers everything. Help them with their discovery to make the link.
Audience development cannot just be delegated to the marketing department. Innovation requires all to work together. Read Matt’s blog to learn more his four audience types.
Too often enough we think of our audience having to come to us. For successful participation we must make ourselves relevant in their lives, where they are. Are we ensuring this social and emotional connection, expressing the narrative and keeping them entertained?
How will your organisation adapt or adjust to change? What is an option as a response?
From asking this question, options and opportunities that we hadn’t considered before will follow. We can’t think only about the work. Instead we must embrace new ideas of how we will engage differently in the arts. People don’t know what they want until YOU understand them so incredibly well that you can show it to them.
Want to hear the whole thing? This talk is also available as a podcast.
Join the Culture Republic family and benefit from a wealth of upcoming events, workshops and networking opportunities. Drop an email to our partnerships manager Ela. We’d love to discuss how we can help your organisation develop and grow, from practical skills building, funding applications to audience research data.
The post Imperative of Innovation from Matt Lehrman appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post The Paper Trail appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>‘What are the dos and don’ts for the look and feel of your print?’
‘How can arts organisations make the most of print distribution?’
As ever, we loved getting together with our friends from CCA Glasgow, East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure, On at Fife Theatres, Cumbernauld Theatre, National Youth Choir of Scotland, East Ayrshire Leisure, National Museums Scotland, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble and V&A Dundee to discuss real issues that we‘re all facing in the arts as well as just to catch up and break bread together. Happy days!
Find out more about how you can be a part of November’s #1stWed at Dovecot, Edinburgh.
Share your thoughts and experiences on print distribution HERE
For more information on print distribution please visit: Direct Distribution or Tartan Ink.
The post The Paper Trail appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Celebrating Diversity with our team appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Whether at a theatre, an exhibition or writing a blog – we all know that everyone interprets events and information differently. However, insight helps us to shape our voice for different groups in society to be meaningful and relevant. On Monday, Paul from our team showcased the value of Google Analytics. Website analysis is a great way for understanding how audiences react towards your message. Tuesday, saw Kemi delve into the social media engagement with some useful insight into how social media opens up the world to more debate and real time information. This was a celebration of our need to be different but share our common values with others…
Think about how you talk to your colleagues, your parents, your child or even your neighbour. We adapt our language (verbal, body, written) to whom we are talking. In our world of arts and culture marketing it’s no different. On Wednesday, Ashley nailed the value of getting a content plan in place. It’s important as part of any marketing strategy; you are thinking of how to organise your time, segment your audiences and get the most impact from your content.
Let’s be honest, there will be some technically minded types out there reading this thinking, ‘So what?’ SEO best practice with Eva from the team served up some everyday tips on how to ensure your message reaches a wider audience. Often when you think your message is creative and brilliant, algorithms take over and the cyberspace says ‘NO’. A uniform and structured approach to keywords and content on your website will help your message gets noticed.
Success full teams have a ‘can-do’ approach and welcome a range of diverse opinion… people from all walks of life, with different personalities, coming together to share. The ‘Learn from Us week’ has been a great way of showcasing the wealth of knowledge within our team, for helping you grow your audience.
For November’s first Wednesday, Kathryn from our team will be presenting on Deprivation and Social Inclusion. SIMD16, a tool that can be used to invest in those areas that need it the most, and make it easier consider your own audience engagement practice in this area.
While we are on the point of diversity and displaying the “aye” in our team – I’d like to point you to The Learning Week with Matt Lehrman series. As an audience expert and strategist, Matt brings over a fresh perspective from the USA. Join us and Matt, for the jam-packed week of thought sharing and innovation coming to a city near you!
The post Celebrating Diversity with our team appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Content Hacks for the Win appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Creating cross platform content that looks great, reads well and performs well doesn’t have to cause pain or stress. I’ve pulled together a few of my top tools that can help you get your message across.
Writing that has more punch
My new most favourite toy is the Hemmingway App. Papa Hemmingway was known for his writing style – short, sharp, not too many big words. His simplicity let the big ideas in the stories come through. The Hemmingway App will analyse your prose check your writing. It looks for long or hard-to-read sentences. It highlights passive voice, adverbs and phrases you could simplify. It also gives your writing a readability score, to keep things accessible.
I’m no designer. I fall to pieces in the face of a design tool like Photoshop. Which is why I’ve been using Canva a lot since I discovered it. Canva has a whole range of pre-set templates – for social media and lots of other publications – that you can use for your own content. Its got drag and drop functionality, which is simple enough to give you good results on the first try. It limits the number of options, which for an amateur like me is a huge help.
