Targeting audiences

The ‘new audience’ doesn’t just happen to wander in off the street.

Nor are they a product of a successful marketing and pr campaign alone. Organisations must be flexible and open to change if they wish to succeed in building fruitful relationships with new target markets. The decision to attract a new audience, and more importantly which audience, must come from across the management team. Audience development is a long-term commitment that, when managed well, can be incredibly rewarding and beneficial for all.

Despite popular belief, there isn’t a one size fits all approach to defining and targeting audiences.

Each market will respond differently to the strategies you employ, and what may be effective for one group may not work so well with others. It is essential to understand the culture, needs and barriers of your audience before embarking upon writing and implementing your plan. Research – both strategic and consultative - is crucial at this stage.

Investigate how others are talking to your potential audience.

It’s a decent assumption that audiences will be receiving messages from tens if not hundreds of other cultural organisations weekly. If they decide to employ ambassadors as the primary engagement tool, and you have too, your audience will become bored and disenchanted very quickly. Providing you have done sufficient research you can be creative and inventive in your approach.

Fundamentally audience development concerns itself with constantly improving and building upon an individuals or groups experience of the arts.

Therefore once the ‘new audience’ transforms into ‘regular attender’, always consider fresh opportunities to involve and engage them with your programme.