From virtual to reality

Increasing audiences and visitor numbers is a key concern for arts organisations. In 2009, 72% of adults in England had access to the Internet at home, and of those 53% engaged with the arts online. The Internet and, more specifically, social media provide arts organisations with opportunities to develop audiences. One method of increasing ticket sales and visitor numbers is through the conversion of online ‘friends’, ‘fans’ and ‘followers’ into real world, audiences and visitors . Tate Liverpool and Audiences NI are two organisations that have demonstrated the potential of digital to real world audience conversion.

Tate Liverpool
Alongside its website, Tate Liverpool has a Facebook and Twitter profile. @TateLiverpool is followed by 8,732 on Twitter and this number increases on an almost daily basis. The gallery uses Twitter as a platform to facilitate word of mouth marketing by retweeting visitor tweets that discuss a museum visit or exhibition. In addition, its Facebook page, which is ‘liked’ by 3,458 people, provides links to external sources such as media websites, festivals and arts events that relate to its collection and exhibitions. Integration of interpretation from different outlets and platforms makes the museum accessible through everyday activities from listening to the radio, to watching TV and playing with a smart phone.
Recognising the potential of online platforms to engage wider audiences, Tate Liverpool also encourages its digital audience to visit its physical galleries by providing ticket offers, exhibition information, and encouraging visitor reviews and feedback. A recent £1 entry promotion to a temporary exhibition, Nam June Paik, was featured on Facebook, Twitter and in an e-bulletin to 15,000 people. The £1 ticket promotion which was valid for one weekend in January 2011 generated a 500% increase in visitor numbers (in comparison to the previous weekend). Jennifer Martin, Marketing Manager, Tate Liverpool explained that the motivation behind the promotion was twofold: ‘‘to boost visitor numbers at a typically quiet time for the gallery (the beginning of January) and ”to invite people to tell us what they think of the exhibition via social media platforms’’. This demonstrates an innovative use of existing Facebook, Twitter and email relationships. Tate Liverpool develops these relationship with the gallery to advocate a response – a visit to the physical gallery space. The power of these digital relationships is exemplified by the 500% increase in visitor numbers generated over one promotional period.
Audiences Northern Ireland – Test Drive the Arts
Whilst Tate utilises existing digital relationships, Test Drive the Arts, an Audiences NI programme, develops new relationships through digital interaction. Test Drive the Arts offers people who don’t normally attend the arts the opportunity to access free tickets to arts events. These tickets are only available online. The website is co-ordinated by Audiences NI on behalf of participating arts organisations. This scheme develops relationships with an interested online audience, much like Tate Liverpool, and provides a promotion – free tickets. When a person enters the Test Drive the Arts website, they can click through available events and can choose to find out more information by clicking a link that directs them to a specific arts organisation’s website. Of the 2061 people who have booked tickets, 892 heard about the scheme through family or friends, whilst only 28 heard though Twitter and 117 through Facebook . These referral figures highlight the importance of taking a multi-platform approach to digital and real world engagement. In this case, offline marketing has driven people to a website where they can find out more information, watch video clips and book tickets. Digital relationships are not distinct, they are only one facet of contemporary visitor relationships. This example demonstrates that even those who would not normally attend arts event can be engaged via interesting web content, and turned into real world visitors and audiences through the integration of information and promotional offers both offline and online.
Rather than simply collecting friends, fans and followers, arts organisations must utilise these relationships. Both Tate Liverpool and Test Drive the Arts demonstrate the benefits of taking a developmental approach rather than a collecting approach to digital audiences.