Toolbox | 05 Marketing | 01 Strategy
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Marketing Strategy
Before doing anything else, make sure you are aware of who you
are addressing, why you are talking to these people, what you
want to share and where your preferred audience is located.
Starting with the why is a good idea. Here your business
strategy will help you. Go back and have a look at that now.
Let’s use an example from The Muse.
Who? – Our audience is clients, collectors, curators
(independent and from institutions), artists and people
interested in the arts. According to our data from Google
Analytics, 72% of our website traffic is located in the UK
(70% of these reside in London, 10% of our website visits stem
from the US and the rest from various places all over
Europe)This is why among other reasons it is a good idea to
install utilize data. The need to guess decreases and you get
actual numbers of who you are talking to.
Why? – The main purpose of our marketing is to make people
aware of the artists we represent and of course The Muse. Our
marketing enables the artists to get more exposure and allows
them to get recognised and grow their practice. By marketing
The Muse we also ensure new artists find us and that in turn
leads to more new shows.
What? – We communicate about art and people. Our strategy is
simple. We focus on our core business: selling art and
supporting artists and their shows. During these periods we
also focus on attracting applicants for our residency program.
In addition to our Art programme, we have a few selected
partnerships and derivative projects supporting footfall to
our space. Theatre, film, poetry and music. You can read more
about these initiatives and why they are important here.
Where? – Our audience is mainly located in London and towns
close by. Therefore we use mainly national and local listings
as a part of our communication strategy. We are however
located in a bit of a tourist mecca and a city, London,
world-renowned for being the art capital of Europe. Therefore
we also strive to be present on listings and platforms used by
tourists looking for art events and happenings.
A few ground rules:
- Keep it simple!
- Focus on your core business (art)
- Make people understand why they should spend their time
in your space.
Tone of voice
The tone of voice is how a brand communicates and connects
with its audience through messaging and customer interactions.
It helps businesses differentiate themselves from the
competition and communicate their brand values to their
audience.
The tone of voice includes the words and imagery you choose
(and the order you put them in) across every content format,
including emails, landing pages, ads, social media posts, blog
posts, and more.
Here is a great guide to get you started.
Budget
When creating your yearly budget you should have earmarked a
certain amount of money for marketing. Distribute this budget
evenly per exhibition. If you have an event in the coming year
that is more important than any of the others adjust your
budget according to this. It is perfectly fine to spend a bit
more money if it is a month or happening that would generate
more business for your organization.
Marketing mix
A marketing mix equals your communication channels and
platforms. After researching what you want to communicate, who
you want to communicate to and where these people are located
you can start deciding on which platforms and channels you
will be using to get your message across. Keep in mind the
more channels you have the more hours you need to spend on
communication and many of these channels will also come at an
expense. Here is an example of The Muse Marketing Mix from 2003. Choose a marketing mix that you think will work for you based on your company.
Yearly Goals
Similar to your financials you should set up some clear goals
for your marketing and revise these twice a year. Examples of
goals:
Social media
- 100% growth in followers
- x amount of accounts reached per month
- x amount of accounts engaged per post
Here is what a professional dashboard looks for on Instagram
(2023).
Facebook have a similar dashboard which is a bit more complex.
MailChimp also has a huge set of different reporting at your
disposal. The more you test and get accustomed to work with
these and make it a habit of regularly checking what is
working and what is not working, the better your marketing
efforts will manifest.
A little general on Comms
Utilise various communication channels, such as emails,
WhatsApp, Teams/Zoom, and Facetime, based on your team’s
preferences and availability. Always respect others’ time by
using text messages and emails, allowing people to reply at
their convenience. Reserve phone calls for urgent or emergency
situations.
When scheduling Teams/Zoom/Facetime meetings, organize them at
times convenient for all participants. Punctuality is
key—always be on time for agreed meetings, including those
conducted online. Being punctual demonstrates your respect for
others’ work and time.
For important and decisive discussions, try to organize
in-person meetings when possible. Face-to-face interactions
can enhance communication and understanding.
Marketing Mix The Muse- 2023
Social Media
Instagram @muse_at_269 2.854 Followers
- 1 post prior to show, 3-4 post during the show.
- Stories
- Products uploaded to Insta webshop linked to the Muse webshop (if you have any artworks here)
Facebook The Muse at 269 – Gallery / Studio 1.700 Followers
➔ Facebook Event announcing the show
➔ 1 post prior to show, 3-4 post during the show.
Newsletter + Invitations
The Muse Mailchimp account + 1600 contacts
- 1 Invitation
- 1 reminder
- Mentioning in “currently on” section for next show
- Mentioning in our Community newsletter
Website
- Event calendar
- Artist profile (if agreed)
- Products uploaded in our webshop
Listings
- Eventbrite
- ArtRabbit
- TimeOut
- Seb’s Artlist
Extra add- on
Video Content
- A 1-minute long video featuring the artist/organisation in an engaging way. You will receive the edited video to distribute how you see fit and the Muse will distribute it on our social media channels.