No matter how you pronounce it (yes, it’s a thing), everybody loves a GIF. They’re fun. They tell a story in a moment. There are plenty of free GIF tools out there but I like Giphy. It has a simple interface, you can upload your own video or use a file that’s already published online. Plus Giphy offers a vast library of silly GIFs from other users that you can draw on.
Pre-planning your content will keep you sane when things get busy. You need to start with your own key dates and plan your push around them. There’s free planners that you can use as a template. We’re using Hubspot but there’s loads out there. There are free tools (like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck) that you can use to pre-set your messages. Make sure you’ve turned on alerts. When your content starts generating conversation, you’ll be ready to respond. Finally, don’t forget to tap into key marketing dates, annual #hashtags and holidays. This lets you make sure your plans are making the most of wider conversations online (see my earlier article on these).
You don’t have to struggle on your own! If you want to find out more about content strategy, let’s talk at the Learning Week in November. I’ll be available with Board member Colan Mehaffey to work with you 1-1 on your ideas and challenges. Remember the whole Culture Republic team are available for consultancy too. Get in touch to discuss.
The post Content Hacks for the Win appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Social Media Engagement appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Here’s today’s instalment of digital skills and drills that will hopefully send a shockwave of electricity through your social media channels and set up your organisation in flashing neon lights. Has your Facebook engagement dropped? Wondering how you can better engage with your fans? Look no further, help is at hand! #TuesdayMotivation
#1 Pose a Question
If fans can relate to the question and you find a way to leverage people’s interests or needs, they’ll find it hard not to answer.
#2 Ask Fans to Make a Choice
A fun way to get your fans to engage with you is to publish a “this or that” post. Most of the time, those debates are good fun but be mindful of trolls. If you want to spark even more debate, you can always mix in a little controversy but avoid politics.
#3 Post When Your Fans Are Online
Check your Facebook Insights to find out when your audience is most active. By default, the dashboard shows data for when your fans are online.
Top tip: Posting late at night (when your fans are less active) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s less competition in their feed, so the people who are active on the site are more likely to see and engage with your content. Try posting at different times to see what works best for you.
#4 Share Relevant Images
One picture is worth ten thousand words! Enough said.
#5 Engage With Other Brands
Wander the social landscape, post to other pages, and engage with brands when there’s synergy and a shared audience.
#6 Include a Call to Action
Use a call to action in every post, whether it’s to prompt a comment, share, opt in, like, RSVP, or any other action. Always tell your audience what you want them to do to encourage engagement.
#7 Boost Your Best Posts
If you have a blog post or other website content that has seen tremendous traffic, post it to your Facebook page and boost that post. Give it a modest boost of $25 and target the people who like your page and their friends.
#8 Share Industry News and Hot Topics
Even your most loyal fans are interested in more than just your business. Sharing big news from your industry will show your fans that you’re not focused solely on promoting your business.
#9 Share Content from Other Channels
Select content, videos, and images from your other social platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on) and share the best with your Facebook fans (and vice versa).
#10 Go on, Have a Giggle
Please lighten up! Show some personality. Don’t overthink it. Keep your audience’s interests in mind and make sure the humour is relevant and appropriate.
In the vein of practising what I preach (also see #6), I compel you, please, for the love of digital, get in touch. It can be about anything: the weather, your favourite brew or if you need more help in the area of social media engagement. You can also get more hands-on help at our Learning Week conference. Remember we are here for additional consultancy too. Contact us to discuss.
Shout out to www.socialmediaexaminer.com
The post Social Media Engagement appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Getting more from Google Analytics appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Google Analytics is a great way to help you grow your audience and generate new bookings, review your content strategy and provide insight into your campaigns. We all want to truly find our audience, Google Analytics can help. You should be using it daily, but are you? Make that change today, here are some handy tips:
Ever feel a bit left out of the conversation? Get to know the lingo – it’ll help you understand what GA can do and help you make informed decisions on what the key measures mean. I’ll start with two of the basic measures that often confuse people. Bounce vs. Exit rates.
Google Analytics is a great tool to measure the behaviour of people looking at your website. This is especially useful for your Newsletters. On Google Analytics: Click Behaviour – Site Content – All Pages. On All Pages you can search for keywords on your URL for a specified time period. You can drill down to what content is most popular on your site, what pages put people off, what is the average time spent on the page, how many unique visitors you’ve had. It’s golden information. Everyone has an idea about what content they think works for their audience, THIS IS YOUR EVIDENCE. It helps to shape content strategy going forward.
