Social media is the most powerful and most economical platform for introducing new audiences to classical music. It's also the best for nurturing people through the middle of the sales funnel, that stretch of time between their first awareness that you exist and the moment they finally click the link to your website.

If you want to sell tickets, send an email to a huge list of names. Where did you get that email list? Someone has to find you first, like what they see, and decide you're worth giving up their email address. Instagram is the best catalyst to make this happen. It's the top of the funnel that makes everything downstream possible.

Classical music's future depends on growing exposure, education, and access for many different demographics and geographies. Arts organizations' best hope for making this happen is by creating outstanding, engaging Instagram accounts.

Are "trending audios" too casual for the arts? Should orchestras post memes? These are fair questions, and the answer is: it depends on who you're trying to reach.

I see a lot of arts organizations jumping on social media trends. When done well, following a trend signals that your organization is paying attention — that you're current, alive, in the conversation. Relevance is always worth pursuing.

The problem is when the trend isn't relevant to your target audience.

Here’s the most common mistake I see in the social media accounts of arts organizations—they treat social media like a PR ticker tape.

This is a problem for many reasons, but two stand out:

• Orchestras are wasting marketing budget on dead-end posting.

• Orchestras are missing out on the most effective tool they have for attracting new audiences.