How Dance Managers Can Use Analytics to Strengthen Their Online Presence
In today’s digital age, social media is one of the most powerful tools dance organizations can use to connect with audiences, promote performances, and build long-term engagement. However, success on social media goes beyond posting aesthetic photos and videos. It requires understanding how your audience interacts with your content. By analyzing insights such as reach, engagement rate, and follower growth, dance managers can make informed decisions that lead to more effective content.
Understanding the Value of Analytics
Audience insights reveal how well your content resonates with your viewers. Insights such as reach show how many people saw your post, while engagement rate is the ratio of interactions (likes, comments, shares, and saves) to reach and indicates how active your audience interacts with your content. Monitoring these numbers helps us to understand what captures attention and engagement.
Example: Western Michigan University Dance Department’s Winter Gala
When creating content for Western Michigan University’s Department of Dance, I used analytics to refine strategy and improve audience impact. For the Winter Gala 2024, my goal was to increase awareness and drive ticket sales. The promotional reel captured clips of each piece highlighted in the show to generate anticipation for the remaining shows. The results showed that 83.2% of views came from non-followers, proving the content effectively reached new audiences. Additionally, the reel attracted at least five new followers, demonstrating its success in converting viewers into engaged followers.
Building on those insights, the Winter Gala 2025 campaign focused on syncing dancer movement with the rhythm of the music to create a more immersive viewer experience. The reel achieved an engagement rate of 5.9%, which is significantly higher than the arts and education industry average of 2–4%. Each account reached watched the reel about 1.7 times, showing strong replay value and audience interest.
Example: Dance Student Feature
Another example is a Dance Student Feature reel that spotlighted two students whose self-choreographed works were selected for the Annual Winter Gala. This campaign aimed to celebrate student creativity and leadership within the program. By emphasizing personal success and the creative process, the reel was aimed the appeal to prospective students. The result was another 5.9% engagement rate, reinforcing that audiences respond strongly to narrative-driven content that highlights people and process, not just performance.
Applying Insights to Strengthen Strategy
For dance managers and arts administrators, these examples illustrate how analytics can inform content decisions. By regularly tracking performance data, organizations can identify trends, understand audience preferences, and adjust posting strategies. If certain types of videos consistently reach more non-followers, that’s a signal to continue emphasizing those formats. Similarly, if engagement drops, it’s an opportunity to experiment with new approaches or posting times.
Conclusion
Analytics are more than just numbers, they tell the story of how audiences connect with your art. By using metrics as a guide, dance managers can create social media strategies that not only attract new viewers but also deepen engagement with existing followers. Understanding what resonates with your audience allows organizations to balance content with strategy, turning audience insights into meaningful growth.
Lexi Lund is a passionate and driven Digital Marketing & E-commerce major with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, currently pursuing a double major at Western Michigan University. Combining her creativity with business strategy, she specializes in social media management, content creation, and marketing strategy, with a focus on audience engagement and brand growth within the arts.
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