The Mission Paradox Blog

From Wherever They May Come

If you embrace the idea of "what's working" i.e. the idea that you can improve the arts by focusing on what groups are doing effectively, then you have to embrace one other thought:

It doesn't matter where the good ideas come from.

I've learned lessons (positive lessons) from organizations that produce work that I don't really enjoy.

I've taken guidance from people I don't really like.

We are in a tough, complex, business.  We don't have the luxury of learning only from those we admire.

That big ars organization that every hates may be doing a few things correct that you can learn from.

That not very well known individual artist may be able to teach the big dogs a thing or two.

Be willing to learn from everybody, friend or foe.

Great ideas often come from unexpected places.

 

 

 

Live Version 2 and Other Stuff

I've gotten a lot of good stuff from Live 2.0, the blog from the CEO of Goldstar Tickets.  The blog covers a lot of things relating to the live entertainment industry.  Check it out.

Also, thanks to everyone who have continued to pick up Authentic Arts Marketing.  You guys have made all the work worth it.

Finally, for my Chicago peeps, I'll be back at the Creative Chicago Expo with an all new presentation.  I'll cover two marketing concepts, one that made it into Authentic Arts Marketing and one that didn't.  My presentation is at 10:30, so get your coffee and met me at the Expo.  For more information click here.

The Safety Net

One of my biggest mistakes . . .

Back in my "running a nonprofit arts organization" days, we would have years where we ended the year with a budget surplus. 

These weren't huge surpluses, but they were significant amounts of money.

People wanted to reinvesting the surplus into next season's budget.  They wanted the money to go toward increasing production values, paying people a bit more, that sort of thing.

The idea made a lot of sense, but a nagging question kept forming in my brain:

"Why don't we save some of the money?"

Instead of taking all the money and pouring it into next season, why not take some meaningful portion of it and stash it in the bank?  We could have just put the cash into some boring, safe, investment and let it sit there as a "rainy day fund."

When I would mention the idea, in a manner which was (in hindsight) way too passive, I was reminded of all the pressing and urgent needs which the money had to be used for RIGHT NOW.

You can guess what happened next . . .

The surpluses immediately got sucked up into the black hole of "need".  Basically every production run was do or die because we decided that having a better set (or whatever) now was more important than having some money in the bank for later.

Eventually the surpluses became deficits and it was (more or less) game over.

It's a tricky question:  Where do you draw the line between producing the art and providing stability/security for the people who produce the art?

In hindsight, I can't help but feel like I failed in my responsibility as a leader.  I allowed short term considerations to trump long term.  I had a chance to give the organization a bit of a safety net and I didn't fight hard enough for it.

For me, it was a lesson learned. 

For you, this may be a good time to consider how you would handle a similar situation.

 

 

 

 

Artists All Around You

I hate the term "arts administrator".  I know I use it, but that's because I can't think of a better one.

I like to think of everyone in an arts organization, no matter what their role, as an artist.

I know we have been trained to limit the term artist to those that perform, sing, paint, etc. 

A good arts organization, however, is filled with artists on all levels.

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When a box office person makes a new patron feel like part of the family, that's art.

It's art when a skilled fundraiser convinces a donor to commit to a mission.

It's art when you execute a marketing campaign that can demonstrate your purpose and values.

The problem is that we don't see these sorts of people as artists.  We label them with the tag "administrator" and often deny them room for flexibility and autonomy that good artists demand.

How would your organization be different if you say everyone, from the person answering the phone to the one asking for money, as an artist?  Or at least as people who had art within them?

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No blogging on Thursday.  I'll be back on Friday with Marketing 101.  I'll cover a topic a lot of people ask me about, ways to increase advance ticket sales.  See you Friday.

Mutual Respect

Speaking of what's working . . .

Check out this article about the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.  They started out as a presenting house (for film) and are now moving into film distribution.  When reading it I immediately noticed two things:

1.  They are a for profit venue.  You don't need to be a nonprofit to be an arts organization.  Clearly The Music Box has a niche they are servicing and they do it while balancing the need to be a viable business.

2.  The mutual respect the artistic and executive leadership have for each other.  They aren't equal partners in the hiearchy of the Music Box, but you can tell that the President and the Artistic Programmer appreciate the skills that each one brings to the process.

It's my observation that this level of respect is kind of a rare thing in the arts. 

The arts are filled with power struggles between artists and executives.  It always seems like one side or the other is determined to prove that they are the straw that stirs the proverbial drink.

The battles are always messy and they hardly ever end well.

But when you look inside arts groups (for profit and nonprofit) that really work well you see people who understand that they can't function in this world alone.  They understand compromise.  They appreciate the greater good.  They don't treat every decision like it's Clash of the Titans.

Mutual Respect.

It's one of those things you hardly ever hear about in the arts.  But it is a key factor in the success or failure of any artistic group.

 

Authentic Arts Marketing: Now Available To Everyone

If you want a sample, click here: Download AAM First 10 Pages

Otherwise, click this link to download your copy.  The link will take you to E-junkie, a secure downloading service.  Authentic Arts Marketing costs $11.95.  Paypal handles the transaction.  You can pay via your Paypal account or credit card.

The e-Book will download as a PDF.  You can save it on your computer like any other file.

Once you get the e-Book here are four things I'd like you to do:

1.  Use it.  It's a relatively short e-Book and you might get the urge to breeze through it.  Don't do that.  The value comes from thinking about the questions and doing the exercises.

