Digital Strategy for the Arts
Twenty and thirty-somethings nowadays will often reminisce back to their childhood. If you were brought up in the late 80’s, early 90’s the sound of your parents shouting at you to ‘stop blocking the landline’ with their dial-up connection will be all too familiar. As will the internet cutting off every time your mum received a call from the neighbour or your auntie who can talk for hours on end. Back in the day, home computers were both the present and the future and ultimately, having access to computers and the internet at an early age has helped many of us secure the jobs we have today.
But oh how times have changed. Nowadays, a desktop computer in our home isn’t a luxury. If anything, it’s an old computer from our younger days which never gets used. Why? Because we simply don’t need them any longer. From travelling to shopping, eating in a restaurant to lying on the beach, nowadays most of us have handheld computers with us at all times and personally, I couldn’t think of a time when I won’t have my mobile at my side.
Mobile Usage
Recently, mobile usage has gone through the roof so much that we’re estimated to check our mobiles 150 times a day and 87% of us are thought to have our mobiles by our side day and night. It’s safe to say our mobiles are transforming us and we don’t expect this to stop any time soon so arts organisations need to get involved and put mobile at the forefront of their digital strategy.
Considering the digital industry is somewhat creative, we find it surprising that such a large number of arts organisations haven’t invested more in building their online presence over the last few years. Back in 2013, it was found that only 11% of arts organisations noticed a return on their digital investment - probably why not many of them have adopted digital as part of their growth strategy. However, a lot has changed in three years and it’s about time arts organisations recognised digital for what it’s worth - an effective way to attract new audiences, engage existing and grow ticket sales.
Make the most of the micro-moments
Recently, Google has termed four key micro-moments in line with shifting consumer trends - I want to know, I want to go, I want to do and I want to buy.
‘Micro-moments are critical touch points within today’s consumer journey and when added together, they ultimately determine how that journey ends’.
In these micro-moments we turn to our devices to take action on whatever we need or want and it’s incredibly important for arts organisations to understand these micro-moments and be there, useful and quick to respond to customer needs.
Digital Transformation
However, digital success isn’t instant and it can’t just happen overnight - it takes effort and this is where a transformation strategy comes into play. When you are working in the marketing, business development or operations arm of the business, things can often get cloudy when you look at everything day in, day out. A thorough transformation involves taking a step back and looking at how your organisation uses digital, how you could use it to better benefit your organisation, how you perform in comparison to your competitors and how you aim to get there. A full digital transformation will look at the tools you use, the skills of the team members and how the ‘people’ side of your business could grow using digital technologies.
When I talk about digital I’m not talking solely about the sales made online (although that would be nice), I’m talking about building communities using social channels and engaging with a huge audience (often worldwide) on what can seem like a very personal level.
Over the years we have worked with some amazing arts and culture clients across the globe and after outlining the benefits digital can have on their organisation we have seen these benefits first-hand for a number of our clients.. After developing mobile responsive websites to reach users when they are on the go, some of our clients have seen a 61% increase in visitor engagement levels, 168% in online sales as well as a few of our clients welcoming more than 70,000+ people to their website each month.
By ignoring the impact digital can have on your organisation, you aren’t just affecting profitability and ticket sales but you are also neglecting a great opportunity to reach a worldwide audience and build long-lasting relationships with customers and brand ambassadors who will spread positive word of mouth about your organisation.
It’s been said that 51% of consumers have purchased from one company or brand instead of the one they intended because the information they were provided on search was more useful. So, if you’re sitting there thinking you have loyal customers who would always buy from you, think again. The modern consumer has a computer in the palm of their hand and it's all about who can provide the best information at the best time in favour of loyalty.
It’s now down to arts organisations to understand when their consumers will need them and be there in the all-important micro-moments.
We are delighted to have began working with a few arts organisations to kick-start their digital transformation. Watch this space for more updates coming soon!