What Arts Orgs Need Now: #4 Training needs for marketing staffs

This week’s series of posts are based on a conversation I had with Dave Wakeman on his podcast The Business of Fun, which came out on July 8, 2025. In each one, I’m digging deeper into one idea we talked about — with a few extra thoughts and takeaways for arts leaders. A link to the full episode is below – check it out!

Too many marketing teams at nonprofit arts organzations are working hard — but not working smart. Most arts organizations stuck in a loop of direct mail, SEO, email, digital ads, and chasing media coverage. And while all of those tactics can have value, something’s missing.

One specific area I’d like to see arts marketing teams up their game is on social media. Without a serious social media presence, you’re toast – burned toast.

I can’t think of one U.S. arts organization that is really using social media to its greatest advantage to bring in new audiences, engage with current audiences, and empower those audiences to spread the word. Minnesota Orchestra and American Ballet Theater come closest, with their Instagram and TikTok accounts. But anyone wanting to catch up to good social media practices should look outside the arts.

Marketing staffs are entirely missing content creation as part of their strategy; most arts organizations have a small presence on social media. Meanwhile that’s where most people are living their lives for hours a day.

If you want your audience to grow, you need to show up where they are, how they consume, and why they care. How? It means reallocating how your staff is spending their time.

Start by analyzing how your team spends its time. Could you make email production more efficient? Could you reduce the time you spend courting press coverage that doesn’t drive results?

Use that reclaimed time to focus on what builds long-term attention and relevance: original, engaging, human-centered content.

Then, do an honest assessment of your team’s skills. Do they know how to make good social content? Funny content? Can they churn out at least 5 pieces of content a week? Do they have a spirit of experimentation? Given what I’m seeing online from arts organizations, the answer is no (with all respect to those staffers). The good news is, it doesn’t cost money, it only costs time to learn how social media content creation works: there are all sorts of free resources online right there on YouTube and from content creators themselves.

This isn’t just a “marketing” issue. It’s a strategic one. Because visibility is no longer optional — it’s foundational.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation.