2015 Arts Industry Digital Benchmark Study

Key takeaways:

Organizations are investing more in digital, but challenges around funding and expertise are still limiting digital effectiveness.

In 2015 more than half of organizations surveyed spent at least 21% of their paid media budget on digital. That’s up from 44% in 2014 and 34% in 2013.

63% still say that “not enough budget” is their main challenge. 

Social media, especially Facebook, has been strongly embraced by arts marketers.

100% of organizations had Facebook accounts, and for the first time 100% of respondents indicated they purchased Facebook ads. Facebook fans grew 45% YOY across all budget sizes.

Organizations are beginning to pay more attention to social metrics, but there is still a long way to go. 41% of respondents indicate they check their social media metrics at least once a week. That’s up from 21% in 2014. 

Most arts organizations are using video to market their offerings and are beginning to invest in content.

95% of organizations surveyed indicated they produce videos. One-third of produce more than 20 annually while another third produce fewer than five videos (with the remaining somewhere in between).