10 signs your cultural organization is egocentric
To stem the tide of audience decline that has plagued the arts sector for the past two decades, cultural organizations have employed a variety of methods.
From offering bite-sized “tastings” and recruiting a radio show “influencer” to broadcasting a free simulcast in a sports arena, providing condensed opera productions for families and greeting attendees by name, these experiments have provided questionable return on investment: the downward trend has not reversed.
But there’s a crucial piece missing from the audience development conversation—a piece that many for-profit businesses have already mastered: How to create marketing that speaks to the 21st century customer.
To put it bluntly: traditional arts marketing is no longer relevant. Consumer behaviors have changed. They simply don't trust marketing that ignores them.
The trouble with traditional arts marketing is its ever-present subtext: “We are wonderful! Our art is transformative! And the more we say this, the more you’ll want to experience it!” It’s an egocentric perspective that infiltrates everything from websites and social media to fundraising and marketing materials.
But Colleen Dilenschneider’s data on negative substitution is a loud wake-up call. Retaining our current audiences isn’t enough. To grow and sustain our cultural organizations, we must replace outgoing “Insiders” with new audiences.
But for Outsiders who have no context for the arts world, traditional arts marketing is a huge barrier.
And we can't retain them if we can't get them through our doors in the first place.
Wondering if your organization is guilty of this approach? Here are ten signs to watch for.
Ten signs your cultural organization is egocentric
Imagery features the artists
Language is elevated and flowery, vague, or jargony
Copy centers around artists' abilities, the organization's achievements, and the beauty/power of the art
Artists are typically shown in formal poses wearing formal attire
Calls to action signal the organization's perspective and needs (Support Us, Donate Now, Education, Buy Tickets, Follow Us)
Program notes feature in-depth musicological analysis
Marketing strategy is one-size-fits-all, or centers on demographics (Young Adults, Families, Donors)
Marketing content focuses on selling a ticket or scoring a donation. First-timers are welcomed enthusiastically with invitations to subscribe and/or donate.
Audiences are expected to know not to clap between movements, to turn phones off when the concert begins, and to maintain a respectful formality
Marketing content features reviews from well known art critics, papers, and journals.
Wait, this doesn’t sound so bad—right?
Compare the traditional arts marketing approach to for-profit marketing and you'll start to notice just how much this approach ignores the real life consumer.
Think about your favorite TV commercial or social media campaign. You’ll notice that the most successful ads center around the customer’s perspective—and look very different from the typical orchestra ad. They use the customer’s own words and feature stories and imagery that are familiar, colloquial, and relatable.
It’s a seismic shift to stop talking about your organization in your marketing but, as you can see from the examples above, the power of customer-centric storytelling is undeniable. Why?
Sales and marketing guru Bob Moesta writes, “Only your customer can determine your value! However well-meaning your aspirations, they are not enough to sell your product.” In other words, the value of your product is determined solely by the customer’s context (not yours).
(And he should know. His book Demand Side Sales 101 outlines case studies of organizations who implemented customer centricity with jaw-dropping results—like Southern New Hampshire University, whose new understanding of working parents’ needs resulted in their online enrollment growing from 500 to 130,000 in just 8 years. And Intercom, whose new customer-centric marketing strategy increased inbounds more than five times in less than 18 months, and whose growth trajectory in the SAAS world is second only to Slack.)
It’s a hard truth but, if embraced, brings dramatic results: Your potential customers don’t care about you. What they care about is how you might be able to transform them or transform their lives. If you’re not addressing these concerns in your website, social media, and other marketing materials, you’re wasting your time.
Here’s another way to look at it:
When you stop marketing your product, and instead start selling the transformation your product can provide, your focus shifts from who your target audience should be in terms of demographics and previous purchase behaviors—to who needs that particular transformation in their lives.
The result? Your product doesn't change, but your potential customer base expands dramatically beyond those who already know and like your product.
Here are ten ways to show the Outsiders in your community that you can provide the transformation they’re seeking.
Ten ways to abolish egocentrism
Not everyone is ready to buy. Center your overarching marketing strategy around the five stages of the customer journey.
Help your target audience imagine themselves in your world. Feature photos of the audience and imagery that helps them imagine what it feels like to be there. (Hint: A photo of your orchestra or conductor is not the answer.)
Center your content around how your offerings can transform the consumer, their life, or their world.
Use language that is colloquial and conversational; write about real-life, everyday struggles.
Use images of your artists that offer a stylish, relatable, and relevant glimpse at their personal lives.
Frame CTAs, website buttons, navigation headers as invitations for growth and transformation (Learn, Make a Difference, Become a Patron, Join In, Community.) Trade “we” and “our” for “you” and “your.”
When writing program notes, don’t assume audiences are Insiders. Include interesting trivia. Teach your audiences how to engage. (See page 8 of this LSO program.)
Don’t send first-time attendees an invitation to subscribe or donate. You don’t ask someone to marry you on the first date! Start by being their friend. Consider sending them a cash voucher for their next concert and/or a free drink voucher.
Recognize that millennials and GenZers prefer more interactive experiences—they’re used to being connected 24/7. Consider skipping the “turn off your phone” command (ask for silent and dimmed, of course). Invite audiences to bring drinks to their seats, stand if desired, clap when they feel inspired to clap, wear what they’re most comfortable in. Trust that they will respect the art despite these changes.
Feature testimonials from real people who can testify to the fact that your art transformed them or their lives.
The more this customer-centric approach shows up in your branding and marketing, including your mission statement, the more the Outsiders in your community will feel welcome. And that’s the first step to helping them see that the arts might relevant for them.
It’s been a tough two decades for classical music. As arts organizations emerge from months of being shuttered by a global pandemic, they have countless important decisions to make.
The most crucial pivot in this moment? Reject the egocentric approach of the past and redirect efforts toward a customer-centric focus. It’s brought extraordinary success for other industries, and it’s time for the arts to follow suit.
