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Category Archives: How To’s
Waging Peace in a Crisis
It’s About Trust Last month Jim Lukaszewski spoke with a dozen of us on crisis management at the League of American Orchestras Conference in Dallas. While he spoke off the cuff, every sentence followed a clear narrative. He preached a … Continue reading
Posted in How To's, Public Relations, Thought Leaders
Tagged marketing, orchestra, public relations
1 Comment
Steve Cook Shows Us How to Program (and Market) Pops
No one marketed pops performances better than my friend Steve Cook when he was at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. These days his firm, The Cooking Group, offers a full range of pops offerings, unlike any other provider. Steve has put … Continue reading
Posted in How To's, Thought Leaders
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How to Make Your Website Social: InfoGraphic
A Big Challenge, an Enormous Opportunity Social tools both enable and challenge us as marketers. I’ve enjoyed grappling with social technology to understand it. What a puzzle! And what rewards await us. Yesterday I put together a chart of the … Continue reading
Posted in Calls to Action, How To's, Social Media
Tagged audience, facebook, marketing, social media, strategy, twitter, website, wordpress
1 Comment
How to Merchandise Tickets on Your Website
Music Is Like Candy I spent my early years in marketing in candy: Brach, Andes, Toblerone, Cote d’Or, Milka and Suchard. One of the great things about candy is that buyers consume it immediately. So you can sell them more … Continue reading
Posted in Calls to Action, Essentials, How To's
Tagged audience, candy, design, e-commerce, marketing, merchandising, single tickets, website, wordpress
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A Texas Two-Step to Make Your Website Social
Last April Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook proclaimed, “We are building a Web where the default is social.” Forrester Research says the Web is becoming “social as a rule, not an exception.” No longer can any orchestra afford to ignore the … Continue reading
Posted in Calls to Action, How To's, Lists, Social Media
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Ten Lessons in Trust to Apply Before a Crisis
This week I heard an expert on reputation, IBM Distinguished Professor Daniel Diermeier from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, speak to a few dozen fellow Kellogg alums in Houston. The orchestra industry can learn from his years of … Continue reading
Posted in Calls to Action, How To's, Lists, Public Relations, Thought Leaders
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Social Technology Is Show and Tell for Adults
Sometimes simple insights best light the way. How Social Media Are Like Show and Tell You remember when you were six, don’t you? The most compelling part of the school day consisted of bringing an item before the class and … Continue reading
Posted in How To's, Social Media
Tagged facebook, hayzlett, kodak, marketing, online, show and tell, social media, strategy, twitter
1 Comment
Tom Holm of Enertex Tells How to Grow Your Audience
It’s always a challenge to bring in new single ticket buyers, isn’t it? Let alone broaden your subscription base. Extend Your Reach Your house list is your best source for audiences. And trades with other arts organizations can supplement that … Continue reading
Posted in How To's, Thought Leaders
Tagged audience, direct mail, marketing, orchestra, single tickets, strategy, subscription, target
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What to Write in a Single-Ticket Ad. Yes, It Still Matters.
In this day of social technology there’s little attention paid to the ABC’s of advertising. Yet developing an effective ad will always be a useful skill, whatever the medium. Learn from The New York Times My first newspaper ads in … Continue reading
Posted in Essentials, How To's
Tagged advertising, audience, consumer, marketing, motivation, single tickets, strategy, target, ticket
3 Comments
How to Hire an Orchestra Marketer
Hiring for any position is as much art as science. Choosing an orchestra marketer can be especially difficult. Understanding the dimensions of that choice can frame the decision within our orchestra’s true needs.
Social Media Doesn’t Trump Direct Marketing: What the Rule of 40-40-20 Means for Orchestra Marketers in 2010
In the 60s direct marketing expert Ed Mayer popularized the 40-40-20 rule. He claimed 40% of a mailpiece’s success depended on the list, 40% depended on the offer and 20% depended on other factors including design. Check the Numbers Yourself … Continue reading
Posted in How To's
Tagged audience, consumer, design, direct mail, marketing, orchestra, segment, social media, strategy
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How to Cut—and When to Add—Orchestra Marketing Dollars
The Danger of Across-the-Board Cuts Over the last two years virtually all orchestras have cut spending to balance the budget. In many cases they’ve used across-the-board reductions. This can have the negative effect of further reducing ticket revenues by more … Continue reading
Posted in Essentials, How To's
Tagged accounting, budget, expense, financial analysis, lifetime value, management, marketing, orchestra, revenue, single tickets, symphony
1 Comment
A Map of Social Media for Orchestras
I’ve put together a diagram of the social technology landscape designed with orchestras in mind. If you work at an orchestra or other performing arts group, leave your name and address below and I’ll send you a poster free of … Continue reading
Charlene Li’s Upcoming “Open Leadership” Can Teach Orchestras How to Manage Social Media
Charlene Li sent me an advance copy of Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, to be released May 24. Thank you, Charlene. In 2008 Li co-authored Groundswell, which illustrates the nature and power of the … Continue reading
Posted in How To's, Resources, Social Media, Thought Leaders
Tagged groundswell, leadership, li, management, marketing, orchestra, organization behavior, social media, strategy
2 Comments
How Orchestra Marketers Can Reduce Agency Costs
Since the 2008 crash virtually every orchestra has reduced its marketing expenses by cutting back advertising, mailings or people. Sadly, that also cuts sales. But there are other ways to save. You can reduce your agency’s time and billings through … Continue reading
Posted in Essentials, How To's
Tagged agency, creative brief, design, efficiency, expense, marketing, strategy
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What the Dalai Lama Can Teach Orchestras About Direct Mail
The Dalai Lama wrote me. He called me a dear friend. The Classic Direct Mail Package His letter is part of a classic direct mail package without a brochure on behalf of the International Campaign for Tibet. It turns out … Continue reading
Posted in Essentials, How To's
Tagged dalai lama, direct mail, envelope, form, letter, mailing package, marketing, orchestra, premium, reply, subscription
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A Pentagram of Photographs: How to Choose Musician Images in Orchestra Marketing
Market research tells us that concert audiences connect and identify with orchestra musicians, guest artists and conductors. So selecting and cropping photos professionally for ads and brochures sells tickets. Here are five considerations to apply when reviewing musician images. What … Continue reading
An Element of Marketing Strategy: What Not to Do
In the last 24 hours I’ve talked to one mid-sized orchestra which just cut four positions. Another has only a part-time marketer. Meanwhile marketers are bombarded with “shoulds” from the board, president, audience members, fellow marketers, vendors and friends. We … Continue reading
How the Orchestra Marketer Can Choose Target Segments
We can integrate consumer marketing and orchestra marketing language with a unified view of market segments. That puts us in position to select target segments and to allocate resources to marketing tasks. How Does It All Fit Together? When I … Continue reading
Posted in Essentials, How To's
Tagged audience, consumer, loyalty, marketing, orchestra, repeat, segment, subscription, target, ticket, trial, usage
2 Comments

