Brighton Fringe Logo 2012

Companies appearing at the 2012 Brighton Fringe can submit their leaflet or poster design by email to awards@brightonfringe.org by 3^rd April 2012.

Impact’s Managing Director, Simon Drysdale, a former Chair of the Arts Marketing Association says:

‘The Impact Prize is all about classic marketing.  It’s about getting the right message, to the right people, so they do the right thing; which for us means coming to a show. At Impact we love great design and we know the value of clear written communication.  It is the simple but effective combination of these two elements that we are championing in the Impact Prize.’

A shortlist of 10 submissions will be selected by a panel of experts including Simon, with Paul Copeland, Creative Director of Small Creative Ltd. The selected shortlist will be exhibited at Fringe City 2012 and online, where the general public will be given the chance to vote for their favourite designs.

The winner will be notified no later than 30^th May 2012.

To find out more about participating in England’s biggest Fringe Festival go to www.brightonfringe.org

For more information on Impact’s range of distribution services in Brighton and the South East call Rebecca Cooke on 01273 696333

Leaflet display rack at The Mad Hatter

To show our gratitude, Impact has teamed up with Brighton Dome, one of our most loyal customers, to give our display venues a chance to win tickets to some of the Dome’s shows this season. The encourages our display outlets to continue their support for the South East’s cultural organisations and also gives the Dome an extra promotional boost in our quarterly e-newsletter which is sent out to our database of hundreds venues.

Brighton Dome hosts over 600 events every year, and reflects the quality and vibrancy of the arts scene in the city.  This month Impact has been offering our venues the opportunity to see one of the most enchanting musicians to grace their stage – Mitsuko Uchida, a Grammy-winning pianist, stopping in Brighton as part of her global tour from Tokyo to Berlin to New York City.  Illuminating the music of Mozart and Chopin through her fingertips, this was an event not not to be missed!

If you are a venue in Sussex or Kent and would like to house a display rack to promote cultural events in your area, please contact Rosie Jones on 01273 696333

Welcome to Impact Marketing’s beginners’ tips on Video marketing! In this series of blog articles, we will equip you with the fundamentals to develop a successful video marketing strategy. In part 1 and 2 we’ll be looking at 6 essential aspects you should be clear about before you switch on the camera – from defining your target audience and your key message through to video optimisation and defining what to measure.

Online video is a communication tool. Certainly, one of the most effective communication tools marketers have at hand to date. Videos can raise awareness and promote conversion amongst prospective customers while keeping your existing clientele engaged. First off all, let’s take look at a bunch of strategic questions in order to clarify your approach.

1. Why am I communicating? What do I want to accomplish?

So, you have arrived at the conclusion that you want to incorporate video in your overall marketing strategy. More important than the question “What am I going to say?” is establishing why you are choosing to make a video in the first place.

• Do you want to increase the visibility of your business/ organisation or event?
• Are you announcing a new service or event to your customers?
• Do you want to engage people in a certain issue?
• Are you asking people to make a decision or take action?
• Why does anyone need your communication — why should they pay attention?

The answers to these questions should be as clear as possible. Don’t just jump behind the driver’s wheel without knowing where you are going – you will need to focus on your destination. For example, instead of answering something hazy, such as “I want more sales”, be precise and say “I want to gain potential customers’ trust by giving them more information about our organisation and the people that work here.”

In order to measure the impact of the video, the goal needs to be determined upfront.

2. What exactly do I want to communicate? Why is it important?

Keep your message clear and concise. Do not confuse your viewers by trying to communicate a whole lot of different messages in the same video. Ask yourself if your message is concise enough to be condensed into a gripping, short video.

As with any other on- or offline medium, content is king. The clearer your message is, the more compelling your content – the higher your audiences’ engagement levels. Additionally – the length of a video is a crucial factor. Internet users have notoriously short attention spans. Keep your message short and powerful. Remember The Golden Rule of the web: Quality over quantity.

If you find that you have a lot of different messages you want to communicate through video than the best approach is to start thinking about a video marketing strategy.

3. To whom am I communicating? Who is my target audience?

Videos can be used as tools of mass marketing just as well as niche marketing tools. The primary goal of any marketing communication is to be believed. We attempt to influence our audiences’ beliefs, needs and actions. It is important to know that you will never be able to address everyone with the same message.

