An updated version of my social media strategy recommendations for Yale Repertory Theatre in 2010. Incorporates new research, and corrects previous formatting issues.

1. +
Yale Rep & Social Media
A recommended strategy for 2010

2. +
Why is Social Media Important?
 Because 3 out of 4 Americans use social technology.
 Forrester, The Growth Of Social Technology Adoption, 2008
 Visiting social sites is now the 4th most popular online activity—
ahead of personal email.
 Nielsen, Global Faces & Networked Places, 2009
 85% of social media users believe that a company should go further
than just having a presence on social sites and should also interact
with its customers.
 Cone, Business in Social Media Study, September 2008
*Thanks to Espresso for statistics on Social Media

3. +
Social Media Adoption
among Theatres
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
MySpace
Blogs
Flickr
- 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
November Unique US Visitors (MM) LORT

4. +
YRT’s Social Media Goals: 2010
1. Listening to what audiences are saying about YRT
• Success: YRT’s responsiveness to audience research; # of fan’s positive
and constructive interactions
2. Empowering audiences to promote YRT
• Success: # reached in second order impact, increased awareness via
word of mouth
3. Deepening YRT’s relationship with current audience
• Success: increased loyalty, increased positive perception of YRT
4. Attracting new audience members to YRT
• Success: increased acquisitions, increased ticket sales
5. Leading theatres in the social media field
• Success: conferences, awareness among TCG & prospective students

5. +
The Key 3

6. +
96% of LORT theatres are on
Facebook. On average they have:
Efforts
Impact
4 wall posts/wk 1,153 fans
11 photo albums 12 wall comments/wk
8 videos 2 discussion groups
14 events
22 news links

7. +
Important Research Findings on
Facebook
Based on a study of Kansas City Repertory Theatre:
Asking questions Fans comment more
Fans “like” twice as
generates highest on administrative-
often as commenting
level of user focused posts than
on a wall post
engagement artistic posts
24% of fans are
70% of fans are
students; they
women, but men
engage less
comment more
frequently than non-
frequently
students

8. + Example

9. +
YRT Goals for utilizing
Facebook
 Empower fans
 Every time they post a comment to Yale Rep’s fan page, we get
exposure to their friends via News Feed
 Deepen Yale Rep’s relationship
 Extend our relationship with the audience outside of the theatre
 Use Facebook Insights to measure results
 Look to Kansas City Rep, Actors Theatre Louisville, and
Denver Center for the Performing Arts as examples

10. +
Strategies for engaging fans on
Facebook
 Acquire more friends by
 Linking YRT fan page to YSD and Yale Cabaret’s fan pages
 Promoting fan page on print & online marketing materials
 Friending YSD students, staff and faculty
 Advertising on Facebook
 Post
new content at least once per day (wall comments, links,
photos, video) about artistic & administrative life at YRT
 + respond to fan’s comments
 Longterm: consider if/how to unify fan pages and alumni
groups across YRT & YSD

11. +
Success Metrics on
Facebook
5 fan comments Monitor
2,000 fans by
on average per Facebook
Dec 31, 2010
post Insights
Top 10 LORT Top 10 LORT
Active Fans
fan pages fan pages
Nov ’09
Nov ’09 Pageviews per
average =
average = 2.6 post
1,153
Audience
demographics

12. +
82% of LORT theatres are on
Twitter. On average they:
Efforts
Impact
Joined in April 2009 Have 640 followers
Follow 485 people Get 11 @mentions/
Tweet once/day wk

13. +
Important Research Findings on
Twitter
Based on a study of American Repertory Theatre:
Followers will
Number of followers A theatre’s followers
casually mention
is best predictor of are often
your theatre as often
high user geographically
as they will speak
engagement diverse
directly to you
Asking questions Theatres really are
generates highest using Twitter for
levels of user more than just
engagement marketing

15. +
YRT Goals for utilizing
Twitter
 Listen to our audience
 They’ve already begun the online conversation—this is an opportunity to
gather audience insights and an informal method of customer service
 Empower them to spread the word
 In the longer term, consider if/how to adjust the marketing expense
budget to reflect this “free” word of mouth buzz
 Use Twitalyzer and Hootsuite to measure results
 Look to ACT Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and ART as examples

