There’s a quiet narrative that circulates in arts organizations sometimes spoken out loud, sometimes just implied:
“We’re just not good at marketing.”
But that’s not the truth.
Arts leaders are not bad at marketing. They’re overwhelmed.
It’s Not Incompetence - It’s Capacity
The majority of arts leaders are beyond capable of communication. They understand storytelling. They understand what their audience is drawn towards. Most of all, they deeply care about the work that they are putting out in the world.
The issue is not a lack of skill. It is a lack of capacity.
When one person is responsible for programming, partnerships, fundraising, staffing, community outreach and marketing, something must give. And more often than not, marketing becomes the thing that gets squeezed into the margins likely done late at night, between meetings, or in reactive bursts when ticket sales feel urgent.
It is not a marketing problem, it is a bandwidth problem.
Marketing in arts organizations rarely lives in one centralized place. Instead, it is scattered, a bit of social media, an email newsletter, a last minute press push and a flyer someone designed between meetings.
Wearing 7 Hats Isn’t a Strategy
In the arts there is a kind of pride to be able to “do it all”. Truthfully, having that adaptability is often necessary.
Wearing seven different hats does not make someone a strategic marketer. It makes them busy.
True strategic marketing takes space to plan, think, analyze and polish. It requires consistency. But consistency is hard when you are also managing budgets, donor relations, rehearsals and operations all in the same day.
Reshaping the Issue
If society keeps shaping this as a skills issue, the REAL issue is missed. This is a systems issue.
Art leaders do not need to “get better at marketing.” They need more realistic expectations and a clearer set of priorities.
Because the truth is when given the space, art leaders are some of the most powerful storytellers.
Marketing is not the problem. Capacity is.
If you are looking for a way to reorganize your workload, download our FREE Task Analysis & Prioritization Worksheet, or let’s connect and strategize together.