Before you switch on the record button on your camera you have to ask yourself:

• Who do you see as your potential audience?
• Do I understand what drives my target audience to make a decision?
• Which online platforms does your target audience use mostly?
• Will you be communicating to an existing clientèle or are you trying to win a new audience?
• What makes my target audience tick? What excites them?

Your audience can be broken down into either demographics such as age, gender, income level, ethnic background or psychographics such as lifestyle, hobbies, attitudes etc. and/ or a combination of both.

Once you have identified who you are targeting, where you can find them and what makes them tick, you have a solid base to formulate your key message and start thinking about how to best convey it.

CLICK HERE to read part 2 of our series ‘Video marketing tips for beginners’.

About the author:
Marliese Andexer has an extensive background in all aspects of the web and social media. Her current focus (and love) is video marketing and how to best leverage the exciting medium to create exposure for arts related organisations and businesses. Marliese is Impact Marketing’s project and video production manager.

Email: marliese@impactideas.co.uk

Welcome to part 2 of Impact Marketing’s  blog series ‘Video marketing tips for beginners’.

In ‘Video marketing tips for beginners pt. 1‘, we looked at the first three fundamental questions you will have to clarify before you get stuck in with video marketing – or any type of marketing for that matter. In this article we will look at defining your key message, the basics of online video distribution and how to measure success.

4. Key message

The word ‘message’ in itself refers to a piece of communication that is received and understood. The basis of developing a winning key message is to ensure that it matches the needs of those who receive it.

Once again ask yourself:

• What makes me different from my competitors?
• What’s the biggest benefit of my offering/ buying from me?
• Why should people come to me/ buy from me?

Sometimes it can help greatly to obtain fresh views from people who are not closely involved with your business – such as your customers. Speak to your existing customers to find out why they choose you over your competitors. You may be surprised about some of the answers you will hear!

Features vs. Benefits in your key message

Potential customers are mostly not interested in the exact features of a product or service. It isn’t the feature they are buying, it is what the feature does for them. As marketers we have to have a clear answer to the consumer’s questions: “What’s in it for me?” or “Why should I buy this?”

When you describe the benefits to a prospective customer, the likelihood of them making the connection in their brain that they need/want what you have to offer increases substantially.

All sales decisions are ultimately based on our emotions. Even when we seek to be objective and rational, we only buy when we feel that something is right for us. In the best case scenario you are able to highlight that your product or service presents a solution to a problem.

Try out the following with your own product or service:

Draw up a table consisting of 3 columns and several rows:

1. In column 1 – list every possible feature of your product/service.

2. In column 2 – ask yourself the question “What’s in it for me?”

3. In Column 3 – ask yourself “Which emotional benefit do the answers of column 2 create?”

Keep repeating this process until you’ve exerted every possibility.

Now check the emotional benefits against your target market and ascertain where they connect with what your target customer wants and/or needs. These are the stories you need to be telling!

5. How will I get people to see my video? How to get (more) traffic?

Your job will not be done by creating a video and uploading it to your website. In order to attract a number of quality viewers you will have to put effort into the promotion and distribution of your video marketing product. The following tips will give you an overview of the basics required, please bear in mind though that each and every one of the following bullet points will call for more of your research time.

9 fundamentals of getting your video seen

• Identify the most relevant keywords. Be specific (don’t use highly competitive keywords such as “funny” or “hilarious”).
• Optimise your video. Choose a descriptive and effective title.
• Upload it to your website
• Upload it to as many different platforms as you can.
• Ensure that you follow the best practise of optimisation on each platform.  For a step-by-step guide on ‘How to optimise your videos for YouTube’ please download our <YouTube optimisation Cheat sheet here>.
• Market your video and link to it! Post links in your email newsletters, on all your social media profiles and on bookmarking sites.
• Engage with other videos from your niche. Post comments and get involved in conversations with the aim to drive traffic to your videos
• Always encourage viewers to take some form of action if they like your video. YouTube loves engagement – it will help you rank higher on YouTube and if you’re lucky even Google will show your video in its search results.
• Don’t give up! In case your first attempts fail – do more research, refine your video marketing product and strategy and keep trying.

