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 skill-set 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.