Assume everything is different and take nothing for granted

The first year of the pandemic was a frighteningly uncertain time for arts administrators. We “pivoted” through “unprecedented” times and used both words far too often. While we learned many lessons, they are undoubtedly lessons we hope we’ll never have to apply to a similar situation.

Then we returned to welcoming patrons back into our spaces and we were in uncharted waters again with masks, vaccine requirements, restaffing, and for many, putting in the important work of looking at our organizations through an anti-racism lens. There were virus variants and surges to deal with and a hesitant audience. Some didn’t return because no number of precautions would be enough, others stayed away because they felt our safety policies went too far.

It’s now been about a year since many organizations re-opened and as more and more mask and vaccine requirements are dropped, things are starting to feel normal again in many respects. But that doesn’t mean that we can, or should, slide back into our auto-pilot routines from pre-2020. The world was disrupted too much to assume that everything that was true before is still true now.

We must recognize this unique moment as an opportunity to evolve and refine our practices. We can challenge ourselves to question our assumptions, look at patron prospects in a new way, and interrogate our routines and default methods. Nothing can be taken for granted at this point.

This is particularly true when it comes to our audiences whose routines changed dramatically over the past few years. They moved, changed jobs, had children, found new hobbies, and got very comfortable on their couches. For every person who was anxiously waiting at your doors for them to re-open so they could get out of their houses, there is someone else who realized that their lives were too busy before the pandemic and spending more time at home isn’t such a bad idea.

Some of your previously loyal patrons will be harder to lure back and you’ll need to determine how to allocate your resources. Lapsed buyers may need deeper investment to convince them to reengage and return to their old habits but be mindful of committing too much of your time and budget on folks who are unlikely to ever return.

Along the same lines, this may be the right time to broaden your new acquisition campaigns to attract those who just moved to town or experienced lifestyle changes that make them prime candidates to be your next dedicated supporters. This is also a great opportunity to reimagine and expand your notion of who makes up your audience. To attract a new audience, we must change what we’re doing.

In terms of marketing, this means interrogating everything from ticket pricing and member benefits to marketing calendars and messaging. It means re-examining your assumptions about who your audience is and can be, and what their behaviors are. You may see different advertising channels suddenly become more effective than they used to be and the tried-and-true ones no longer delivering the same results.

Get comfortable with “I don’t know.” Stats like renewal rates and new-to-file households are going to be out of whack for a while. So will sales and budget models. This will likely involve managing your own expectations as much as your colleagues’ when it comes to be able to provide predictions with any level of confidence.

While we can’t sit idly by waiting for things to return to the way they were before (because that is very unlikely), we also can’t expect to rebuild entire marketing strategies and practices overnight. (So go easy on yourself.)

The perseverance and creativity we demonstrated in getting through the first part of this disruption was unparalleled. We owe it to ourselves to keep going. It’ll be hard work, there’s no doubt about that, but the opportunities that await us are worth it.

After getting yourself inspired about your organization and reinvigorated about your marketing, if you find you need help reaching your goals, contact me. I can help.