6. How will I measure success rates?

Online marketers are still faced with difficulties when it comes to measuring the exact ROI of video marketing. As a rule of thumb – it’s not the number of views that counts. It is a success of course if you manage for your video to be seen by a large number of people, however what you are really after is a high level of so called ‘engagement’ and ultimately conversion.

Video engagement refers to the actions viewers of your videos are happy to take.

Conversion refers to website “visitors who convert casual content views or website visits into desired actions based on subtle or direct requests from marketers” (source Wikipedia).

You will find that if you manage to appeal to the prospects’ emotions and/ or offer a solution to a problem, viewers will be happier to engage with you and your brand and your conversion rate will increase exponentially.

Monitor the following:

• Numbers of likes and comments
• Numbers of subscribers
• Re-posting and embedding of your video content (viral spread)
• Reactions of your customers. If you can, do ask you customers how they found out about you. In case they have been attracted by one of your videos – ask them what they found particularly useful and/ or enticing about them. You can do this on a either on a personal level or in form of customer surveys.

It is certainly worth mentioning that video should be part of an overall integrated marketing strategy. Video marketing will work if done with a considerate, well thought-out approach with the right budget, effort and time put in.

Remember: a consistent audience requires a consistent approach!

If you would like to know more about how Impact Marketing can help you create exciting video content and how to get maximum exposure and return from your efforts, please contact Marliese today for a free consultation.

About the author:
Marliese Andexer has an extensive background in all aspects of the web and social media. Her current focus (and love) is video marketing and how to best leverage the exciting medium to create exposure for arts related organisations and businesses. Marliese is Impact Marketing’s project and video production manager.

Email: marliese@impactideas.co.uk

The single most important factor when it comes to online and video marketing – is great content! All SEO, social media and blogging strategies will be in vain if the content provided is not engaging with your target audience.

Arts marketers are in luck because their subject matter is innately highly engaging. But how can the excitement around a new show, exhibition or other cultural offering be successfully conveyed to the prospective audience?

The answer is – through video marketing. Video is inherently captivating. A picture speaks more than 1000 words, right? This is why an increasing number of arts and leisure organisations are beginning to integrate the creative medium in their marketing efforts to tell their stories.

Deciding which kind of video you want to create may depend on how you measure the return on your marketing investment. There are risks and rewards for each kind of video, but there is no denying the potential impact of the medium.

We have identified what we believe to be the most suitable types of marketing videos for the Arts and Leisure industries.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO – The mother of all online videos

The Promotional Video/ Promo Video is an often underused introduction to an entire organisation or current cultural offering. The final product is a short 1 – 3 min video which is informational, engaging and compelling and has – in internet terms – a long shelf life.

This signature video should inform the viewer about who you are, what you do, your USP and why potential audiences and customers should be interested in what you have to offer. The content of a Promo video should not be too specific, it should rather raise curiosity in the viewer and set the base for further engagement.

Promo videos should sit on the homepage of your website and they offer themselves for distribution on various online platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Metacafe etc.

Click here to watch our own Impact Marketing – Promotional Video.

BEHIND THE SCENES – Exclusive video content marketing

A great way to attract and keep your audience engaged is by allowing them a peek behind the curtain. Especially in the arts and cultural sector ‘Behind the Scenes’ videos can add great value to a production or entire organisation. The number 1 factor when building a loyal audience on (or off) line is great content. The exclusivity of this type of content can help set the base for deeper and longer lasting audience engagement. Behind the Scenes videos are a great way for viewers to gain a greater understanding of your offering, add a personal touch and enrich your audiences’ experiences to build loyalty.

Here a great example of Behind the scenes at Avenue Q

VOX POPS – Word of Mouth Marketing through online video

Word of mouth marketing (WOMM) is the spread of a positive marketing message from one person to another. WOMM is the most effective form of marketing because potential customers are inclined to trust their peers more than critics or advertisements. However, some marketers may consider WOMM a slightly elusive marketing tactic as the ROI is hard to measure.

With the rapid increase of use of the Internet as a communications platform, WOMM has become an even more powerful and now more measurable marketing tool. According to a study by Nielsen et al., 82% of buying decisions online have been directly influenced by reviews.

