Arts Marketing Myths: Search Grants, Retargeting, and Influencers
Which Digital Channels Fit Your Organization’s Goals?
AUTHOR:
Capacity
For years, Meta and Google ad platforms have dominated the digital landscape. While that’s still largely true, arts marketers are increasingly learning that we cannot rely on a narrow channel mix to meet all of our goals—and in fact, incremental ROI increases as organizations invest in up to five platforms before plateauing (per Neil Patel’s data cited in this blog post).
When we’re asked what the best options are for expanded investment, the answer is always: it depends.
Explore Different Channels
As yourself these questions to be matched with your ideal advertising channel. There will be more than one “correct” answer for many campaigns, but the decision tree below can give you a sense of where to begin, and how to prioritize your budget based on your goals and creative assets.
Now that you have your path set, learn more about…
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor doesn’t offer the same granularity of targeting or tracking as other platforms, but it is built for getting in front of tourists. The primary ad types are Listing Boosters (promote your organization’s TripAdvisor listing in search results) and Sponsored Placements (more traditional image/video ad placements within TripAdvisor’s ecosystem).
Streaming Audio
Streaming audio also reaches audiences who aren’t always reachable elsewhere, with efficient costs and improving attribution. Visual asset requirements are incredibly minimal for audio advertising, making this a great option for early-season campaigns (or those with explicit music tie-ins).
CTV
CTV allows arts organizations to leverage strong audience signals to ensure we reach the right prospects, regardless of what they’re tuning in to watch (and streaming made up 48% of total TV usage as of March of 2026 according to Neilsen). You need very high-quality video creative to run ads on CTV.
DOOH
Digital Out of Home campaigns allow you to select the exact locations you want your ads to serve, while allowing for flexibility to update creative based on programming changes, time of day, weather forecasts, and more. Visual assets must be strong, but not necessarily include video.
LinkedIn ads are best suited to very specific campaign goals that involve targeting people by job title or function. Though we can also leverage CRM and site retargeting pools, people tend to be harder to match given the disconnect between personal and work email addresses. Plus, compared to Meta or TikTok, LinkedIn tends to have considerably higher CPMs and CPCs, as well as a higher daily minimum spend.
Reddit isn’t just another social feed. It’s a community-driven, high-intent environment where users come specifically to ask questions, share advice, and seek recommendations. That, and the ability to target incredibly niche and engaged communities, makes it an especially valuable space for arts organizations.
Programmatic Display
With Google deprecating Display campaigns, Programmatic display is a great way to still leverage this ad format but with improved inventory and targeting capabilities. Programmatic display allows us to tap into advanced audience signals to reach the right prospects on high quality websites. Great for increasing the number of touchpoints in support of a known title or to leverage strong brand recognition.
TikTok
TikTok’s storytelling capabilities are comparable to Meta’s. TikTok gives arts organizations a unique opportunity to reach younger demographics and cultivate future audiences (see: Oregon Shakespeare Festival), but it can also be a very real revenue driver (see: Boston Ballet).
