By Vicki Allpress-Hill, Manager Online Marketing, THE EDGE

Over the last couple of months, I’ve heard a number of arts managers express doubts about social media, online social networking and their value.

The same questions and concerns come up repeatedly:

• I don’t believe in Facebook – people should talk to each other, not sit at computers.
• We already have a website and we don’t have time to update any more sites.
• We’ll lose control of our brand and messages.
• Our marketing department is busy enough managing our mainstream media campaigns.
• Twitter makes no sense to me – I just can’t see what use is it to us?

While they are ruminating about these issues, others are just getting on with it, and having hugely positive and very tangible results.

The Basement in Auckland now has 616 members of its Facebook group receiving regular updates and engaging in conversation. The Learning Connexion, an art school in Wellington, has targeted distinct market segments with its highly pro-active social networking strategy using Flickr, YouTube, MySpace and Twitter.

Christchurch Art Gallery has built a community of more than 700 supporters on its Twitter page, with whom they have a very dynamic two-way dialogue. And (aspirationally) The Museum of Modern Art in New York City had an astounding 31,434 Twitter followers at last count (like watching a counter of babies being born around the world, every time I refresh the page the number grows).

When it comes to online social networking and the arts, my view is: “what’s not to like”? The online social networking phenomenon is a gift for creators, producers and promoters of the arts. Could we have dared to dream of or imagine such a tool a decade ago… and such inexpensive and instant access to potential audiences and their passions, beliefs, activities and networks?

In a recent email, an industry colleague of mine, now working in an education role for a music organisation, asked my opinion on the value of Facebook and Twitter to arts companies. I was quick to point out some of the key features that make online social media such significant tools for us, including the following:

• People of all ages are using social media tools like Facebook to plan and organise their social lives. For those who are “initiators“, Web 2.0 tools make it so easy to forward information and invite groups of friends to “events” they create (and then manage the RSVP process). If we deliver the right information to them within the social networking tools they are using, then at the click of a mouse they can share this with their entire network of friends. In fact, I did this myself when I posted a link on my page this morning to Bonachela Dance Company’s planned open-air performances on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral (responding to a wall post of a friend who dances for them). All 180 of my Facebook friends had a chance to read about this today, but also to forward the link to their own friends.

• Busy and time-poor people have too much on their minds to consciously remember to visit your website in order to keep up with your activity. But, once you engage in tools like Facebook and Twitter, your updates, key messages, image uploads and blog posts are delivered automatically to your friends’ and followers’ home pages – valuable real estate for capturing attention on the fly.

• As the power of the mainstream media continues to decline, the influence of bloggers (and micro-bloggers on Twitter) is becoming stronger. If you impress some key influencers on Twitter with your performance or exhibition, or tickle their fancy with an intriguing comment or “tweet”, you could find that they post up a reference to you (or even an endorsement you) that is read by their hundreds or thousands of followers.

• Now, on a daily basis, you have a chance to chat with your customers in a place where they feel comfortable. In a presentation last week about grabaseat’s social media strategy at a Marketing Association breakfast, Scott Giles of Air New Zealand, really got me thinking when he said “now we can listen to the conversations”.

Air New Zealand’s “GetAmongstIt” micro-site invites users to upload travel photos, which are then used in their advertising with permission sought from the chosen submitters. This is audience engagement and ownership at its finest.

On San Francisco Symphony’s website, they have utilised the open source platform Ning to host their ‘Social Network’. It is a superb example of Web 2.0 functionality being used to connect audience members in a two-way conversation with the arts organisation they love. Since I last looked at the site a couple of months ago, when they had just launched the network, they have grown the member base to 907 people. That’s nearly 1,000 people sharing information about who they are, their favourite music and composers and “how they are connected with San Francisco Symphony”; taking part in discussions; watching videos and inviting their friends to join. Members also have the opportunity to participate in sub-groups such as “Orchestra Dog Devotees” for those who love the orchestra and dogs and the ‘Smule Group’ for those who use Smule apps to turn their iPhones and iPod touches into musical instruments.

The possibilities of this technology are hugely exciting. To the doubters above, I say: “It doesn’t matter if you believe in online social media or not; your potential audiences are using it. Choose to be absent at your peril and be aware of the gift horse you’re looking in the mouth”.

And does it translate into sales? Depending on how you do it, absolutely yes! With Google Analytics e-commerce tracking, goals and tracking links, it’s easy to see how much revenue is generated from your social networking sites.

Putting a social networking strategy in place requires a great deal of planning and forethought. Next month I’ll give you some tips on how to get started and what to consider.

And speaking of gift horses, here’s another one. For those of you who have not yet started to use paid search engine advertising, the Google Business Stimulus Offer is giving New Zealand businesses an opportunity to get $75 of free advertising on Google sites. I’m recommending it to every arts organisation I speak to as a way of dipping your toes in the water at no financial risk.

Many thanks to all those of you who attended my Google Analytics workshops at the Creative New Zealand 21st Century Arts Conference – I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and look forward to hearing your success stories. I’m still buzzing from the conference, are you?

This entry was posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm and is filed under Building audiences, Culture online, Guest writers, Marketing, Social media, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.