Treehouse Shakers' AD to perform on Radio Bloomsday

Mara McEwin, Co-Artistic Director of Treehouse Shakers will perform on Radio Bloomsday this Wednesday, June 16th from 9pm-10pm. Mara joins a stellar line up of performers including Jerry Stiller, Alec Baldwin and many others. Check it out - WBAI 99.5FM in NYC and online at wbai.org. Artists interpret James Joyce's Uly...sses and related literature through radio performance and song. Congrats Mara!


http://www.radiobloomsday.blogspot.com/

There is no social media strategy, only marketing strategy

Another great article I read recently - speaks to the importance of integrated marketing communications and 1 strategy. Social media doesn't exist in a vacuum...it's part of one's greater marketing strategy.

There is no social media strategy, only marketing strategy

Why marketers must become the new publishers | Chris Koch's B2B Blog

Why marketers must become the new publishers | Chris Koch's B2B Blog

Next Gen Nonprofits: Measuring the Mission

How do you measure mission? Even for-profits with a deep desire to foster social change can glean some pointers from this case study on the Philadelphia Zoo. This article was published in Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal.

Next Gen Nonprofits: Measuring the Mission

Marketing a Non-Profit Brand: Branding Strategy Insider

Great article on building a non profit brand. This brings back all the great lessons from the Irrefutable Laws of Marketing & Branding - being first in the customer's mind...focusing...playing to the opposite. Timeless advice.

Marketing a Non-Profit Brand: Branding Strategy Insider

Do You Know What a Personal Brand Strategy Is? | She Takes on the World

Great post on establishing an online personal (or company) brand. From the blog She Takes On The World - a top blog for Women Entrepreneurs.
Do You Know What a Personal Brand Strategy Is? | She Takes on the World

Stategic Research

This article on audience research, featured on ArtsMarketing.org, encourages us to consider research in the broader context of institutional goals and strategies. While this is spun for arts managers, it's applicable to any organization whether for profit or non profit.

My favorite line is this:
"Research is about improvement. If you’re not going to program, market, schedule, fundraise, price, package, interact, design, educate, budget, plan, or something differently based on what you learn, then why bother asking your audience questions in the first place?"

I work with artists that come to me in a panic - their promo materials need help and they need a new logo and website. These are no doubt important observations but too often they consider the short term (and likely the least expensive and quickest turnaround) solution - a quick easy design.

As this article points out, everything should be strategic and holistic. It's my job to slow the train down and almost always back it up. Simply whipping up a new logo or poster doesn't address the deeper questions. Without those questions addressed and worked into the design, it's merely shooting from the hip. Research is key to everything - Who are you? What image or perception do you want out there? Who are you targeting? What do you know about them? What don't you know? What do you hope to do with the information? How can the research be applied across the board?

Be committed. Invest in yourself and your organization. As my dad would say: Do Your Homework!

The 4 Ps of Marketing

When we devise our tactical marketing plan, we look at the 4 Ps - Product, Place, Price and promotion. I led a workshop this week and presented the following questions to Philadelphia area teaching artists as they begin to think strategically about how they market themselves and their art.

What is your product? What is that you currently offer - tangible and intangible. In my case, I offer a service. I'm a communications consultant.

Where do you sell your product? This is your place. You need to think about the many markets you serve and hope to serve. What makes each one different?

How much will you charge? Are there different price points depending on the kind of service or the place where you sell?

How do you promote your products/services? This includes ads, press, web sites, blogs, Facebook fan pages, events and other partnerships.

I always consider a marketing plan a work in progress - it's something you create and revisit every few months. It's a check point - where you are today with your strategies may be different than where you are in a few months.