Understanding and Developing Audiences for Archives

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Understanding and Developing Audiences for
Archives

• Helen Ball, Head of Engagement

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Objectives for today

• To identify where new audiences can be reached
  approaching by geography, by communities of
  interest and by subject or theme.
• To share good practice in engaging audiences.
• To demonstrate how you can understand your
  audiences and your impact on them, in the context
  of existing data or by creating your own systems.
• To discuss , share and address audience related
  challenges.
• To further develop audience development resources
  for people working in archives.

m
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Who you are2. How long you have worked with
archives 3. Why you are here today
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Finding your audience
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Finding your Audience
Community of interest
Subject or theme
Geography
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Recommendations

• Focus on the benefits for those youre targeting
• Features what it is and what it offers
• Benefits whats in it for the user/audience

A local history archive A free fun way to find out more about your street and the area you live
A potential opportunity to access information about your own family history (if you are born locally)
A space where you can spend time learning from others
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Recommendations, continued.

1. Make use of large public sets of data
2. Target where there is active behaviour
3. Ask key individuals for advice
4. Personalise messages and contact details
5. Have a user-friendly database
6. Be polite and reciprocal
7. Think laterally

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Engaging New Audiences What works?

1. Finding out and addressing specific barriers
2. Tailoring content
3. Collaborations
4. Using public and different spaces
5. Leading with ideas (rather than insider speak)

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Motivations and Barriers
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Characteristics
Social
Active
Informed
Busy
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Its good to have young people, getting young
peoples thoughts and help to organise this
because usually its just other people doing it,
but theyve actually given young people an
opportunity to show their talents, show their
ideas and thats what FUSE is all about so thank
you. Sharn, 18,
FUSE youth team
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Use appropriate techniques

• Mailing Lists
• Social Networking
• Host Venue
• Mystery Shopping
• Volunteering Schemes
• Community Partnerships
• Ambassador Schemes
• Shadow Boards/Community Board Members

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An engagement approach
Process Outcomes
1. Desk research Demographics, Priorities, Groups
2. Networking People, Activity, Culture
3. Face-to-face / reaching out People, Interests, History
4. Tailor activities / offer Short-term offer, Partnerships, Learning
5. Develop mechanisms for on-going dialogue Communication, Long term offer, two-way exchange
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Useful resources

• http//www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archivessector/
  
• audience-development.htm
• Culture Hive
• Arts Marketing Assocation The Audience Agency
• Case studies, toolkits, research and articles.
• http//culturehive.co.uk/

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Understanding Audiences

• What do you currently do, in terms of
• Accessing existing information?
• Carrying out or commissioning your own research?

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Sources of information

• Many - particularly,
• ONS Neighbourhood Statistics
• Taking Part Survey
• Area Profile Reports
• Geo-demographic profiling Mosaic and Acorn
• Arts Audiences Insight Segmentation
• Networks and organisations, The National
  Archives, Public Services Quality Group (PSQG)
• Your own primary research

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Questions to ask

• What do you need to know and what would be nice
  to know?
• How much time do you/your team have?
• How much time are you asking your audience to
  give - is it proportionate to the experience you
  are giving them?

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Examples
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Changing perceptions
Has this event changed your perception of this
part of London?
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Accidental Audiences
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2. Know your patch
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• The overall aim of the project was to create
  Tottenhams first community film showcase during
  the weekend of 28th-30th September 2012. This
  was to be achieved by creating a project that
  would give local people the knowledge and skills
  they needed to programme and run their own
  screening activity. Further aims of the project
  were to
• Engage Haringey residents
• Attract audiences from outside the borough
• Provide skills to local groups to run their own
  film seasons or festivals in the future
• Screen locally sourced films
• Leave a lasting legacy

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Tip Create headlines

1. A project that appealed inter-generationally,
   with audience members ranging from 7-75 years
   old.
2. A project that attracted approximately 250 people
   to watch film in the borough during one weekend.
3. A project that attracted new audiences to
   Tottenham to watch film 71 (123 people) of the
   170 people that filled in a feedback card told us
   they had not watched a film in the cinema or at a
   screening in the borough in the last 12 months.

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Tip Plan your evaluation first
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I have arthritis but I was dancing earlier so I
guess the arthritis went away!
Usha Abraham, 64, visiting the UK from India and
pictured far left
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Audience Development

• activity which is undertaken specifically to meet
  
• the needs of existing and potential audiences and
  to
• help organisations to develop ongoing
  relationships
• with audiences.

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• Strategic
• It has a purpose and is part of an overall
  strategy.
• Evidence-based
• It is shaped by dialogue with audiences about
  what they want and need.
• About relationships
• Relationships are mutually beneficial and
  long-term
• rather than one-off and transactional.
• Sustainable
• It is based on the resources available and
  justified in
• terms of the return on investment that the
• activity/ies will generate.

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Organisations need to know...

1. What is our Organisational vision/objectives?
2. What do we currently understand about our
   audiences?
3. Where are we now and where do we want to get to?
4. How will we get there?
5. How will we know if we have been successful?

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Helpful step by step guidance
Local Government Association Outcomes Framework
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www.tastetheatre.com
www.tastetheatre.com
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Thank you

• Stay in touch
• helen.ball_at_theaudienceagency.org
• _at_helenrball _at_audienceagents
• www.theaudienceagency.org

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