Run It Like a Business

If you hate that phrase, you’re not alone. But the arts are a business, a sector worth billions whose institutions serve almost every region in the country. Today, arts organizations are trying to rebuild audiences, reclaim relevance, and confront centuries of systemic discrimination.

 

The solutions are right before our eyes though. Volumes of data, research, and case studies from the for-profit sector demonstrate how to achieve success across customer engagement, the user experience, company culture, the subscription economy, digital content, new revenue streams, and brand relevance.

Just because arts organizations are non-profits doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make money; it means the money we make goes back to fund the mission. And it means a sustainable model is still necessary. Running it like a business isn’t unwitting board speak; it’s essential to revitalize this critical, massive economic engine and ultimately better serve the art and its consumers in the new normal ahead.

Aubrey’s book, Run It Like a Business, will be available for sale.

Are the Performing Arts Imploding Before Our Eyes?

AI: What is Real in 2024 and What Could It Be Going Forward?

Marketing and Optimization with a Side of AI are Definitely on the 2024 Menu

SEO is not dead – but it is always different.  Keeping up with best practices is vital to your relevant traffic.  DWG will provide an overview of the basics, a discussion of recent changes and how AI can make this better and easier.  They’ll share what you can do on your own and what requires support from informed SEO experts.  Bring your questions, analytics, and examples for discussion.

Marketing of Performances/Events includes optimizing them as well as using AI to enhance your marketing calendar.  DWG will show examples of how AI can help with your marketing/optimization planning.

Sure, You’re Talking… But What Are You Saying?

Developing effective messaging to connect with diverse constituents and drive both earned and contributed income

A hands-on workshop

Much of your organization’s communications—across marketing, development, education, and community engagement—on your website, in brochures, on social media, in emails, and in person—involves words, and usually a good number of them. All these words are opportunities to move current and prospective attendees, donors, and partners closer to you—to better understand and value you—or not. Ensuring that your words come together to form effective messaging is vitally important, particularly as we all emerge from the difficult years of the pandemic.

Yes, you have a lot to say, but is there consistency of message? Are you differentiating your organization in what is often a very competitive landscape? Is there a high-level narrative to give context to more program-specific writing? Are there also necessary constituent-specific messages? (A prospective single-ticket buyer is not the same as a long-term subscriber... is not the same as a parent of your education program, or a planned giving prospect.) Your messaging needs to meet people where they are.

This workshop will help you to develop guiding attributes, evolve informing storylines, and provide guidance around crafting a high-level message—and show how that message might be “tilted” for a specific constituency or opportunity.

After an introduction to a tried-and-true methodology for building effective messaging (paired with examples from arts organizations of different sizes and stripes), you’ll work in break-out groups with templates that will help you build on what you’ve learned. The goal: significantly improve the authenticity, distinctiveness, and effectiveness of your messaging.

This session is ideal for all those who commission, evaluate, and create messaging—across all levels of your organization.

The 1% You Should Love: The Nonprofit Superpower of Marginal Gains

How to Sustain Donor Loyalty (and Why this Could be Transformational for Your Shop)

The Donor Development Continuum is Dead: Better Ways to Think About Getting and Keeping Donors

Reshaping the Patron Experience and Saving Money with Digital Program Books

The 5 Metrics Worth Investing In

From Clicks to Curtain Calls: Understanding Audience Behavior in Theater Marketing

Unlocking the Power of Social Media Advertising

How Arts Organizations Can Maximize Impact by Balancing Paid Ads and Organic Content

1. The most common mistakes arts organizations make in social media advertising and how to avoid them
2. A framework for understanding the role of paid ads and organic content in the marketing funnel
3. Proven strategies for creating effective paid ads and engaging organic content that work together to achieve marketing goals
4. Actionable tips for allocating budgets, measuring performance, and optimizing social media advertising efforts

The State of DEI Initiatives