This document discusses best practices for using digital marketing to tell an organization's story. It recommends focusing on storytelling by knowing your brand intimately, being human and relatable in your messaging, and distributing content across different platforms. Case studies are provided of how organizations like Theatre for a New Audience and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival successfully engaged audiences through targeted digital campaigns.

1. DIGITAL IS THE NEW BLACK
TELLING YOUR STORY IN THE POST-DIGITAL WORLD

2. INTRODUCTIONS
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Nella Vera
Director of Marketing
and Communications.
TFANA. Brooklyn,
New York
Contact details
NVera@tfana.org
@spinstripes
Sarah Borenstein
Digital Group Director.
AKA NYC
Contact details
SarahBorenstein@akanyc.
net
@AKA_NYC
#AKANYC
Gregory Hughes
Marketing and Digital Media
Coordinator.
Jacob's Pillow Dance.
Becket, Massachusetts
Contact details:
ghughes@jacobspillow.org
@JacobsPillow

3. WHO ARE AKA?
The AKA Group, including The Creative
Partnership and Digital Media Services, employs
over 300 staff with offices in New York, Los
Angeles, London, Manchester, Sydney and
Melbourne.
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• AKA was established in London in 1995.
• We are a management-owned, 360° full-service
agency servicing arts and entertainment.
• Our NYC office of 50 experienced marketing
professionals is led by Elizabeth Furze and Scott
Moore.
3

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OUR CLIENTS
4

5. WHY DIGITAL?

6. YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE CONSTANTLY CONNECTED. THEY
ARE CONSUMING INFORMATION AND ENGAGING WITHIN
THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT 24 HOURS A DAY.

7. THE STATISTICS
(SOURCE: NELSON)
(SOURCE: BROADWAY LEAGUE 2014)
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8. SO HOW DO YOU TELL AN
ENGAGING STORY ONLINE?

9. THE FIRST STEP.

10. KNOW YOUR BRAND LIKE YOU
KNOW YOUR BEST FRIEND.

11. THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS HAVING A CLEAR AND
INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR BRAND.
THIS WILL ENSURE YOUR MESSAGE IS CLEAR ,
MEMORABLE AND CONSISTENT.

12. THIS IS MY BESTIE
ERIN.
She is passionate about literature,
the arts and cooking.
She is smart, witty and incredibly
funny.
I know everything about Erin.
KNOW YOUR BRAND LIKE
YOU KNOW YOUR BEST
FRIEND.

13. YOU NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR BRAND.
VISION
VALUES AND BELIEFS
PURPOSE
PASSIONS
PERSONALITY
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14. ARTS INSTITUTIONS WITH STRONG BRANDS
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15. TELL YOUR STORY.

16. DEFINITION: STORYTELLING IS THE INTERACTIVE
ART OF USING WORDS AND ACTIONS TO REVEAL
THE ELEMENTS AND IMAGES OF A STORY WHILE
ENCOURAGING THE LISTENER'S IMAGINATION.
1. STORYTELLING IS INTERACTIVE. STORYTELLING
INVOLVES A TWO-WAY INTERACTION BETWEEN
A STORYTELLER AND ONE OR MORE LISTENERS.

17. 1. BE HUMAN

18. STEP OUTSIDE YOUR MARKETING HEAD.
WHAT DO PEOPLE REALLY WANT?
HOW CAN YOU BE RELEVANT?

19. LISTEN
Use listening tools like Sysomos,
Hootsuite and Google Analytics to
understand:
• Reach
• Consumer Feedback / Engagement
• Brand Loyalty
• Web Analytics
• Keyword / Search
• Demographic / Location
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20. EXAMPLE: MATILDA LYRICS VIDEO
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http://bit.ly/1tifGtc

21. EXAMPLE: MATILDA USER GENERATED CONTENT
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22. EXAMPLE: MTC WEBSITE
• Page views increased by 65%
• New site visits increased by 35%
• Bounce rate dropped 10%
• Ticket sales, subscriptions and
donations all increased.
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23. PEOPLE NEED TO BE ABLE TO RELATE TO YOU
AND CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. LEAD
WITH STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT PRODUCTS.

24. EXAMPLE: BURBERRY / GOOGLE KISSES
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http://bit.ly/1jx5JIm

25. 2. BE WEIRD AND UNIQUE

26. REMEMBER…
THE AVERAGE U.S. CONSUMER SPENDS
60 HOURS A WEEK CONSUMING CONTENT
ACROSS DIGITAL DEVICES.

27. EXAMPLE: ONCE MUSIC VIDEOS
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http://wdrv.it/1yeJGdP

28. EXAMPLE: A1 STEAK SAUCE
http://mashable.com/2014/05/15/a-1-steak-sauce-ad/
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29. EXAMPLE: MET INSTAGRAM
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30. 3. BE PICKY

31. YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO BE EVERYWHERE TO
EVERYONE. PICK YOUR MEDIUM CAREFULLY.

32. CONTENT DISTRIBUTION
SOCIAL WEB EMAIL MOBILE INFLUENCERS PARTNERS
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33. EXAMPLE: ONCE MUSIC VIDEOS DISTRIBUTION
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34. 4. BE BUTTONED UP

35. CONTENT PLAN
Here is a simple template created by Likeable.com
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36. RECAP
1. BE HUMAN
2. BE WEIRD AND UNIQUE
3. BE PICKY
4. BE BUTTONED UP
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37. THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
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• Renowned classical
theatre company
• After 34 years of being
itinerant, TFANA opened
a new building in
downtown Brooklyn.
• 300% increase in
subscribers
• Double the number of
patrons under 30
• Record attendance

38. THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
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39. THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE
http://bit.ly/1xauEqo
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40. CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS

41. 1. Don’t fight the digital movement, get on it.

