Mary Carty

Last week I went along to Online Business Models and the Content Industry, organised by IBEC and Enterprise Ireland. I was very interested to learn more about new and emerging business models in broadcasting, radio, film, animation and telecommunications. Discussions focused on three main areas, creating a market online, growing online customer relations and online copyright protection.

5 things that stood out for me:

1. Users will pay for the experience, not the content.
For example a teenager will pay $3 for a ringtone but not pay for a full album. Why? By downloading a new ringtone it increases his status and shows he is a fan. It’s the experience that counts.

2. You need to build an emotional connection with your users.
Yes. A long-term connection. A positive connection is much better in the long run. It is all about relationships and communication.

3. If something goes wrong your users get more upset in the absence of communication. They need to know something is being done right now. Communicate quickly. Communicate early and communicate regularly until the problem is resolved.

4. People don’t value content. The curators of content hold the value now. Can you be a curator?

5. The market for online content is still in it’s infancy. Exceptions are not trends. This sector is still learning at it’s early days.

I really enjoyed Nuno Bernardo’s contribution. Nuno has grown a very successful media company and his projects include Sofia’s Diary, the world’s first international interactive on-line teen series and Living in your car a series made for HBO Canada. When it comes to online business models and financing them, Nuno has a wealth of experience.

Here’s Nuno’s article on funding transmedia from the mipBlog this week. It ‘s a great read and applies to Arts and Culture just as much as film, media and broadcasting.

Presentation of the day has to go to Noel Curran, DG of RTE. Noel gave a really great insight into the workings of RTE, their plans for future digital engagement and breaking down the barriers between radio and television. Curran believes that social engagement is contributing to and enhancing broadcasting, not necessarily displacing it. From working with RTE over the last few years on the development of Doc On One and Storyland I have to agree. Both sites have benefited enormously form engaged online users who care passionately about the subject and get involved. Interesting to note that Irish consumers spend three hours online now, one hour more than last year.

Overall, I was disappointed with the event. I wanted to hear much more from Dermot Casey COO of Storyful a fantastic Irish startup, with a brand new model of online news curation. The site has been so successful since its launch just a few months ago. I also wanted to know more about Brown Bag and their success.

Sales pitches from UPC and Facebook did not give anything new or interesting to the attendees. And discussions of our past lack of broadband infrastructure did not stick with the agenda on the table. It’s a pity that the experiences of those on each panel were not harnessed enough on the day. A bad miss I think.

Image thanks to Enterprise Ireland Best Connected Blog

Making things happen is not easy. Festivals, exhibitions, family days and concerts don’t just manifest themselves from thin air! They take endless planning, commitment and dedication. Ask any arts development manager or curator who has put together a festival and they will tell you how shattering it is. The adrenaline keeps you going but come closing night, you fall over only to begin the process again, the very next day.

Burnout is rife in the arts sector. Often, there is so much pressure to fulfill agendas from so many quarters; sponsors, stakeholders, interest groups, participants and from within the internal organisation itself, the immense pressure placed on individuals is forgotten.

Let’s face it, working in arts is not 9 to 5. Time in lieu days are often not taken because the next event is looming. Burnout in the arts sector is a serious issue with smaller teams and fewer resources to stage the same number and quality of programmes we have all come to expect.

What can you do to prevent burnout? Here a few tips I learned the hard way. I hope they help you stay focused and most of all loving your job!

1. Pace yourself. Mark the whole programme for the year in the calendar. Calculate back what needs to be done before you sign off on the programme. If the schedule is crazy, rework timelines to make your workload more manageable.

2. Think of focusing energy and resources on one or two fewer events in the year. This way the authenticity of the overall programme remains and there is a little more time to concentrate on marketing, reflection and evaluation. We all need time to breathe.

3. Ask for help. Can you find some great volunteers? Volunteers bring so much experience, friendship and an outside perspective. Start a volunteer programme and watch the benefits grow.

