I recently came across a 2012 report by Arts Victoria on the state on the importance of marketing to arts companies they work with. I have the repeated the bulk of that report below. What I would note is that these companies recognise they need to spend more on marketing, just don’t have the funds. Arts Marketing Australia has the freelance solution these arts companies need.
MARKETING AND PROMOTION INITIATIVES
Respondents were asked to rate the importance of marketing and publicity for their organisation or arts practice.
• Almost nine in ten respondents (89%) rated marketing and publicity as important or veryimportant for their organisation or arts practice. A further 7% rated it somewhat important.
• Only 3% rated marketing and publicity as not very important or not at all important for their organisation or arts practice.
They then asked about the forms of media respondents used to promote their work:
• Over three quarters (78%) specified public relations which includes media releases and media coverage.
• Three quarters of respondents (76%) also selected printed material including posters and flyers.
• Around two thirds of respondents (64%) use advertising through digital (59%), print (52%), radio (35%) or TV(10%).
• 59% said they used direct mail, including e-mail (57%) and post (28%).
• Respondents were then asked to rate the effectiveness of their marketing and to tell us what they thought would increase the effectiveness of their marketing. Of the 398 respondents that indicated they had a marketing campaign:
• 45% thought their marketing was effective or very effective and a further 45% said their marketing was adequate. 8% of respondents considered their marketing to be not very effective, while 2% said they didn’t know.
• Over half of respondents (55%) said that an increased marketing budget would be the top measure
that would increase the effectiveness of their marketing campaign.
• Skills/expertise/capability was given as the top response by 19% of respondents
• Sharing networks/contact was the top response for 18% of respondents