The creation of a positive buzz is essentially the aim of viral marketing. Vox Pops tell the story of successful engagement and amplify the genuine excitement created by a great experience. Credible positive audience reactions can travel a long way on the web – from a distinct section on your website through a range of social media platforms right into the hands of tomorrow’s audiences.

Here a recent example of an Impact Vox Pop for Some like it Hip Hop at the Peacock Theatre, London.

Impact offers a range of video marketing services. Don’t hesitate to contact Marliese for a free consultation today!
Email: marliese@impactideas.co.uk
Phone: 0207 729 5978

About the author:
Marliese Andexer has an extensive background in all aspects of the web and social media. Her current focus (and love) is video marketing and how to best leverage the exciting medium to create exposure for arts related organisations and businesses. Marliese is Impact Marketing’s project and video production manager.

Video SEO is at the core of any activity which should drive traffic to your channel and videos. So before you start spreading the word that you have a new video up on YouTube – make sure you follow our Step-by-step optimisation guides:

• The Impact YouTube Channel cheat sheet: A Step by Step guide to optimising your YouTube channel.      
• The Impact YouTube video optimisation cheat sheet: A Step by Step guide to getting the most out of your YouTube videos.

For more information on our range of video marketing services, give us a call today on 020 77 29 59 78 or email marliese@impactideas.co.uk

It would seem Andrew Knott is a multi-talented actor playing guitar and singing whilst delivering a perfect Liverpudlian accent… almost too good! At the start the dialogue sometimes got lost in translation… and ultimately went over the audiences’ heads. Before I go on I feel I should admit something. I didn’t know much about the history of the Beatles prior to seeing Backbeat. I (rather naively) thought they were a bit of a goody two shoes band. Oh how wrong was I? Backbeat depicts the rise of the Beatles and you get to see them at there most raucous. From living behind a cinema screen in Hamburg and sampling the local delights, to playing eight hour sets in a grotty German clubs whilst taking Speed to keep them awake; Backbeat depicts  The Beatles at their   rock ‘n’ rollprime. You also got acquainted with the fifth Beatle. Stuart Sutcliffe played by Nick Blood who is portrayed as a rather troubled (but deeply cool) artist who falls hopelessly in love with Astrid Kirchherr.

Within the first half there were times when the action could have been punchier and a few of the characterisations by ensemble members were rather one dimensional and based on stereotypes, i.e. ‘the gay German’ and ‘the German beer maid’ which seemed to conflict with the deep story which was being played out between Sutcliffe and Kirchherr. However, in the second half all was forgiven when the story came to climax and I was left crying after the death of Sutcliffe. My emotions were yo-yoed in the second half and soon after my tears dried I was upbeat and dancing in the aisles to classic Beatles songs played live by ‘The Beatles’… I can imagine if you are a woman of a certain age this would be your heaven. This reflected in what I heard in the interval from an older audience member saying, “You know what is wrong with this audience? They are too young!” I think she was expecting Beatles mania. That is why I would recommend it! Definitely not to everyone’s taste but a great educational tool to fill in the gaps of young peoples popular cultural knowledge. I felt bad I didn’t know a great deal about Stuart Sutcliffe before stepping into the auditorium. My stand out performances for the evening would (of course) be from Andrew Knott, who plays John Lennon with a cheeky charisma and Daniel Healy who is a very talented musician who got Paul McCartney’s classic head wobble down to a tee, I would go again just to see the scene where McCartney and Lennon write their hit “Love Me Do”.

AMA Digital Marketing Day 2011

Last year I attended the AMA from the perspective of being a Marketing Assistant at a regional theatre. This year I attended to get ideas on how we can support our clients in their quest to engage with their target audiences’ by integrating both traditional and non-traditional marketing campaigns.

Guest speaker Neil Perkin from Only Dead Fish used a very apt analogy (for the month of November) to describe how social networks should be managed by arts organisations. His Bonfire and Fireworks analogy suggests that you should treat your network like a bonfire which relies on your community to feed it in terms of engagement in the form interactions with your content. However, every now and again you should let off a ‘Firework’ for example a fun viral video or competition to get people from near and far interested in your network which ultimately leads people closer to your ‘Bonfire’ and further builds your community.

