The Data Diva

This year, we’ve been sharing our perspective on why audience growth isn’t just about adding more tactics—it’s about clear accountability. We feel that marketing teams can be most effective when they define who is responsible for acquiring new audiences, retaining current ones, and supplying the data that supports those efforts.

We’ve made the case that the path to growth starts with setting clear goals around acquisition and retention—and assigning ownership for hitting those goals. When roles are aligned and responsibilities are clear, audience growth becomes not only possible, but predictable.

That means shifting away from organizing work around internal categories like single ticket campaigns versus subscription campaigns. Instead, we encourage teams to think relationally. This shift in how your organization views accountabilities opens the door to more strategic, audience-centered marketing.

Meet the Data Diva: The data-driven expert whose insights drive your marketing team forward.

You’ve already met the Retention Rock Star, who is accountable for deepening the audience’s relationship with your organization, no matter what kind of ticket they buy.

You’ve also met the Acquisition Artist, who is focused on bringing new audiences to your organization, or introducing existing audiences to facets of your organization that are new to them.

Today, we’re focusing on the third and final key player in this framework: the Data Diva.

The Data Diva brings everything together. This team member has one core accountability: delivering the reporting, lists, and analysis that drive your acquisition and retention efforts forward.

The Data Diva is responsible for knowing exactly how to use the tools at their disposal—your CRM, your email platform, your social media platforms, and more—to answer the questions that their team is asking. They should be able to answer tactical questions quickly and confidently. When more complex data-related questions arise, they always know where to look for the answers.

Great Data Divas are reporting wizards. They understand which reports will provide the information that their team is seeking. They’ll work with their team to understand which metrics are helpful and which metrics aren’t. They are attuned to the differences between streamlined, high-level reports for executives and more in-the-weeds reports needed for tactical operations. They’re adept at knowing when their teammates need various reports and set up automated report delivery to keep everyone informed with the right information at the right time.

Four Key Accountabilities

We’ve already shared many of the key metrics that a Data Diva should be adept at pulling to support the Retention Rock Star and the Acquisition Artist. So now, let’s consider the ways that a Data Diva might deliver crucial insights to their team.

Accountability #1: Data to Answer Immediate Questions

In the process of marketing performances and selling tickets, questions come up all the time. Do we have any premium seats left for this Saturday’s matinee? How many people used the discount code that we put in last month’s newsletter? Which performance was most popular with our subscribers?

Team members need answers to these tactical questions quickly, so they can adjust their strategies and make sure that goals are met and houses are full! Data Divas should be able to delve into their organization’s CRM and provide speedy answers.

Accountability #2: Data to Tell Stories

Quick, practical answers are just one piece of the Data Diva’s accountability. Data Divas should know how to use data to tell the story of what’s happening with their audiences and sales. They should know how to uncover trends in week-over-week, month-over-month, and season-over-season metrics.

How does your current production’s sales velocity compare to recent, comparable productions? Has anything meaningfully changed in when your audience tends to buy tickets over the past several years? Data can tell a compelling story that helps marketers plan and strategize and makes compelling cases to executives, boards, and funders.

The Data Diva should have a keen eye for data visualization, to make sure that salient points are clear and trends are obvious. They also regularly review industry-wide data like our Trends in Audience Behavior studies to tell the story of how their organization fits into larger industry trends.

Accountability #3: Data to Drive Action

The Data Diva knows that raw numbers and data visualizations aren’t the only forms of data that their team needs to market performances effectively. Their team needs mailing lists to send season brochures and performance-specific postcards. If their team is doing telemarketing, they need call sheets to provide callers with phone numbers and ticket buying history.

Data Divas should know exactly how to facilitate getting these records and lists to their teammates. They should be experts in understanding list-based criteria to allow for careful segmentation and targeted messages to different audiences. The Data Diva should make it easy to get the right message to the right people at the right time, to keep their team’s operations running smoothly.

Accountability #4: Data to Predict the Future

A great Data Diva even has some tools to look into the future…by which we mean sales projections and forecasting. The Data Diva should have a keen awareness of sales goals and should be helping their team to get an increasingly clearer picture of which goals they’re likely to hit and which goals the team might miss.

They use sales curves, projection models, and even third-party tools like Vivian, JCA’s all-in-one revenue management solution, to forecast ticket sales. By carefully considering the sales of recent, similar performances, a Data Diva can help their organization look into the future.

These insights help their team focus their marketing efforts and pivot thoughtfully when needed to maximize both tickets sold and ticketing revenue.

What Success Looks Like

The Data Diva shares in their team’s success. When performances are filled with both new and returning audience members, that’s an indication that the Data Diva has done their job to support their teammates.

But even when performances don’t sell as well as expected, success for the Data Diva can come in the form of thoughtful, well-considered analysis and a game plan to ensure that the organization can find new ways to tackle similar challenges when they next arise.

Simply put, when your marketing team has frictionless access to the data they need to acquire new audience members and retain loyal patrons, the Data Diva is doing their part to keep your team running.

Ready to Align Your Team Around Audience Growth?

JCA Performing Arts can help you clarify your marketing team’s roles, set measurable goals, and ensure the right people have the right data to grow your audience—strategically and sustainably.

Whether you’re a Retention Rock Star, an Acquisition Artist, or a Data Diva—or your team is in need of assistance in one or more of these areas, we can help you make sure your team has what it needs to grow your audience.

Let’s Talk!