instagram | Rachel D Levitt

Case Study: Growing Brave New Workshop’s Social Media

Summary: With an extremely limited budget for marketing, the Brave New Workshop has to rely heavily on social media to promote shows and events. By adding more content and using a social media calendar, engagement rose significantly, as website visits.

Issue: With a limited budget, it was crucial for the BNW to find inexpensive, efficient ways of reaching and engaging its audience. BNW’s social media presence was lacking, despite a wealth of available content and a correlation between the demographics of Facebook users and those of the theatre’s core audience. Updates were sporadic and often sales-y. Content posted was not tailored for each particular platform (Facebook & Twitter). No Instagram account had been started.

Action plan: First, it was crucial to establish a consistent schedule of social media posts. I devised a calendar detailing which posts would go where, and when. I used a mix of questions, funny observations, pictures, and promotional posts to keep the look fresh and to minimize the “white noise” of constant sales pitches. I added pictures of shows and rehearsals, as well as news about the actors and theatre outside of the shows themselves. We had members of the cast execute an Instagram takeover to give fans behind-the-scenes access. We also promote a specific hashtag for each production that fans can use to tag their own content and interact with the cast.

Results: Since I took over the social media and digital marketing initiatives in September of 2012, we’ve seen a 5% growth every quarter in our Facebook page likes and engagement[1], and a 106% increase in Twitter followers since January of 2013[2]. Over the last year, our website has seen a 22% rise in social referrals to our website (48% of that being new visitors), and 3x as many social referrals heading to our Buy Tickets page[3]. I founded the theatre’s Instagram account in September 2013, and since then we have gained 265 followers to date, with an overall engagement rate of 2.72%[4].

Ongoing action: During the same time period as the increase in social activity, the theatre has seen an overall attendance increase of nearly 10%. While this should be attributed to a number of factors, the rise in social engagement and promotion should certainly be considered an influence. The BNW is now working on developing a robust video strategy to complement the other social channels in our organization.

[1] Facebook Insights for facebook.com/BraveNewWorkshop

[2] Twitter Analytics for twitter.com/BNWImprov

[3] Google Analytics for theatre.bravenewworkshop.com

[4] Iconosquare for Instagram.com/BNWImprov

For my first post on my new site, I thought it would feel good to start with that confession.

I know that, as a marketing professional, admitting that I don’t understand the usefulness of an explosively popular social media app invites a lot of side-eye. But after years of understanding the general concept of Snapchat, I now finally understand why it’s actually fun and interesting.

My brain is wired to view things in a somewhat binary environment: Practical or not-practical. With Instagram private messages and plain ol’ texting, why on earth would anyone need an additional app to send photo messages to a select few? Yes, the allure of writing on the photo a la John Madden is pretty huge, but that alone didn’t let me see why so many people were dedicating so much of their time to breathlessly proclaiming Snapchat an important new part of the social sphere. It seemed to be the domain of youths, and I just wasn’t having it.

Then, I suddenly remembered that I had gone to business school and was smart enough to figure this out without a 16-year-old explaining it to me. I don’t know any 16 year olds, anyway.

First, it’s about network effect: Everyone around you is communicating by using a certain thing, so you feel compelled to communicate that way too. If you see your friends using Snapchat, then dammit you’re going to use Snapchat too. Case in point: I ended up downloading the app because I was hanging out with friends and they insisted I give it a try.

Second, and maybe most importantly: The medium is part of the message. We all know that the hierarchy of communication has shifted. Phone calls are most urgent (unless they’re from an unknown number), followed by text, then Twitter, and then on down the line to stuff like LinkedIn. Snapchat fits in towards the middle of the spectrium. Receiving a Snapchat means that the information is time-sensitive without being truly urgent. Like, “Hey, look at this! Don’t worry, this won’t be a bummer*.” What a relief, then, to see an alert on my phone and know that it’s a happy surprise, as opposed to a phone security update or some other nonsense. It’s also a more honest, authentic form of communication than, say, Instagram. Snapchats aren’t usually styled within an inch of their life and are more about fun and less about the self-aggrandizement you find on Insta. I can get behind that all day long.

So there you go. 30-something woman understands long-established social media tool. It’s the little victories, you know?

*Unless you have friends who are jerks. I, thankfully, do not have friends who are jerks.