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.

Comments

[Wildwomanfund]

I love this question.

What is working? Is it our database? Our understanding of our patrons? Our relationships with artists? Did our dinner make more than it ever did before? Is our social media strategy finally translating into more donations? What is working?

Great Reminder!

http://wildwomanfundraising.com

[Nick Keenan]

You know what's working? The Sound Cue that we just named "Adam Thurman."

Kaboom.

To rephrase - what's working is when we do our work in a way that is FUN.

New Leaf is reconfiguring our concessions inventory today. Making it only stuff we find delicious. This is fun. And our patrons will love it.