{"id":9488,"date":"2018-08-16T14:54:59","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T13:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.museums.cam.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=9488"},"modified":"2020-09-04T15:31:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T14:31:09","slug":"3-things-we-learned-at-ama-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.museums.cam.ac.uk\/blog\/2018\/08\/16\/3-things-we-learned-at-ama-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things We Learned at AMA 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eleanor Costello, Kettle\u2019s Yard Marketing Assistant, and Richard White, UCM Marketing & Communications Coordinator, share their three favourite moments from this year\u2019s Arts Marketing Association Conference.<\/h2>\n

Eleanor Costello<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This year was my second time at the annual Arts Marketing Association conference. I was excited to be in Liverpool for the first time to hear all about \u2018The Power of Play\u2019 \u2013 2018\u2019s conference theme. Over the two days, I got insight into building a marketing campaign from scratch from Sarah Ogle at the Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, heard about the \u20182097: We Made Ourselves Over\u2019, Blast Theory\u2019s incredible live performance and film art work, and found out more about the importance of giving time to relationships between neighbouring businesses and organisations to encourage creative tourism to a place. These are some of the key things that I will be taking back to my own work:<\/p>\n

1. How to play seriously<\/h3>\n

From Africa Centre\u2019s Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp<\/a> to Emma Rice<\/a> Director of Wise Children, the key takeaway from all keynote speakers was to take a step back and have a little bit more fun. Tom Rainsford<\/a>, founder of giffgaff, spoke about how he uses a sense of humour and creativity to challenge markets. He advocated using social media as a platform for more fun branding ideas that actually drive customer loyalty. Emma Rice encouraged fostering better workplace relationships through playing, which helps to realise each other\u2019s strengths and to figure out how to work better as a team.<\/p>\n

The theme this year opened up my mind to different ways of thinking outside of the box and not being afraid to fail. Those of us in Arts Marketing are lucky because we\u2019re based in creative environments and have the opportunity to have some fun. We need to stop seeing \u2018serious work\u2019 and \u2018fun work\u2019 as separate things!<\/p>\n

\"Liverpool<\/p>\n

2. How to get the most out of analytics<\/h3>\n

Some of the most useful sessions I attended at the AMA conference were actually not so playful. It turns out Daniel Rowles, CEO of Target Internet and Course Director for the CIM, thinks of play in a little bit more of a practical way. His talks on SEO and Google Analytics offered new insights into how to make the most of our digital stats.<\/p>\n

The world of search engines and analytics can be daunting at first but Rowles\u2019 key pointers are:
\n\u2022 Don\u2019t just churn out content for no reason, and don\u2019t worry about content length. Ask yourself \u2018does it add value?\u2019
\n\u2022 Note patterns of searching \u2013 keyword research, through answerthepublic.com or Google Trends, is vital in understanding what questions you should be answering.
\n\u2022 One piece of data doesn\u2019t tell you much \u2013 we should all be looking at different information and how they relate to each other.
\n\u2022 Make sure to track links \u2013 use custom URL builders to figure out how successful different platforms are.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in finding out more google \u2018Digital Marketing Toolkit<\/a>\u2019 and go to the first link that comes up. (And if anything proves that he knows what he\u2019s talking about, that does!)<\/p>\n

3. How to share ambitions<\/h3>\n

Shared Ambition<\/a> is a programme run by the Arts Marketing Association that considers what would happen if organisations brought their marketing and fundraising functions closer together. Hearing from people who have taken part in the programme, I realised that I needed a reminder to speak to my colleagues in our development department more.<\/p>\n

Kettle\u2019s Yard is a charity and we need donations to keep our programme of events and exhibitions running. When I\u2019m sending our calendar to print, scheduling social media, writing emails or selling tickets to an event, it\u2019s often hard to remember that I should also be communicating that we rely on the support of our visitors to keep going. It was really inspiring to hear from marketing and development teams who have taken part in Shared Ambition. They realised that with some staff fundraising training, by sharing stories of what has been done with donations and by rewriting job descriptions the aims and goals of the organisation can be shared across all departments. We just need to speak to each other (or play together!).<\/p>\n

Richard White<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Liverpool<\/h3>\n

Before talking about the conference itself, I have to begin with Liverpool. I\u2019ve been to a few AMA conferences and Liverpool easily tops the host list. I was based on the Docklands, and even before dumping my bag I couldn\u2019t help but notice the Museum of Liverpool and Tate across the way.<\/p>\n

The Museum of Liverpool does a great job of telling the history of the city, and moreover how that history shaped its people. I\u2019ve read reviews that to some extent criticised the multitude of voices and interactives that dot across the displays, but personally I enjoyed the sensory experience. And then there was the Double Fantasy – John & Yoko<\/em><\/a> exhibition on the top floor, which took me by surprise. I love the Beatles, and that love to some extent followed their solo careers. John and Yoko\u2019s life and work was brave and extraordinary; more than I ever realised. Yoko\u2019s art, John\u2019s music, their collaborations, their lives, all mingle to create an emotional journey for the visitor. Yes, I loved it.<\/p>\n

The city was vibrant, the docklands area is great fun to explore, and the architecture kept your head turning. I\u2019ll be back.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

2. Liverpool Girl Geeks<\/h3>\n

To the conference! Chelsea Slater talked about InnovateHer<\/a> – an ambitious programme to support teenage girls across the UK through a nationwide tech programme. Given it\u2019s not a diverse sector, it was brilliant to hear how Chelsea and her team were engaging young people. From making sure they catered for the individual, rather than the catch-all approach, to understanding that young people look to YouTube and Instagram for role models and learning. Also, Facebook is still useful. Who knew? Chelsea reminded us that because parents are there, it\u2019s often the first online social platform they\u2019ll allow their children to go on. Self-care apps are on the rise, they listen to cultural icons, from the Kardashians(!) to the Obama\u2019s daughters. And mental health is a huge topic for young people today. How can we as cultural organisations do more to support them? So lots of online inspiration, but ultimately the value of getting to know their audience face-to-face, using mentoring and reverse mentoring, was invaluable.<\/p>\n

3. Live and Direct \u2014 Access and subtitles<\/h3>\n

Subtitles. I\u2019m a huge fan, but for ages I\u2019ve been completely ignorant of how to implement them. They increase the likelihood of someone watching your content (by 7.32% on YouTube) and people are 80% are more likely to watch to the end. But more importantly, 11 million people in the UK have hearing loss \u2013 that\u2019s 1 in 6 of us.<\/p>\n

Alic Joy from\u00a0Stagetext<\/a> gave us the complete rundown. I learnt:<\/p>\n