Everybody hates marketing. But everyone loves a good story.

We all know consumers hate marketing. (Let’s be honest—we hate it too!)

McKinsey reports that online reviews, social media conversations, and word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, family, and influencers account for more than 60% of a brand’s visibility during a customer’s purchasing timeline. In fact, a full 20% of all US brands are sold through family or friend recommendations alone.

Clearly, traditional marketing is no longer serving today’s consumer.

How can arts organizations tap into this insight? How can we do marketing in a way that actually helps our potential audiences?

Give your followers good stories to share, says Mark Schaefer.

“Good” is the operative word here. What’s a share-worthy story? A flash mob is fun, but you'll get better "bang for your buck" with something that creates a stronger emotional response.

Picture this: A local wedding with a tear-jerker of a story is elevated to the next level when a curtain opens to reveal the local orchestra playing a heavenly processional.

Or this: A 100th birthday party for an elderly Marine veteran brings friends and family to their feet when a troupe of opera singers arrive singing a powerful rendition of the Marine Hymn. (Memorized, of course. No half-assing allowed.)

Or maybe this: A 50th wedding anniversary celebration brings tears and smiles when the happy couple is surprised by the appearance of local orchestra and soloist, who invite all to dance to the couple’s original First Dance song.

Do these examples seem too sentimental, too clickbait-y? Nina Simon (The Art of Relevance) says it best: “At its heart, building relevance is about living in the creative tension between evangelizing for the things you care about and listening with interest to what others care about. It’s about radiating the inside out, and inviting the outside in…To be successful, we have to embrace evangelism.”

Mark Schaefer, author of Marketing Rebellion, calls this ‘building talkability’ into your marketing campaigns. Hugh MacLeod says “Whatever industry you are in, there’s somebody who is geeked out about your product…[using it] as a social object.” Why not give your followers something special that they can use to connect with others on their social media island? Seems like there’s a Job to Be Done right there.

People in your community might not have incorporated your arts organization into their daily lives, but they regularly participate in celebrations, memorials, sacred rites, and other rituals. Why not show them how powerful your art can be when incorporated into their special moments and important memories?