I’ve been dabbling in Facebook recently for a number of reasons — primary among them is that my teenage daughter wanted an account, and I want to know the terrain of any place my kids choose to wander. Now, of course, I’m hooked.
There are so many extraordinary aspects to these increasingly sophisticated social network tools. And I’ve been pleased to find arts organizations claiming territory and trying to connect in this environment.
But what struck me this week was the extraordinary opportunity and challenge of marketing in these social spaces. In the old days, we considered ourselves sophisticated if we targeted a brochure mailing to a specific ZIP code, or if we attempted to cross-sell a second event to audiences that had already bought another (”You like STOMP? Why not try Savion Glover?”).
Social network systems offer an exponentially more nuanced and complex palette to choose from. Now, in addition to geographic location, you can target by almost any interest or affinity you choose — groupies of the Dixie Chicks, gun enthusiasts, cross-stitchers, sports fans, married or single, high school or college, CEOs or entrepreneurs. It’s almost a tyrrany of choice.
As I attempted to create a Facebook ad for my MBA program (just for fun, not yet posted), I had to ask the question: what are the most effective ”proxy interests” for my potential audience? I can’t say ”people prepared to consider an MBA in Arts Administration.” Instead, I have to think of other values, affinities, or attributes that would tend to include my likely audience, and tend to exclude the unlikely.
Given the low cost and easy cost-control of these small ads, and the ability to target a specific geographic area of users, more and more arts organizations will likely be exploring them to share events and build awareness. But all of them will need to consider the proxies that define their potential audience. And that’s a path to marketing that most of us haven’t yet considered.
So, what social markers best define the group likely to care about you and your work? If you haven’t wondered, wonder now. But be cautious about the assumptions you bring to the table.
Hi Andrew,
FaceBook is wonderful, but I have come up with an ettiquete question – what do you do if someone asks to “Friend” you and you are not interested, and how should you take it if someone you “Friend” does not respond in kind?
Are there people that you should ask to “Friend” with, eg. work associates with whom you would not likely go for coffee?
I think we need a new Emily Post just for Facebook!
Andrew, if you’re going to open the topic of social media here, then you MUST take a look at (and point to, IMHO) “Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media” at http://beth.typepad.com/
the remarkable and comprehensive blog by Beth Kanter, long time nonprofit-tech and arts savant.
WinniPig,
I wouldn’t worry about it. There are people who collect friends and others who don’t. It’s annoying to have some of these friends blasting you with videos or pictures or internet jokes all day long. I enjoy FB for the opportunity to play correspondence chess with an excellent interface, as well as organize groups (one for my exhibition in Atlanta opening on 18 September – 120 members and growing) and for live chat. I’ve sold work through FB and gotten people to other exhibitions in Berlin, as well as actually met people – yes, real people!
It is a tool just out of the shed, but an intriguing one nonetheless. And it is fun.
Matthew Rose / Paris, France