As an artist or arts organization, a good chunk of your work can be assumed to already be focused on creating art—whether performance, marketing, or writing! Creating content specific to share on your social media might be daunting, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
As the Benvenuti Arts Membership and Operations Coordinator, I am in charge of our marketing efforts. I’ve learned a lot as I’ve grown in this role the past couple of years. In this blog post, I share some simply yet helpful tips on what you can do to create content without losing your organization’s unique voice.
Getting started on creating content for your organization can be daunting. Whether you have a dedicated marketing staff member on your team or not, the content you create should reflect your voice. Try thinking of it as part of the work you’re already creating, versus creating something completely different and separate. Here are four suggestions to help you incorporate your org’s unique voice into social media posts.
- Remember: You’re Already Creating Content
This seems a bit too straight-forward, but hear me out. One of the things that tripped me up when beginning was the idea of having to constantly create brand-new content. That wasn’t the case. BA creates content such as monthly blog posts, eblasts, and our BA Conversations. This offers a lot to pull from for social media posts. You can share what your organization is already up to by sharing production photos, thoughts from directors and playwrights, or new staff members! Your social media audience will most likely not see every post you make on their timelines, so don’t hesitate to repeat yourself. Which brings us to our next tip…
2. Don’t Be Shy!
Whether you’re promoting a new show, a call for submissions, or a job opp, it can get a bit repetitive to constantly post the same thing. Perhaps you’re running out of different ways to say the same thing. Maybe you’re worried your audience will be overwhelmed with seeing the same promotion over and over. The truth is that your audience has different social media habits and won’t see every post you make. So go ahead and post away!
3. Reserving Specific Content for Exclusive Members/Donors/Etc.
Don’t feel like you have to post everything on social media. Consider holding off on posting content such as exclusive videos, behind-the-scenes accounts, and one-time events. Instead, consider using these things for exclusive groups, such as higher-tier donor levels or clients. For example, our monthly BA Conversations are open to the public, but we don’t share these recordings unless you’ve attended. We instead keep an archive of these BA Conversations where only our BA members and clients have access.
4. Get Your Team Involved
Asking your teammates to contributeis the best way to make sure you’re staying true to your organization’s voice! Last month, Benvenuti Arts staff from Italy who wanted to share their perspective on Republic Day wrote our blog post. You can also share artistic projects that your staff are doing outside of your organization to show support. Having your fellow teammates contribute to social media gives your audience a better understanding of who you are while also building morale within your organization.
June’s BA Conversation: Building Better Content, with Erika N. Mac Donald of Engaging New Media
Don’t forget to RSVP for this month’s BA Conversation, “Building Better Content, with Erika N. Mac Donald of Engaging New Media! We hope to see you there on Wednesday, June 8th via Zoom!