16. +
Strategies for engaging followers
on Twitter
 Consider using Hootsuite Twitter desktop client
 Create a Twitter username that’s easy to search for (@yalerep)
 Find followers by
 Searching for who’s already talking about YRT
 Promoting YRT’s Twitter username on print & online marketing materials
 Following other Yale & theatre organizations
 Post new content every day
 Use an authentic voice
 Respond to and retweet every @mention
 Comment on other user’s tweets
 Ask questions to followers

17. +
Success Metrics on
Twitter
40 @yalerep’s Monitor
1,500 followers
by Dec 31, 2010
per week on Twitalyzer &
average Hootsuite
Signal,
Top 5 LORT Top 5 LORT
Generosity,
users users
Velocity, Clout
Oct ’09
Oct ’09
average =
average = 640
10.6
Pop! Opening
week = 30

18. +
88% of LORT theatres are on
YouTube. On average they:
Efforts
Impact
Joined in Jan of 2008 27 subscribers
Uploaded 28 videos 1,770 channel views
Top 5 videos average
2,924 views each

19. +
Important Research Findings on
YouTube
Based on a study of top 20 viewed LORT theatre videos:
Viewers engage Men 45-54 are Related videos
on a “per video” largest are top referral
basis demographic source
80%+ of views
Plays get higher
occur more than
views on average
2 months after
than musicals
posting date

20. + Example

21. +
YRT Goals for utilizing
YouTube
 Empower the viral video
 YouTube has proven to be the most cost effective way to reach tens of
thousands of people interested in your product
 Attract new audiences
 This is the best opportunity prospective audience members have to
preview high quality Yale Rep productions
 Use YouTube Statistics to measure results
 Look to ART, Center Theatre Group, and Portland Center Stage as
examples

22. +
Strategies for engaging viewers on
YouTube
 Upload a new video to YRT’s YouTube channel every month
 LORT average = every 10 weeks, but 34 theatres average 1+/month
 Don’t assume that only a certain “type” of video will attract high
viewership.
 Understand current demographics of YouTube
 Make videos easy to find
 Embed videos on Facebook and yalerep.org
 Link to videos on Twitter
 Use keyword tags
 Put videos into playlists

23. +
Success Metrics on
YouTube
Monitor
100 subscribers 2+ videos with
YouTube
by Dec 31, 2010 10,000+ views
Statistics & Data
Top 5 LORT Top 20 LORT
Total views
channels videos
Dec ’09
Dec ’09 Referring
average =
average = 27 Sources
2,924
YRT currently YRT currently Audience
= 33 = 6,656 demographics

24. +
Don’t Waste Time On
MySpace Flickr Blogs
• 14% of LORT • 34% of LORT • 50% of LORT
logged in past • Joined Sept ’08 • Joined Sept ’08
month • Uploaded 146 • Wrote 5 posts in
• 13% had fan photos November
comment in past • 12 contacts • 0 comments on
month • = not enough average
• = not enough applicable uses • = not enough
engagement engagement
Except maybe for YSD

25. +
How much time will it take?
Social Media Weekly Staffing Hours
18
1.3, Other
16
1.2, Flickr
14 2.9
YouTube 1.7
Measuring
12
2.7
~10 more hours/wk 2.9
Blog Learning
10
8
4.4
Twi/er
6
9.5
Crea:ng
4 Material
4.8
2 Facebook
0

26. +
2010 Implementation Timeline
WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL
Launch YRT
Facebook Fan Page
Launch
Twitter @yalerep
Expand video
YouTube production
knowledge
Begin
Review role of Follow up report
Social Review Social incorporating
SM across measuring
Media Media Report SM into
YRT & YSD success in 2010
marketing plans

27. +
But what if…
People say bad things about us
That’s ok! Studies show buyers ignore Amazon sellers with only positive ratings
It doesn’t fit with the YRT brand
Users expect a different “voice” depending on the platform
It takes too much time
It won’t if it’s embedded throughout organization as a daily routine
Social Media is just a fad
Using today’s platforms will prepare us for what tomorrow will bring

28. +
In the future Professional networking
Blogs
Geo-aware games
Mobile apps

29. +
Questions?
*From Espresso’s “What the F**k is Social Media: One Year Later

30. +
Appendix:
More Reports on 24 Usable Hours
 Facebook
 Twitter
 YouTube
 Flickr
 MySpace
 Blogs
 Staffing for Social Media

31. + Created by
Devon Smith, Director of Research & Analysis
Yale Repertory Theatre
Email: devon.smith@yale.edu
Follow: @devonvsmith
Read: http://devonvsmith.tumblr.com/