Staying on Target
Practically the first thing I learned when I started working at PatronManager in March 2005 was the importance of targeted marketing. It was the main premise of Gene’s book Wired for Culture and the educational seminars he was presenting (and I was managing) at the time: In marketing, you should set goals, measure your results, and always target your messaging.
I didn’t know much about arts administration until then — I’d been heavily involved in theatre in college, but the idea of “marketing” in any way other than hanging up posters and haranguing my friends to come to a show was all new to me. But the message sunk in quickly, and if you asked me or any of my colleagues any time in the last decade, “What’s the most important idea to remember in arts marketing?” we’d all say in unison without hesitation, “SEGMENT YOUR AUDIENCE!” (There’s a whole section of Breaking the Fifth Wall on this topic as well.)
Recently, though, I’ve had a few hilarious moments where I’ve been reminded that there’s a difference between knowing something by heart and actually remembering to put it into practice. I’ve had multiple conversations in the last few months where I’ve been brainstorming with folks about a new strategy, or getting advice from someone about a new initiative, and at some point in the conversation I’ll just laugh and summarize, “So, you’re saying we should segment our audience and send targeted messages?” Read the Article