Using social media for arts marketing: theoretical analysis and empirical insights for performing arts organizations

Abstract

Social media has become a buzz word in the German arts sector and performing arts organizations seem to be especially eager to exploit its potential marketing benefits. However, research on this topic is practically non-existent. Set against this background the purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, it wants to explore the use and relevance of social media for German performing arts organizations. Second, it aims to understand more on how performing arts organizations can exploit social media for their marketing. The methodology used to achieve these goals includes literature review and primary research (i.e. an online analysis with all 144 German public theaters and a case study analysis with one German theater). The two main conclusions from our research are: (1) The use of social media by performing arts organizations is rapidly growing and the majority of theaters use at least one application (with Facebook being the most popular one). (2) Social media can effectively support the marketing of performing arts organizations with regard to promotion and communication, stimulation of word of mouth, market research and innovation management as well as reputation management.