MAMP BOOTCAMP EXPERTS LEAD DAY OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR THE ARTS

There was an air of excitement at the Arsht Center recently when leaders of Miami’s arts community gathered for the first in-person Miami Arts Marketing Project Boot Camp since 2020.

Since the pandemic, the Arts & Business Council of Miami’s long-running monthly curated series on marketing, innovation, and partnerships tailored for the arts and creative community was presented online via Zoom.

Kim Hills, head of Marketing and Communications for the Miami Downtown Development Authority, led the day, introducing the diverse panel of speakers that featured leaders in corporate, media, social media marketing, accounting, and marketing consultation.

Kicking off the morning was Alexandra Phipps from Kaufman Rossin who deciphered algorithms, breaking down the information into strategy, metrics, engagement, and more.

Presenters providing vital takeaways during the Q&A portion of the MAMP Social Media Bootcamp. L-R Andi Diez de Onate of Carnival Cruise Line, Liza Walton of Kreps Social, Alexandra Phipps of Kaufman Rossin and Rosanne Gibel of Culture Owl. Photo by Zoe Garnett of Arts & Business Council of Miami.

“There is an overview of algorithm features on all social media platforms i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn,” said Phipps. “It is important to be strategic when posting on LinkedIn. Invest in captions and use a minimum of one and a maximum of three hashtags,” she suggested.

She went on to advise on the importance of early engagement on LinkedIn since “the algorithm usually shares posts with lots of engagement. Also, metric support will be your best friend. Get really specific with this to maximize/optimize posts.”

Liza Walton, president of Kreps Social followed, sharing her expertise on social media analytics and how it’s vital to “understand your audience through social media analytics,” she said.

Walton urged attendees to define their social media goals and always keep them “top of mind”, making sure they’re measurable. Also, to decide which platforms they prefer and embrace those.

“Decide which ones you enjoy using,” she said, “and then determine your post frequency, which should be tied to your bandwidth and what you’re capable of.”

When it comes to social media, Walton said there is a sweet spot and there are content pillars and encouraged everyone to “make sure you’ve got a good mix of video, photos, and graphics. Also, set up a content calendar to plan out what’s upcoming and what content you need, this will be a major timesaver.” Additionally, she stressed making sure there is no watermark on any content used, which could lead to problems.

Packed house at the Arts & Business Council of Miami’s first in-person MAMP Bootcamp since 2020, this one focusing on social media. Photo by Zoe Garnett of Arts & Business Council of Miami.

A good phone is key and her tips for best utilizing it are as simple as remembering to wipe off the lens before taking a photo or shooting a video. Also, “frame your shot and be aware of lighting. Use the tools on your phone,” said Walton.

She closed her presentation by saying “with a little bit of planning and leveraging the social media content tools at your disposal they will serve your purposes to the fullest.”

Focusing her presentation on User Generated Content was Andi Diez de Onate, social media Manager for Carnival Cruise Line who noted that UGC is special and beneficial as well as a powerful way to gain trust with customers.

“Not all the User Generated Content looks the same,” said Diez de Onate. “Know how to spot the UGC that will highlight your brand,” she told participants.

She said her personal favorite are real time stories created in the moment because they feel less filtered thereby more authentic. Some examples of UGC are reviewed although they may not seem to be and blogs which are considered higher quality User Generated Content.

“There’s been a shift of late in UGC content. People are going there to find out about experiences and what they’re planning. UGC is a good solution to fill in gaps,” said Diez de Onate. She also suggested creating a challenge on social media, which can be created on Instagram or Tik Tok, to gain UGC.

Next up Rosanne Gibel, director of sales at Culture Owl posed several questions to participants during her presentation, prompting them to take a deep dive into their approach to social media.

She asked “what do you expect to accomplish with your social media? Determine that and then match your output to your expectation. Also, does the content you produce fit the platform? It is also essential to set a budget to spend a little on content creation.”

Gibel also strongly encouraged everyone to tell their stories consistently including through social media and advised creating a unique ticket link “which is a good tool for tracking ticket sales.”

Following the presentations, participants broke into groups and were encouraged to create their own reel, video, or loop around the theme “Miami Loves Arts.” That brought energy to the room with lots of people incorporating props and hamming it up for the camera. Thought leaders and facilitators then had the opportunity to review and critique their creations.

Props ready to be used by participants who incorporated them into their real creation, which was part of the MAMP Bootcamp at the Arsht Center. Photo by Zoe Garnett of Arts & Business Council of Miami.

As the Q&A portion wrapped up, all walked away with newfound knowledge like the importance of posting in multiple languages in a city as diverse as Miami and finding creative solutions while engaging in social media. The day’s facilitator Kim Hills summed it up best saying “always remember the three pillars of education, application and collaboration.”

David Berry, founder and owner of digital marketing agency DBDynamo, was another presenter that day; Berry said he was excited to be back in person for MAMP.

“This is an awesome opportunity, finally being back in person for MAMP. I want to thank the Arts & Business Council of Miami for facilitating this workshop with so many small business owners, creators, and innovators. This is where they belong,” said Berry. “I love that this organization can facilitate something that brings culture to the forefront for those trying to perpetuate it.”

The next event will be a MAMP Virtual Lab-themed “Bold Arts Brands for New Times” on June 6 via Zoom. For information on this and all the remaining MAMP events visit https://artsbizmiami.org/mamp/