4. Concentrate on marketing. No point organising and funding lots of events if you don’t have the audience. Get the most you can from each event by gathering email addresses, testimonials and reviews to use next time.

5. Combine resources and expertise. Partner up with other organisations in your industry to access funding, performers, audience and consultants. This way both of you gets more bang for your buck.

6. Peer network. Take time to form great relationships with your peer network. If you are having a problem I am sure your peers have had that experience too. A problem shared is a problem halved!

7. Celebrate success.

Thanks to my friend Clare for her inspiringly honest article that prompted this blog post. It is a highly recommended read.

Have you experienced burnout? What helped you through? Any advice is much appreciated.

I read this article by Bruce Nussbaum a few days ago. In it he details how a new wave of entrepreuneurs are emerging from the arts and culture sectors.

It is very interesting to see how artists and arts education is moving towards an entrepreneurial model, incubators, start-ups and creating SME’s. I really believe this creative entrepreneurial turn is a very positive development. Arts education institutions will have to take a longer look at these types of models and VC’s have to look at other ways to support and finance business ideas that may well be a bit left-field, moving away from previous business models.

It is an exciting time to be a creative. So many possibilities. However, artist thinking will have to become naturally more open to business opportunities and the possibility of taking their practice outside the studio walls into the wider entrepreneurial milieu.

Image thanks to Simon Rankin (CC)

Mysterious paper sculptures have been turning up in Edinburgh over the last few months. Each one contains a special message. Good to know that magic never dies. Take a look. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

The National Sculpture Factory in Cork has just published their autumn schedule of profesional development workshops. I am delighted to be giving a session on becoming an online marketing guru; how to promote your work and increase your profile online. Artists have so much to share. This session will help dispel a few myths and givie artists a framework to launch themselves and their work online, in a targeted, strataegic way. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone on the day. If you know of any artists who would like to take part in the workshops, please forward on using the links to Twitter and Facebook above.

So you have a new blog or website. After the initial excitement has worn off, the next question becomes all too clear. How do I get people to look at it?

The number one tip to drive traffic to your website is great content. Time and again great content wins out. How do you find great, original content for your site? Firstly, think about all the skills and knowledge you possess. Can you help your user learn something new, solve a problem or save them time? All these strategies make a great content policy.

If you don’t like writing, you can always aggregate content from other sources. Find industry reports and give your users short snappy summaries. Give a roundup of recent conferences or highlights from recent industry events.

There are so many ways to find and write great content. For visual and creative people there are even more. Think about sharing your photo of the day; a page from your sketch book or a doodle you just completed. Give your users something to look forward to. Don’t be afraid to share early sketches, prototypes, first versions of your work. Think of it as a window into your practice and a better way of getting to know you.

I love this quirky manual photography cheat sheet by Scott Beale. With one beautiful infographic, Scott shows newbie photographers the basics of manual photography. Genius. I wonder just how may people have downloaded and use this sheet regularly?

Do you have something unique to share with your audience? If you do, and you do it regularly, you will drive lots of traffic to your site. Great content, posted regularly, is the key to success of bringing traffic to your site.

Great Content Policy Guide:

1. Write great content
2. Know your user
3. Post regularly
4. Share your knowledge and skills
5. It’s a conversation
6. Involve your community

Getting started

Set aside a day each week to write and research articles. Have a schedule of posts ready to put online. Monitor activity on your blog. Respond to comments and make sure to share your post on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to encourage more users along.

A colleague of mine is starting a new project publishing arts research via an online Journal. It’s a fantastic idea and very necessary, as lots of great learning never sees the light of day.

So, the very first question for any new venture, new programming initiative, or new service is

who will be interested and is it really worth my time?

1. The best way to size your potential target market is to set up a holding page. Make sure the sign up via email box is front and centre. For a good example have a look at this design from bigfeetlittlefeet.com.

Ensure your database picks up each email address and stores them in a location you can access easily. You don’t want anyone falling through the cracks or having to sign up again.