Top Tip – Give your URL pages unique names. E.g. If you are promoting ‘Google Analytics Advice’ have your URL as www.culturerepublic.co.uk/trends/googleanalyticsadvice (I’ll be checking open rates for this news piece and hope you don’t bounce or exit here, so don’t hurt my feelings :( ) not www.culturerepublic.co.uk/1234242 – this will help you to run a search for it on GA.
Goals will tell Google when something you wanted to happen actually happens. So your websites are likely to be used to generate leads, and/or ticket sales. If you have a website where you sell tickets, you’ll want to create a final thank you or confirmation booking page for visitors to land upon once they have completed a purchase. By setting up a goal to track the thank you page – you can tell as and when someone buys your tickets. Useful for finding out your key sale times and plan to promote events accordingly.
If you would like to find out more about Google Analytics, let’s talk at the Learning Week in November. I’d be happy to take a look at your site and give you some advice. Remember we are here for additional consultancy too. Contact us to discuss.
The post Getting more from Google Analytics appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Archived: September First Wednesday appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>Jodie Wilkinson, Public Engagement Coordinator at Glasgow Film, joins us for this First Wednesday session looking at how a clear focus on equality and diversity produces exciting and challenging results.
Glasgow Film takes an up close and personal approach to audiences and in 2014, thanks to funding from Creative Scotland’s Promoting Equalities Programme, started to identify audiences they wanted to better engage. Three years on and the legacy of this support has enabled Glasgow Film to carve 4 strategic audience development strategies which have strengthened their audience engagement, developed positive partnership working and educated the Glasgow Film team beyond measure.
In this First Wednesday, Jodie will give you the inside scoop on how to practically engage diverse audiences, drawing on her experience at Glasgow Film. The session will help you consider your own audience engagement practice through the lens of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
You will learn about:
• Creating inclusive and accessible environments for your audiences
• Increasing target audiences through the use of accessible technology
• Strategy planning versus real-time implementation
• Collaborating and communicating ‘with’ and not ‘on’ your audience
• Being truthful and transparent about required resources
Who should attend:
• Programmers and marketers interested in reaching and working with targeted audiences who have access needs
• Learning teams that want to expand their programme
• Staff who have a passion to integrate greater equalities and inclusion into their working practices but find resistance
• Managers responsible for setting strategic plans and targets who want practical examples they can learn from
The key context for thinking about this work will be the Equality Act 2010.
Jodie will also be joined by Clare McAndrew from Culture Republic who has worked closely with Glasgow Film on the evaluation of their audience development strategies
AGENDA
12.15 – Arrival, brown bag lunch
12.30 – Welcome & introduction
12.35 – Partners introduction round the room
12.40 – Jodie Wilkinson, GFT
13.35 – Clare McAndrew, Culture Republic
13.45 – Q&A
14.00 – End
Jodie Wilkinson, Public Engagement Coordinator, Glasgow Film
Jodie has worked as a drama tutor, theatre maker, performer, project manager and programme facilitator. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and focused on Contemporary Theatre Practice.
At the GFT Jodie is focused on programming accessible events within Equality and Inclusion frameworks, which builds on her experience from her previous post as Creative Learning Programmer at the Arches Theatre. She has worked on creative projects with young people (14-18), young mothers and community groups in Glasgow.
Jodie’s artistic practice also incorporates her experience as a support worker, supporting adults with learning and mental health difficulties.
ABOUT FIRST WEDNESDAYS
Some of the most stimulating sessions take place when there’s the opportunity to step away from the pressure of a busy job, get together with colleagues and share learning.
That’s why we host ‘First Wednesdays’ – a series of topical, bite-sized information sessions taking place on the first Wednesday of each month. They are an open invitation each month for our Partners to regularly drop in our offices to keep up to date with ideas and examples of useful practice we’ve gathered from across the country.
It might be as simple as hearing how other people have successfully tackled the same challenges you face building profitable customer relationships and wider public engagement or learning about the raft of new tools or approaches emerging daily.
Our goal is to inspire fresh thinking, expand current networks and focus on the Most Important Thing … to build new audiences and greater engagement.
If you can’t join us in person, why not sign up for a periscope registration. You will be able to tune in remotely so you can still hear from our speakers from wherever you are!
Join the conversation #1stWed
FAQs
What can I bring to the event?
