« At the Creative City Centre, we understand how important it is for artists to be active in the digital realm; yet the advancement of technology and the changing landscape of the digital era has made it difficult for some artists to stay ahead of the curve. When it comes to the business of art, artistic talent is just one (important) factor. Artists must also know how to market and promote themselves through social media, especially now in these post-pandemic days. In order to reach new audiences and engage with an audience online, artists need to understand the strategy behind social media campaigns and how to track campaign successes or failures. The Creative City Centre, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Strategy Fund, and in partnership with SaskMusic and Sâkêwêwak Artists Collective, has launched SMMART to help creatives learn the essential social media marketing tools needed to succeed online.
SMMART stands for “social media marketing for artists”. SMMART aims to provide Saskatchewan artists with opportunities to create new digital content and then give them the skillset to turn that content into the various marketing products that will help them increase their profile online, gain new audiences and engage with both collaborators and consumers in new ways. Through eight online social media marketing workshops, artists will gain the knowledge to take their new digital content and use it to further their careers by creating strategic social media marketing campaigns.
Over the next two years, we will be offering this program twice (2020 and 2021). In each cohort, we will be accepting 16 music/recording artists, 10 spoken word artists, and 14 visual artists. As part of our efforts toward reconciliation, we have made a commitment that a minimum of 50% of those artists in each discipline will be Indigenous.
Each successful applicant will record new, original digital content in the form of videos, interviews and photography (depending on the artistic medium). This content will be recorded at the Creative City Centre and/or in the artist’s studio (again, depending on the medium). This digital content will then be edited for the artist’s personal use on their own social media accounts and website. Following the content creation, artists will complete an 8-week digital marketing training program conducted by Strategy Lab, a Regina-based social media company. These workshops will be offered once per week, taking 2-3 hours each week, and will be delivered online. Attendance at all training sessions is mandatory.
Throughout the social media marketing course, successful applicants will gain key information about marketing strategies, personal branding, social media and more. They will also learn important digital skills such as basic photo and video editing to create effective social media posts. By the end of the 8-week program, artists should be competent in developing, implementing and evaluating their own social media marketing strategies. »
Deadline: August 21, 2020
For more information, please visit: http://www.creativecitycentre.ca/smmart/
-from Creative City Centre