The BigFeetLittleFeet design includes share buttons for social media platforms, a vital addition to your page. Including these share buttons will increase the number of ways your audience can interact with you and learn more about what you do. And best of all; share your new service with others. You can then track the amount of shares and mentions on social media platforms.

2. Send on a confirmation email to each user telling them what they have signed up for, your new Journal, new arts programme, film season etc.

3. Design an email marketing campaign to keep all your perspective users informed right up to the launch of your new service/programme. Better yet, keep these users in the loop monthly via email newsletter. Tell them about the continuing story, future directions and feedback from your audience. Remember to include social sharing buttons on your newsletter design too.

This methodology is the best form of customer development and customer retention in the long-term. View this process with the long-term value of your users in mind. This way you ensure you create a mutually beneficial relationship in conversation and in collaboration with your users.

By sizing your potential market before you go into planning, production, delivery and evaluation; you save yourself lots of time and energy and lets face it, money and resources too. At the very least, you are armed with some reliable data as to the amount of users and the potential impact of your new venture.

To create holding pages for your new service check out www.launchrock.com. Why not give it a shot when you are planning on initiating a new project.

Drop me a line and I can help you size your market effectively.

Tomorrow’s post: How to get traffic to your new holding page

Here is a fantastic article from the Telegraph today by Richard Dorment, outlining how the curator of London’s Leonardo show went about planning this once in a lifetime exhibition, with fascinating insights into the world of inter-institution loans, conservation, negotiation and scholarship. Well done to Luke Syson and all at the National Gallery. The show will run for three months this winter, book your tickets now, I have a feeling it will be a blockbuster.

The PhotoIreland Festival is running some great education seminars this year in partnership with the VAI. The four sessions will take place over the closing weekend of the Festival on 23rd and 24th of July in La Catedral Studios off Thomas Street.

I very am excited to be giving a session on Online Marketing on Saturday the 23rd, 10am. My session is aimed specifically for photographers both advanced and emerging. I will teach you how to grow your profile, build your network and promote your work online. By effectively using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr you can grow your audience and position yourself as an expert in your field. I will use case studies and practical walk throughs to help you get the most from your time online. You can register here. Looking forward to it and hope to see you there.

Here is the full seminar list:

Online Marketing with Mary Carty – 23/07/11 10:00 – 13:00

Preparing Proposals & Grant Applications with curators Eilis Lavelle & Sarah Searson – 23/07/11 14:00 – 17:00

Working with Public & Private Galleries with curators Karen Downey & Jerome O’ Drisceoil – 24/07/11 10:00 – 13:00

Photography Careers in Focus with Anthony Luvera, Dragana Jurisic, Liam Campbell & Stephanie Joy – 24/07/11 14:00 – 17:00

More information on booking and fees see here.

Image (CC) Lukinosity

I’m not sure how your memory works for you, but I find my memory twists and turns and is ever changing. A bit like the so called summer weather we are experiencing here at the moment. I have always had an interest in all things nostalgia; in memories and how we perceive them, and how people attribute value to past events.

I found this really insightful article by Sanne van der Beek discussing our obsession with routinely digitizing everything we do, from our diary entries to our holiday snaps. As a culture we seem to be reluctant to forget anything, as everything we do, every breath and step we take, is recorded, photographed and stored somewhere. Apps like Museum of Me and the growth of Facebook and Twitter have allowed every interaction to be mapped and catalogued.

It is interesting to see how these activities are changing our relationship with memory, memory formation and memory gathering. Or as Richard Terdiman notes, “that we went from a culture of remembrance to a culture of preservation.” Have a look at Daniel Kahneman’s talk, the riddle of experience vs. memory that inspired this article.

Further Reading:

– Biography of Daniel Kahneman on TED

– Richard Terdiman (1993) Present Past: Modernity and the Memory Crisis

Thanks Sanne for a great article.