For marketers, the Super Bowl demonstrates the power (and price) of attention.
Think about it. Why in the world would anyone pay milliions of dollars for a handful of 30 second commercial spots?
It is because the Super Bowl is one of the few times that we are willing to be interrupted by commercials. It's one of the few times that we, as a culture, are actively paying attention to advertising.
The advertisers are willing to pay a lot for that attention.
That's how valuable it is.
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Consider your email list. Your mailing list. The subscribers to your newsletter or YouTube channel. Those are people who have given you a small piece of their attention.
You have the same asset that advertisers are willing to pay millions to get.
It's very easy to forget that. We get used to counting the number of people in our database and forget the value of each individual name.
200 people who actively listen to you and react to your message is more valuable then 20,000 people who barely know you exist.
You know that. I'm just reminding you.
I'm also reminding you that the most valuable asset you have as an artist (or arts org) is the attention of your audience.
Every marketing tool you use, from email, to customer service, to direct mail, to social media should be designed to respect and engage that attention.
Whenever I get my hands on those sorts of tools, I'm always thinking about how I can delight my audience, or educate them, or make them laugh.
That's the exchange. You give me a bit of permission and attention and I give you something special. Or at least I try too.
Once I've done that, I figure it's ok to "sell" them on a particular artistic event.
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Spend a little today thinking about what are you doing with that incredibly valuable attention your audience has given you?
It's the most important thing you have. Use it wisely.
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