Digital Audiences by Caroline Greener

Digital Audiences

Arts and CulturalEngagementOnline

Caroline GreenerMarketing ManagerAudiences North East

The digital space

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73%

There were 19.2 million households with an Internet connection in 2010, representing 73 per cent of households. The region with the highest level of access was London, with 83 per cent, the lowest was the North East, with 59 per cent.Source: ONS Opinions Survey

Online is the media space where people spend the most time

“When I haven’t got the internet I just feel completely lost…it’s scary how much you rely on it”

Leading Edge : 18-24

LEISURE TIME (HOURS/WEEK)

Over 3/5 UK online adults use social networking

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Have set up a profile

Use daily

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5 today trends

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•Email marketing ‘more effective than social’

Tweetlouder - automagical

Digital coupons

Facebook, the leader

Smartphones hit 25% penetration

• Why?— How arts and

cultural organisations can use technology to deepen existing relationships with audiences

— Can we segment the online audience?

— Implications for differing audience needs

• How?— 2,000 quantitative

surveys— Focus groups— Qualitative

interviews

Digital audiences research 2010

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• Who?— Arts Council

England— Arts & Business— MLA— MTM London

Overview of findings

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• 53% of online users are engaging with arts and culture online

• There are 5 types of online interaction requiring different levels of engagement

• People see the in real life (IRL) experience as superior to online

• Music is the leading arts genre online

• Social media has become a major tool for discovery

• Brand is key, particularly with email

• Online engagers are offline engagers

• It is possible to segment online users by attitude and behaviour and target online activities to them

53% of online users are

engaging with arts and

culture online

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5 ways of interacting online

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1. Access2. Learn3. Experience4. Share5. Create

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“A tremendous survey

– exceptional” The

Observer

“Fascinating” Sunday

Express

“You must visit this fab

show” The

Independent

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People see the in real life

(IRL) experience as

superior to online

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Jessie at the Brooklyn Museum

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Music is the leading

arts genre online

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Social media has become a major tool for discovery

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Brand is key, particularly with email

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Online engagers are offline engagers

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Online segmentation

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It is possible to segment online users by attitude and behaviour and target activity towards them. Three segments are of interest to the cultural sector:

Confident core (29%)

Late adopters (21%)

Leading edge (11%)

• Key user needs— Discovery— Filtering— Learning— Some

experiencing— Some sharing

• Must do– Online ticketing

Encouraging online engagement among Confident Core

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• Key strategies— SEO— Be in the

audience’s chosen online spaces

— Consider going mobile

— Whet appetites— Be informative

and credible— Encourage

sociable experiences

• Key differences to Confident Core

— Nervous— Distrust of online-

only brands— Private

• OPPORTUNITIES— Online learning— Email dialogue

Encouraging online engagement among Late Adopters

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• Key things to bear in mind

— No unsolicited email contact

— Very little social networking

— No user generated content

— Reassurances needed re online security

— Low skills and low confidence

• Key differences to Confident Core

— Mobile internet— Immersive

experiences— Advocacy and social

media— Interested in

creativity— Expectation of free

content— Tech literate – easily

disappointed— Passionate

advocates — Vocal detractors

Encouraging online engagement among the Leading Edge

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• OPPORTUNITIES— Providing unique,

money can’t buy experiences

— Being ‘first’— Partnerships with

mobile content providers

— Apps

• Opportunities

• Marketing

• Audience Development

• Selling tickets

• Delivering content

• Participative engagement

Strategic implications for the cultural sector

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• Challenges

• Direct revenue vs costs

• Ambition vs pragmatism