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Strategic Planning in the Arts: A Practical Guide
Building Visibility Marketing the Arts
In order to be successful, arts organizations must be visible. The most appropriate method for building visibility is to produce superior artist programming on a sustained basis. But this good art needs to be well marketed.
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Environmental analysis reveals that many of the pressures facing arts organizations today result from relatively high rates of growth in expense budgets during the 1990's. This growth in expenses has not been met by an equal growth in earned income as arts purchasers (ticket buyers and presenters) were unable to increase expenditures. As a result, competition for unearned income (contributions) has increased considerably at a time when corporate and government grants are more difficult to obtain. This competition is not limited to companies in the same arts category or even to arts organizations in general, but between all not-for-profit organizations. The arts organizations that compete successfully for funding are those that produce great work and build the visibility for that work that is necessary to attract both earned and unearned income. All arts organizations must explicitly address the need to build visibility in their strategic plans.
The most appropriate method for building visibility is to produce superior artistic programming on a sustained basis. Arts organizations that consistently create exciting programming and that add interesting complementary events to their basic programs (e.g., symposia, lectures, master classes), are likely to develop strong institutional identities.
Yet in the current environment, high quality programming is not necessarily sufficient. Successful arts organizations will be those that create a marketing mechanism that promotes this programming.
This is dangerous territory. While the importance of building visibility is indisputable, priorities must be clear. The aim of any arts organization is to achieve its artistic and educational goals - not to be a profitable business. Building visibility should not require artistic directors to change their visions. Too many arts organizations (usually after substantial Board pressure has been brought to bear) are now planning their repertories simply to meet popular tastes. The best arts administrators will be guilty only of providing the maximum amount of media coverage for the work the artists wish to produce anyway. While artists must be free to create, administrators must work to build visibility for those creations.
What does visibility do? It creates an awareness of the organization and its programs, and endorses the organization's accomplishments and quality. This instills the desire to become involved by buying tickets, presenting the company on tour, contributing funds, enrolling in a school, volunteering time or joining the Board. Yet apart from business-as-usual ticket-selling techniques, too little time is typically spent by most arts executives planning a "visibility campaign." Every arts organization should plan to be visible to the community at least once a quarter (and once a month for very large organizations) through feature stories, major announcements and special events.
The most obvious result of building visibility is to increase earned income, primarily through ticket sales. But building visibility does more than sell tickets or attract tour dates. It also helps to attract donors and Board members.
Quite simply, strengthening one's Board is the single most productive way to expand one's development effort. Attracting those individuals with a commitment to the art form and the company, and with the means to give or raise funds is essential to building one's donor base in a meaningful way. How does one attract these strong Board members? Through a communications program aimed at building credibility and excitement. Successful people want to attach themselves to successful organizations. They also want to join Boards composed of individuals they want to know and with whom they want to be associated.
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