Artists and arts organisations can reach new and existing audiences cost-effectively by making creative use of web technologies, AMAS Managing Director Aileen O’Toole told an Arts Council conference in Dublin Castle.
The conference – New Media, New Audiences – explored how social media, content-sharing sites, blogging, podcasting and other forms of online communications can be exploited.
Aileen O’Toole said that audiences are shifting from traditional to online media, bringing challenges and opportunities for those who produce and promote creative work. She offered ten pointers for engaging and interacting with audiences online:
1. User sophistication – audiences are spending more time online and using richer applications. Understanding audiences, and their evolving online behaviour, is vital
2. Search – content creation needs to tailored not only for the target audiences but also for “search engine robots” which play a key role in connecting with online audiences
3. The network effect – the Barack Obama campaign showed what is possible, with lessons for all in how it used the Internet to raise funds, create awareness and muster grassroots support
4. DIY advertising and PR – arts organisations, just like SMEs, can run low-cost online advertising and PR campaigns with a broad reach
5. Social networks – they are now mainstream and are a powerful engagement tool
6. Content sharing – content should be created not just for a website but to share across sites used by target audiences
7. Internet on the move – think mobile. The iPhone will do for the mobile internet what the iPod did for the MP3 player
8. Free stuff – from open source management software to Google Analytics, free tools make online publishing easy and offer valuable insights into your audiences’ online habits
9. Distribution channel – the Internet is an effective distribution channel but there are downsides (such as copyright violation and low-cost competition)
10. Build reputation – there are multiple ways to reach existing and new audiences using a mix of online media channels and to gain recognition. Experiment!
