Read our first guest blog from the Changed Future series, written by Lucretia Devlin.

We recently deactivated our Instagram account. We're telling you why in our latest blog.

Our former Client Relationships Exec Catherine talked to the person behind the hilarious (and informative) social media accounts of The Museum of English Rural Life. Read our case study to find out how they succeeded in diversifying their online audiences with a single tweet.

Global Web Index's report on millennials' online behaviors and their attitudes to digital and marketing.

Research into the media preferences and habits of over 25,000 US performing arts customers.

We ran our first focus group with our Audience Panel and they had a lot to say about how they find out about upcoming arts and culture events.

Young adults aged 16-24, commonly referred to as Gen Z by marketers, are often considered a challenging demographic to engage. This report, developed by the creative agency We Are Social UK, offers deeper insights into their lifestyles and behaviours. You can read the complete report via the link or read the summary below, written by Alice Bresciani, We Are Social's former Senior Research and Insights Director. We recently created an audience snapshot for this age group and the art forms they're into.

This report from Arts Connect explores how people aged 10 to 19 relate to arts and culture.

Over the past couple of years, we have been working on an exciting venture known as the North West project. This initiative revolves around the collection of data concerning arts, culture, and heritage audiences in Derry and Donegal. Now, we've decided to put together all the stuff we've learned from it in one place.

Our IMPACT report helps us learn more about who audiences are, how they behave, why they attend and how they feel after attending a variety of artforms.

Strategy, reporting, and campaign delivery.

Mystery shops to understand and improve your visitor experience.

Practical ways to create an email strategy that increases sales and improves customer loyalty.

Find out what social media is best for your organisation based on your audience, pros and cons for each platform and the type of content audiences engage with the most.

Social media taking over your life? Simplify things and save time - plan your posts with our easy-to-use excel sheet.

Social media 'stories' are pictures or video that usually disappears after 24 hours. So why would you bother using them? One reason is that they are very popular with younger audiences. 

Author: Paul Hanrahan - Culture Republic

There is wealth of free information about your current and potential audiences available through your social media and website. Here's how to access it and build a picture of your online audiences.

Customisable social media calendars, research toolkits, and more.

Thinking BIG! is a guide to building and using strategic marketing plans for arts organisations by consultant Stephen Cashman

In this blog, we’re giving you some easy tips for writing great copy.

As we're noticing the impact of the latest Apple update on social media advertising, we wrote a blog to explain what it's all about and the challenges it brings to arts and culture organisations.

Limited time to get the word out about what you do? Or not sure where to start? Download our communications plan template and get all angles covered.

Advice from MOMA on using digital to connect with visual arts audiences, and a spotlight on creating a digital plan for heritage organisations.

We worked with Shannon Yee to find an audience for her immersive theatre installation. An example of how communication with box office and front of house staff is vital for marketing alternative theatre.

Are you a theatre company or producer showing your work in a receiving venue? The toolkit will help you prep all the info you and your venue need to market your show effectively.

Amanda Neylon from NHS Digital tells us what exactly 'digital' means and what it means for the everyday person.

Working with the Barbican to gather insights into what young people want from their membership in future.

When audiences visit your organisation for the first time, what can you do to build a lasting relationship with them? Read our blog to find out.

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced major changes to how Facebook prioritises content in newsfeed. How is this going to affect cultural organisations, and what can we do about it?

How Art UK and the Audience Agency increased visits to their online collection and resources from BAME audiences and those aged 16-24.

Authors: Katie Moffat and Richard Turpin

Talking to your audiences online and encouraging them to post comments and interact is a great way to draw attention to your offer, and increase audience loyalty. Here are the best ways to get started, and deal with any negative comments too.

Do you want to know more about your audiences and contribute to sector-wide research? Find out about our newest project and how to get involved.

The focus is often on new audiences coming through our doors, but what does it take to get them to visit your organisation time and time again? Read our blog to find out.

We're looking for people working in the arts, culture and heritage to share with us their dreams and visions for the NI sector.

In early July, Sarah and Maurane hopped over to sunny Brighton for the Arts Marketing Association
conference. Maurane was invited over as a speaker and Sarah decided to tag along and mingle with over 750 representatives from the UK’s cultural sector. The conference, themed "Be Bold, Be Brave," featured thirty-five talks over two days. Here are some key lessons in bravery that Sarah learned.

Clever use of social proof can help you use your current audience to encourage new visitors to your cultural venue or events.

Some audience development controversy from the Theatre 2016 conference.

Read our second guest blog from the Changed Future series, written by Beth Frazer.

How can you know more about your audiences? We're listing free tools that you already have access to and tips on how to use them.

Struggling to get responses to your online survey? Here's how we worked with EastSide Arts to improve their response rate by over 500%, along with our top ten tips for improving your own online surveys.

When you're starting any kind of research - the first thing to do is to check what's already out there. Here are our top free online sources of audience information.

Thrive's visitor profiling project to learn more about the visitors to six Northern Ireland museums.

In this blog post, our CEO Fiona explains her take on the differences, and how audience development is the only way to meaningful change.

For our new themes for 2021/2022, we take a closer look at a typical audience journey, from the first time they hear about you to when they become loyal customers, and all the steps in between. Read our introduction and first step of the audience journey.

What is the ultimate stage of loyalty? How can you bring your audiences to see you as their BFF so they will support you at all times? Read our blog to find out.

Covid had an impact on how cultural organisations are collecting and using audience data. With our last thrive survey, we were able to find out what changed and what it means for audience data in NI going forward.

Musing on the language around cultural audiences - can we borrow some ideas from sport?

An interview with Sarah Hughes, on how business partnership can be as an audience development tool.

Read our latest guest blog from the Changed Future series, written by Holly Foskett.

In this blog, our former Client Relationships Exec Catherine talks about all the things to consider for filling your space with experiences audiences will love.

Why you might already be doing research without knowing it... and how to choose the right research method to find out what you need to know.

Our top tips for designing and running a survey. Find out how to create useful survey questions and get the response rates you need.

Our Client Programme Coordinator Sarah looks at examples of how organisations outside of the arts and culture sectors exceed their audiences' expectations. Read her blog to find out her key takeaways.

Audience development is about building relationships and this is what we will be focusing on to support the sector over the next 12 months.

The Around the Town Festival in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, highlights the impact of community-driven efforts on local culture. Led by Positive Carrickfergus, the festival aimed to showcase the town’s potential and boost its arts scene. For this case study, our Client Programme Coordinator Sarah spoke with Creative Producer Lynn McKenzie to find out how she and the team turned community aspirations into a successful festival through collaboration, planning, and responsive organising.

In 2018, six museums across Northern Ireland hosted late-night events to attract new audiences and change perceptions about museums.

We've talked audience development with hundreds of organisations across Northern Ireland (and further afield!). So here are some of the most frequently asked questions we hear about understanding and growing cultural audiences.

In this blog, our former Research Executive Victoria explores the different benefits of having a ticketing system.

The Duncairn is our Audience Delight Award winner for Best Community Vibes. Read our case study to find out what is it about them that makes their audiences click.

Last August, we invited Olly Davies from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to share his experience of using audience data to make positive lasting changes to their overall strategy.

The Earagail Arts Festival asked their audience and wider public about their motivations and barriers to attend the festival. They uncovered data that helped them to evaluate their impact and refine their purpose.

How can the NI arts and cultural scene adapt to social distancing measures after the lockdown? Our Chief Executive Margaret Henry tries to find out.