This message was at the core of the day. It is the little things that sustain followers and the big displays merely attract people and keep your current following engaged. Don’t set of too many fireworks though, you wouldn’t want people to get irritated/ complacent with your offerings. Keep content fresh and personable.

According to Neil Perkin, the core questions arts organisations should ask themselves before setting up social networks are:

1.       What is our purpose?
2.       Who are we trying to connect with?
3.       What are we talking about?

The next step would be to start a working group as Susan Halligan from the New York Public Library did to great effect. This group meets regularly to discuss themes and events that could be aired on your social networks; the theory being that if your working group is made up of people from each key department, you will gain more content and ideas for your networks. For example: someone in marketing may not realise what is going on at the centre of the production.

Susan Halligan also offered insight into her social networking strategy pointing out that it complemented more traditional marketing methods and didn’t replace them. By integrating the two you can benefit across both mediums. A simple example would be putting your Twitter url on a piece of print advertising, this will enhance your social network presence out in the real world!

Ultimately to sustain a social network it takes time; not only to build followers but also to generate meaningful content. Get rid of the FEAR don’t sit there wondering, “what the hell am I going to tweet about?!” put a working group together and figure out what your organisations wants to tweet about and pop it in a social media calendar. Plan ahead and don’t get stuck in the twitter mud.

1. Create vs. Participate in Discussions

There are two approaches to social media, the majority of users in the social media space go about it by trying to create a discussion about their business; they create Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts and blogs. Their time would better be spent looking for discussions and adding value to them (see our Tip #1).

People however are much more likely to spread the word about a new festival, exhibition or event than they are about a company’s new product. This affords a great opportunity to actually create discussions and activity where there was none.

However if this is your first foray into social media then start by participating in discussions already in place:

• Look for large groups of Facebook users in your space and join in the discussion
• Look for forums with lots of comments
• Look for influential bloggers and tweeters
• Look for newsletters with good content

Participate in already successfully discussions, once you are comfortable you’ll have plenty more ideas about what people in your industry like and don’t like. You can then start your discussion or your group.

2. Beware of the Last Click Syndrome

The #2 tip we have for business is to define your goals. The ‘last click syndrome’ is even more hazardous in the arts industry. This is where you attribute the source of the customer to the last action they did before they purchased from you.

Think of the scenario:

• You have been engaging on Twitter for a year
• You Tweet out that you have a new exhibition coming up
• One of your followers mentions this over lunch to a friend
• They get back to their office, search for your organisation online and buy tickets

That sale will probably be incorrectly attributed to search engine traffic rather than Twitter. People also don’t always plan to ‘have fun’ they will often wake up at the weekend and think ‘what shall we do this weekend’. If your tweet is somewhere in the back of their mind they’ll have an increased chance that they’ll think “oh let’s check out what’s on at that venue”.

Unless the majority of your revenue comes from online ticket sales, then goals around the engagement of your users to your social efforts should be paramount to judging your success:

• Unique visitors
• Average time on your site
• Number of pages viewed per visit
• Number of followers
• Number of comments
• Number of incoming links to your site/blog
• Number of re-tweets
• Number of social bookmarks

Your goal is engagement, so you should measure your return on investment not on ticket sales, but on how much people like what you have created.

This isn’t to say you can ignore all commercials from the equation, but if your stick within the ethos of your organisation, target your work in the right way and aim for engagement you’ll have a good footing.

Then when needed you must put your ‘metal to the test’ by a promotion to your groups, such as a fund raising effort, a request for members or ticket offer. Whatever you decide, just don’t do it too often (we’re talking only a few times a year if you’re not giving away value just asking for help), measure the response, and then use this as your yardstick for the next time you do it and whether social media really is working for you against more traditional forms of media.

3. Think About Your Value and Promote That

Think about what value you can give away and how you can use social media to do it (rather than how you can use social media to increase sales).

If ticket sales are a source of revenue then an easy way of distributing value is to offer reductions through social media. CeciCreative highlights that the Philadelphia Orchestra draws in an extra 50-60 reduced price tickets to younger takers using Facebook to promote the tickets.

If you don’t have ticket revenue, or don’t want to discount, think about what you can give away. Excerpts of nearly any exhibition can be summarised online and given away, Flickr can be used to distribute images along with Facebook, YouTube can be used to distribute videos and audio.