Please bring your own notetaking devices.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have any questions prior to the event please contact us on [email protected]
The post Archived: September First Wednesday appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Archived: July First Wednesday appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>No, it’s not just about reducing print runs and saving paper – although those are important and we’ll discuss them too. It’s about making connections between your audience, your organisation’s work and the most important issue of our time: climate change.
As the floods in December demonstrated, climate change is happening here and now. Increasingly the public is aware of the issue and wants to do something about it. It’s no surprise that companies from Edinburgh’s City Cabs to Unilever are being explicit about their green credentials as a way of building relationships with customers and the right sort of reputation. Even the oil majors are getting in on the act. Meanwhile the Tate and the British Museum are getting the wrong sort of publicity for their alliances with Shell and BP.
What’s your company’s green story and how can you contribute? Is it just about the work behind the scenes – or are these themes reflected, or perhaps hidden, within the artistic work? How can you invite your audiences – and the artists you work with – to join you on the journey to a more sustainable future?
In this session we will cover:
• Why arts organisations are increasingly becoming interested in climate change.
• Examples of good practice from around the country.
• What training, support and information for carbon reduction, reporting to Creative Scotland and sustainable practice is available for everyone in your organisation, from artists to publicists.
• The opportunities for carbon reduction in marketing and promotion, both to develop audiences and to take steps to become a more sustainable organisation.
Why should you attend:
From CEOs to arts marketers, audience and programme development, education and outreach teams as well as general managers and box office managers, this session is an opportunity to learn what practical steps can be taken at all levels to raise awareness and promote actions in your organisation to become more environmentally sustainable and contribute to a low carbon future.
Agenda
12.15 – Arrival, brown bag lunch
12.30 – Welcome & introduction
12.35 – Partners introduction round the room
12.45 – Ben Twist, Creative Carbon Scotland
13.45 – Q&A
14.00 – End
Meet the speaker
Ben Twist is the Director of Creative Carbon Scotland, which connects culture and climate change to build a sustainable Scotland. A theatre director and producer since 1985 he was Chair of the Scottish Arts Council Lottery Committee helping to fund many arts buildings across Scotland. He was Artistic Director of Manchester’s Contact Theatre and Associate at the Traverse and is Chair of Scotland’s leading contemporary classical music ensemble, Hebrides Ensemble. He has an Msc in Carbon Management and is researching for a PhD on the role of the cultural sector in bringing about behaviour change in relation to climate change.
ABOUT FIRST WEDNESDAYS
Some of the most stimulating sessions take place when there’s the opportunity to step away from the pressure of a busy job, get together with colleagues and share learning.
That’s why we are hosting ‘First Wednesdays’ – a series of topical, bite-sized information sessions taking place on the first Wednesday of each month.
They are an open invitation each month for our Partners and industry colleagues to regularly drop in our offices to keep up to date with ideas and examples of useful practice we’ve gathered from across the country.
It might be as simple as hearing how other people have successfully tackled the same challenges you face building profitable customer relationships and wider public engagement or learning about the raft of new tools or approaches emerging daily.
Our goal is to inspire fresh thinking, expand current networks and focus on the Most Important Thing … to build new audiences and greater engagement.
If you can’t join us in person, why not sign up for a periscope registration. You will be able to tune in remotely so you can still hear from our speakers from wherever you are!
Join the conversation #1stWed
FAQs
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have any questions prior to the event please contact us on [email protected]
The post Archived: July First Wednesday appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Live from your mobile! appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>When you think of live streaming in the arts you might think of the pioneering work of Pilot Theatre or the live events in cinemas* from NT Live and the Royal Opera House. But the technology has come a long way in a short space of time and you can do much more with it than broadcast a performing arts event.
You don’t have to be tethered to a physical internet connection anymore. Streaming video has gone mobile, just like everything else in the digital world. Now it is a viable marketing option for businesses of all sizes.
Live streaming is a new a tool in the communications kit. Is it the right tool for the job you need to do? Here’s a laundry list of the kinds of jobs that it’s good at. Arts marketers might want to consider using live streamed video when:
Just like an in-person performance, live events add a sense of urgency and risk because anything can happen. This allows your audience to enjoy the feeling of being part of something as it unfolds. They can participate from a distance, watching from anywhere and on the device that they choose.
The technology had been trickling out into the marketplace. Now the trickle has become a torrent. A benefit is that marketers don’t need to go outside of the social networks they’ve worked so hard to nurture. Let’s look at some of the newer and more mobile friendly players to the live streaming game. The leaders are (mostly) the main players online:
Make your decision based on where your community is, or where the community you want to serve is. Each channel offers different features and benefits, but it’s all a bit of an arms race. Expect constant change and innovation around these services. It’s likely that even if the channel you’ve chosen doesn’t offer specific functionality this may be only temporary.
