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Blog Entry 7 of 27 Audience Development Specialists
Do you want to learn how to build an audience for your events? During the week, join me on the adventures of audience development. It is my mission to help you to build a more loyal and satisfied audience!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~AudienceDevelopment

Audience Development Extra- Audience Appreciation!
Contributed by: Shoshana Fanizza   on 2/18/2008

Last time I discussed the importance of Group Sales programs as an audience development extra. This time, I would like to recommend building an audience appreciation program.

Everyone likes to be appreciated. Your audience members would enjoy being thanked by your organizations, but a simple thank you letter may not be enough. I want you to stop and think about how audience patrons/donors currently get thanked. Usually it is a thank you letter or a thank you on the phone during the ticket purchase. How many organizations do your patrons/donors support? Do you think that they may get similar thank you letters or thank you's during ticket purchase from the other organizations? You bet! So, what would make your organization stand out and be remembered if your thank you letter gets filed (or horrors - thrown out) with all the other thank you letters. Will your thank you during the ticket purchase stand out from all the others?

I challenge you to implement an audience appreciation program that will creatively thank your patrons/donors in a manner that will be memorable coming from your organization.

Are you an artist/art gallery/ art museum? How about a thank you in the form of greeting cards painted by an artist in your organization?

Are you a music organization? Maybe a letter coming from one of the musicians would get their attention.

For dance organizations - what about sending a picture autographed by one of your dancers?

Whatever you can do to make your thank you to your patrons/donors unique and fun will also help make the audience feel more appreciated.

What else could you do to appreciate your audience? Here are some of my favorite suggestions:

1. Send a birthday card/post card with a special ticket offer. Won't they be surprised that you remembered their birthday!

2. Start a "points" program or punch card program and for every 9 events they attend, they can get the 10th one for free or a buy one get one free.

3. Send all your subscribers a buy one get one free gift certificate they can give to a friend. For your top subscribers, maybe consider a gift certificate good for two free tickets.

4. Keep track of your subscribers/members anniversaries with your organization and after the milestone years, reward them with a free certificate, pin, plaque, mention at an event, etc.

5. Email your best patrons a special once in a while that they can share with their friends and family.

6. Throw an appreciation party event for your top patrons/donors.

7. Have your artistic director call your top patrons/donors directly or rent a telemarketing machine/company to send out a thank you recording.

8.Survey your top patrons/donors regularly so they know you are interested in their feedback and suggestions.

9. Have fun email drawings for your organization's merchandise. Audience members enjoy free t-shirts, bags and buttons. Throwing out t-shirts at the events is starting to get popular too!

10. For your very top patrons and donors - bring them up on stage or give them a special role during the event (a small cameo role in the play or film, conducting a number at the orchestra concert, a narration role for the ballet) and make sure the entire audience gives them a special round of applause to recognize their amazing support over the years.

Remember to be creative and tie it into your specific art form. With unique thank you's your audience members will feel very appreciated and actually remember your organization, which is especially important the next time they are ready to purchase tickets or make a donation.

Until next time, may your audiences be happy and loyal ones, and if not, feel free to contact me!

~Shoshana~

Shoshana Fanizza is the founder of Audience Development Specialists. Her mission is to introduce organizations to their existing and potential audiences and to help them form more rewarding relationships with them.

www.buildmyaudience.com


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Shoshana Fanizza

Boulder , CO

Shoshana Fanizza has posted 27 blog entries and 0 comments since joining on 1/18/2008. Shoshana Fanizza 's average blog rating is 5.
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