Nonprofit Arts Organizations

Nonprofit arts organizations work constantly to attract potential audience members with a variety of marketing techniques and practices. People frequently are faced with difficult decisions about how to spend their discretionary time and money; a single arts organization must compete with both other nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies. Why should a person go to see a theater production instead of going to the movies or staying home and watching Netflix? Marketing staff members are responsible for educating people about their organizations, and engaging people to convince them to attend events and performances. The best way to do this in today’s modern society is to improve their digital marketing. Marketers in arts organizations

Digital marketing is interactive, and therefore plays a critical role in arts organizations’ marketing efforts. Social networks and social media are social mediums that allow users to create their own content and to engage in conversation with others. Organizations must allow opportunities for audience participation by creating an accessible environment for people through marketing and social media. Organizations must allow for open communication and dialogue between the organization and the community, and make sure that their website and social media accounts are easy to use and follow. According to Michael Worth in his book Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice, “Today, anybody can begin or join a discussion about a nonprofit organization and have a powerful impact on the brand” (276). Individuals have essentially become marketers themselves who can easily “draw attention to an organization in a positive or negative light” through social media and websites (276). Because of this, organizations must maintain an active online presence to allow for dialogue with audience members and supporters and to attract potential audience members and supports. Digital marketing has incredible benefits for an organization. Social media helps organizations clarify to people what they do and show

Regarding web searches and websites, 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 75 percent of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Mobile and tablets are used more than desktop computers (CMS Wire). According to Statista, 81% of the U.S. population have a social media account. Millennials are huge influences in today’s market. A study by Vision Critical shows 77 percent of millennials in the study will actively tune out advertisements. Overall, 75 percent sees advertisements as disruptive and would rather look to websites and social media accounts to get information. These statistics reflect a digital world, in which most interaction people have with businesses are