To get started you don’t need much in the way of special experience or equipment. A phone or tablet with the app installed for Facebook, Meerkat or Periscope. YouTube takes a bit more effort but they explain it all. You absolutely need a reliable, strong wifi or phone signal. For novice broadcasters, Poynter has a top ten list with great advice on the basics.
Streaming is a playful new tool that’s still developing, which means there’s lots of room for low risk trial and error. Arts marketers that know their audience will have an advantage deciding whether to, when to and how to use live streaming video. If you want to learn more about your on and offline audiences we can help. Just get in touch.
*If you are interested in the wider impact on audiences from live streaming into cinemas, try the Arts Council England review Understanding Event Cinema and watch for the upcoming research report on the live-to-digital market for theatre.
The post Live from your mobile! appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>The post Archived: Secrets of Video Success appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>When it comes to marketing your work, don’t underestimate the power of video. It has the ability to bring stories alive and create real emotional connections between your audience and your brand.
Websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: videos are everywhere. According to Cisco, by 2017 video will account for 69% of all online traffic – audiences are increasingly more likely to watch a video than read carefully written copy. Arts organisations who know their audiences better than anyone can use their insight to create entertaining and engaging videos. Many are already using this medium to promote themselves and their work, at budgets to suit all levels, across a variety of platforms.
This practical hands on workshop for the arts and cultural sector is the fourth in Culture Republic’s series of five Know How sessions, providing practical insights for content marketers. It is designed for anyone who is responsible for producing content, contributes to a content strategy and wants to add video to their marketing arsenal.
You’ll learn the secrets of video success: the practical essentials of video production and editing, picking up top tips on how to create a video that reflects your brand and resonates with your audience. You’ll get to grips with fundamental processes of creating video content so you can gain confidence in producing videos that successfully communicate with, entertain and inform your audience. You’ll also get to know the key platforms to distribute and share videos online so you can start to convert views into new customers and boost engagement.
At this session you will:
This workshop will include a mixture of presentation, discussion, group work and activities. Due to the practical nature of the session only 12 places are available.
The workshop also includes a 20 minute 1-to-1 phone/Skype video surgery opportunity with Erin. Each participant can book in with Erin after the workshop as a follow up to answer any questions you may have regarding editing and filming.
Please bring any filming device you may want to use: mobile phone or camera so you can use it in the practical activities. Professional cameras will be provided. Six Apple Macs will be provided for Adobe Premiere editing (Premiere is an application available for both Mac and PC so skills are entirely transferable). On the basis of 12 participants you will be working in pairs during the editing practical sessions.
Agenda
09:30 Registration and coffee
09:45 Case studies deconstruction and discussion
10:45 Filming – practical session
11:15 Break
11:30 Filming – practical session
12:00 Intro to Adobe Premiere
12:30 Lunch
13:00 Editing Essentials – practical session
14:45 Break
15:00 Sharing – practical session
16:00 Q&A – practical session
16:30 Finish
About Erin Maguire
Erin Maguire wants to live in a world where videos are short, creative and brave and no-one makes a video just for the sake of it.
Erin is a director, filmmaker and editor, a live streaming specialist and has a side line in producing projects for innovation in the arts and technology. She has been working as an AV technical specialist in the arts for 20 years, a filmmaker for 12 years, digital producer for 6 years. As a producer, she has worked with the Open University, Untitled Projects, Edinburgh College of Art website, EIE Invest, EICC, ECCI, Creative Scotland, Nesta and many more.
Her latest projects — MScR Collections & Curating Practices film for Edinburgh College of Art website; live streaming specialist for Imaginate’s Livescore, premiering in October 2016; and editing a 2017 trailer for an investment conference event being shown at the EIE16 conference in May.
Discover what she creates at Beyongolia.
FAQs
What can I bring to the event?
Please bring your own camera for taking video (phone, camera, device) and laptop or device so that you can take part in the practical activities. Six computers will also be provided with Adobe Premiere/Final Cut Pro X for the edit essentials part of the day.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have any questions prior to the event please contact us on [email protected]
What is the refund policy?
We have a 48hr cancellation policy. If you are unable to attend the event please let us know 48hrs in advance of the event. After this time you will not be eligible for a refund.
The post Archived: Secrets of Video Success appeared first on Culture Republic.
]]>