2.  Give me feedback.  If sections of the e-Book were particularly helpful, let me know.  If other parts needed work, tell me that as well.  Please be gentle when doing so. :)

3.  Share the e-Book with some people.  If you work with a team, send them a copy of the book and do the exercises with them.  If you have a friend you know would benefit from the book, send it to them.

4.  Share the download link with others.  If you have people that you believe should buy the e-Book then share the download link.

Some of the people who got the e-Book last week had some very nice things to say about the design(and content) in it.  I'll take credit for the content, but I had nothing to do with the design. 

The design of the book was handled by Irena, an extremely talented graphic designer.  She's also a talented ballroom dancer/teacher.  If you are looking for a bit of graphic design work, check her out.  The link to her website is here.

 

Arts Marketing 101: Marketing the future

When watching big sporting events, like the Super Bowl or the Olympics, it's common to see a network promote shows that are coming months down the road.

Groups like Apple often start talking about products years before they actually hit the market.

Why do this?

Because people like to know what's coming.

It's part of our human nature, we like to think about the future.

So one of the easiest, but less obvious, ways to improve your marketing is by improving your artistic planning process.

"Here's what we are doing now AND here's what we plan on doing in the future" is a powerful marketing message.  It implies stability.  It gives the public the impression that you will be around for the long haul.  People find it easier to support things, with time, money and other resources, when they feel like the whole group will not disappear six months from now.

I realize it's difficult to think about the future when you have so much going on right now, but the ability to plan for the long term is one of the things that separates those who find success in the arts from those that struggle.

Take the time to think about things you would love to do 1, 2 even 5 years down the line.  Share that information with the public.  You'll be surprised at how much your audience appreciates this type of information.

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Two quick notes:

1.  To all the folks who get the blog via email . . . thanks for purchasing your advance copy of Authentic Arts Marketing.  If you still plan on doing so, please try to pick it up by Sunday evening because the price will raise slightly when I release it to the public.  If you need the link to the e-Book, email me.

2.  For everyone else, Monday is the big day for the release of the e-Book.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

"Want" is overrated

Don't assume you want it more than the other guy.

Making it in the arts isn't a matter of will.  It's not going to happen just because you really, really, want it to happen.

A lot of people want it pretty badly, many of them have more money and other resources then you do.

"Making it" in the arts is about skill, strategy and relationships.  It's about timing and luck.  It's about balancing risk and pragmatic thinking.

In the long run, will, desire, those sorts of things . . . have far less to do with the end outcome then you have been led to believe.

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Yesterday, I had a great conversation with Anthony Moseley about arts marketing.  The link to the interview is here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/collaboraction/2010/03/17/social-marketing-with-adam-thurman

 

What's working?

The room changed when a smart man asked this question:

"What's working?"

In the arts, we rarely have this discussion.  We love discussing what isn't working.  It allows us to vent our frustrations.

But change, at least the sort of change many of us say we want, comes from focusing on what is working and then building on that.

Yes, some arts institutions are souless, corporate, factories.  But a few of them aren't.  What are they doing differently? 

Yes, many artists are struggling in the marketplace, but some are finding success and not selling out.  What lessons can we learn from them?

Most of my success in marketing has come from learning the "success lessons" from any and everybody and then adapting them to my work.

I already know what's not working in arts marketing.  I see it everyday.  My job is to find what is working and use it.  That's your job as well, no matter what your role in the arts is.

Find what's working, learn from it and use it.

Don't allow the negative energy that rises up in some arts related conversations mask the fact that people are finding their way through this complex world.

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This afternoon I'll be the guest on CollaboraRadio, the online radio show hosted by Chicago's Collaboraction Theatre.  We will be discussing marketing, the arts and whatever crosses our feverish little brains.

The show will kick off at 4pm CST.  It's a great opportunity to pop your headphones into your computer and get some knowledge.  You can even call in to ask your questions.  The link to the show is here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/collaboraction

The show will also be archived so that you can check it out later.

Focus

Good marketing requires you to ignore a lot of stuff.

It requires you to ignore the latest social marketing tool, the newest trend in digital printing, the constant call of the here and now.

Those are things we all have to deal with from time to time, but you have to know when to tune it out and concentrate on the strategy at hand. 

This is because marketing requires focus.  You have to know, in any given moment, why you are doing a particular thing.

Unfocused marketing is a huge waste of time, energy and money.  I'm assuming you don't have an abundance of those things as it is.

But it's hard to stay focused when you are distracted by every little thing.  When I work with clients, this is often their biggest problem.  They spend so much time responding to things that they never stop to think about why they are engaged in a particular marketing tactic.

They are on Facebook, but they don't know why.

They have a website but haven't thought seriously about what goes on it in years.

It's mandatory that you create time and space to think about your marketing.  It's vital that you give it your highest focus.

If you don't, it's just like tossing money out the window.

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Couple of notes:

1.  If you get this blog via email you should have received an email with the link to the e-Book this morning.  If you didn't get it email me at mission.paradox@yahoo.com 

Be sure to check your Spam and Junk Mail folders because the email may have landed there.

2.  For my theatre peeps:  Today, Todd London and others will be presenting highlights from Outrageous Fortune:  The Life and Times of the New American Play.  Things kick off at 2pm EST.  At around 5pm EST there will be questions from the audience (in Washington DC) and from Twitter courtesy of #newplay.  Be a part of it all by checking it out on NewPlay TV  http://livestream.com/newplay