42. 2. Keep the messaging very simple. Short actionable messages.

43. 3. Invest in good creative.

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INVEST IN GOOD CREATIVE

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INVEST IN GOOD CREATIVE

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INVEST IN GOOD CREATIVE

47. 4. Integrate.

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INTEGRATE

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INTEGRATE

50. 5. Have a plan.

51. 6. Measure

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MEASURE

53. 7. Test everything.

54. 8. Have a mobile strategy.

55. 9. Digital is everyone’s job.

56. 10. Be authentic.
http://youtu.be/OQSNhk5ICTI

57. 11. Make it shareable.

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MAKE IT SHARABLE

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MAKE IT SHARABLE

60. JACOB’S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL
A National Historic Landmark and National Medal of Arts recipient, Jacob's
Pillow is home to America's longest running dance festival, located in the
Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts. In 2014, the Pillow hosted its
82nd world-renowned dance Festival.
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• 50 dance companies from across the U.S. and
around the globe
• 200 free performances, talks, and events
• Professional training programs (The School at
Jacob’s Pillow)
• Rare and extensive dance Archives
• Community programs designed to engage and
educate audiences of all ages
• Virtual Pillow and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive
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61. THE STORIES WE TELL
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62. EMBRACING THE DIGITAL MOVEMENT
Pinpoint the platforms that effectively tell the story
of your organization and reach your audience.
Connect with your pre-existing patrons and focus
on acquisition of new prospects.
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63. YOUR PATRONS ARE NOT ALL
ON THE SAME CHAPTER
OF YOUR STORY

64. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
Identify campaign goals and tailor your story accordingly. Segment your
campaigns and communicate effectively to each audience.
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BOTTOM OF THE FUNNEL
• Generate “in the know” content
• Focus on specific programming
as opposed to the experiential
TACTICS
• Engage with current Fans
• Employ CRM lists & retargeting to reinforce
your message across multiple platforms

65. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
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TOP OF THE FUNNEL
• Broader content that reflects the
experience of your venue
• Bridge the gap between what they may
know and what you want them to know
TACTICS
• Target Friends of Fans, Interests, and
Lookalike Groups
• Think purely in terms of acquisition and
cultivation

66. CAMPAIGN RESULTS – FESTIVAL 2014
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FACEBOOK
• $20 cost per acquisition
• 690% campaign ROI
• 3,452 new page likes
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67. REMIND YOUR PATRONS
WHERE THEY ARE IN
THE STORY

68. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
Employ retargeting pixels to serve your content across multiple
platforms. Remind the user where they are in the story, and
entice them to finish the final pages.
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE
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69. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
INCITING INCIDENT FINAL CHAPTER
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70. CAMPAIGN RESULTS – FESTIVAL 2014
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DISPLAY RETARGETING
• $7.65 cost per acquisition
• 1,991% campaign ROI
• 0.50% click through rate
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71. THE STORY DOESN’T
END THERE

72. SUSTAIN ENGAGEMENT
OUTSIDE OF PROGRAMMING,
AND YEAR-ROUND

73. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
Engage with your audience beyond programming alerts. Sustain
their attention and ensure you are able to speak to them when you
need to most. Strive for virality.
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74. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
Experience your organization through the lens of your
patrons. They are your most compelling advocates.
#PillowPeople
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75. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
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Leverage your digital
resources. Consider the
optimal portal for their
deployment and encourage
social sharing year-round.
Through the lens of what has
already happened, continue
to illustrate how and why the
user should be excited to
experience the venue live.

76. DIGITAL MESSAGING – FESTIVAL 2014
Anticipate what’s next. In the meantime, use those
platforms to inform content decisions on your ROI
generators.
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77. GENERATE EXCITEMENT FOR
THE NEXT CHAPTER IN
YOUR STORY

78. THANK YOU
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Nella Vera
Director of Marketing
and Communications.
TFANA. Brooklyn,
New York
Contact details
NVera@tfana.org
@spinstripes
Sarah Borenstein
Digital Group Director.
AKA NYC
Contact details
SarahBorenstein@akanyc.
net
@AKA_NYC
#AKANYC
Gregory Hughes
Marketing and Digital Media
Coordinator.
Jacob's Pillow Dance.
Becket, Massachusetts
Contact details:
ghughes@jacobspillow.org
@JacobsPillow