Even if you can’t distribute anything from the event, you can still get a review written, or a comment and analysis and distribute that, or distribute existing reviews. It has to start from ‘how are you going to engage’ and then how are you going to convert the people you have engaged with into patrons.

4. Don’t Be Scared of ‘Haters’

Seth Godin talks of emotional labour; this is undertaking work that is hard because of the‘emotional labour’ you have to put into it. You put yourself and your opinions ‘on the line’ and allow people to comment on it and attack it.

If you just produce work that ‘fence sits’, at most people will be passé towards it. You want people to engage and have an opinion on your content. If no one ever tells you you’re wrong, then generally no one will ever tell you’re right.

The very best way your ‘emotional labour’ should work is, that you should write an opinion, publish it and let people attack it, and defend it. Don’t be afraid to get the ‘party started’ with pseudonym users to attack or defend what you have said, if you have a strong enough community you’ll find other people joining in and continuing the discussion.

Don’t be tempted to jump back in and defend the article as yourself though, otherwise you’re suggesting the article was too weak or lacked clarity to start with.

5. Keep Social Media in the Mind of Your Patrons

If someone is walking around your venue or exhibition is there anything to let them know to ‘spread the word’ digitally. You have someone who has hopefully just enjoyed themselves and has you in their mind. Even if you have a sign next to your comments box “enjoyed the event spread the love on twitter” or a discount code on their ticket they can email to you for a cut price future ticket. Encourage them to pick up their phone while they are with you and you’ll have more chance of them promoting you.

Check out Im in Ur Museeum Blogz - you need to encourage and foster comment and analysis not just once people have come and gone but while they are at your event.

Lucidica is the IT Department for Small Business, we run monthly digital marketing seminars at the British Library on topics such as email marketing, search engine optimisation and Google AdWords.

In such an uncertain environment what should arts and entertainment organisations be doing?  Should we be taking advantage of the Olympic opportunities? Or would we be better off battening down the hatches and sitting it out until the autumn of 2012?

The Impact team asked a cross-section of our customers how they thought their organisations would be affected by the Olympic games and how they were planning for the effects of the games over the next year.

What we found was that most organisations had considered the implications of the games but were unsure of the likely effects and were therefore taking a contingent approach.

A few of our customers have made a clear decision to scale down their activity in the lead up to and during the Olympics, fearing that their voice will not be heard over the noise and excitement of the games.

Others have adapted their programmes in line with advice LOCOG has been offering based on the experiences of previous Olympic host cities.  The advice that appears to have stuck most is that some traditional domestic visitors (meaning those from outside of London who travel into the city once or more each year to see specific shows or exhibitions) are likely to avoid coming into the capital until the games are over.

Similarly, foreign visitor numbers could dip below their normal levels in the lead up to the Games.  The main reason cited for this behaviour appears to be that people fear the city will be in a state of upheaval and disruption, not just during the games but also in the months leading up to them.

Precisely how our customers are adapting programmes varies enormously.  Some have decided to programme blockbuster shows and exhibitions later in the year to ensure they do not miss out on the specific audience and visitor groups.  Others have chosen to take a line of attack where they will stage eye-catching events in the lead up to summer in an effort to stand out from the crowd in a potentially smaller market.

But the most revealing thing to come out of our survey was that, whilst most organisations are aware of the possible effects of the Olympics on visitor types and numbers over the next year, there are no certainties.  Every Olympic city has experienced different visitor trends and behaviours.  What will happen in London and how that affects individual theatres, galleries and museums is impossible to predict with any degree of accuracy.

Of course the usual good practice rules of marketing still apply.  We will continue to identify our target markets, deploy appropriate marketing tools to communicate with them, and quantify the outcomes of our efforts.

At Impact we have a range of tools that will help our customers stand out from the crowd, draw attention to their offers, and persuade their targeted groups to participate.  We are already working with many organisations to make sure 2012 is the celebratory success it should be.

London is sure to feel different in its Olympic year.  While we adapt to these differences, taking advantage of the opportunities and planning for the logistical and market challenges, we must also make sure we soak up the joy of a city in the world spotlight staging a huge event of enormous historic and social value.  The Olympics are coming – ready or not.