Welcome to 2024! Before we get too far into this new year, here's a recap of some things you and fellow Arts Marketers found most useful/interesting over the past 12 months …

From the Supercool website:

Online content creation – tips and tools

✍️ Words to the wise – having fun with tone of voice

One of a series of articles based on our standing-room-only AMA Conf 2023 talk, Words to the Wise. Here, Kate and Katie celebrate some great examples of language that’s chock-full of personality and fun.

✍️ Blog post starter kit

Based on the template we use for our own posts, this starter kit includes helpful step-by-step prompts and an example style guide. Intended for digital content-writing newbies, feel free to adapt this template to suit your own team and organisation.

✍️ What's a blog for in 2023?

Content consultant Lauren Pope carried out a study for us – auditing the blogs of 30 different arts and cultural organisations. These are the headline findings. (You can also watch Lauren talk through these findings in her Supercool Sessions webinar, "Just stick it on the blog".)

Usability and accessibility

⭐ Words to the wise – accessible copy and content structure

Another article based on our AMA Conf 2023 talk, this post focuses on making sure the way you describe your organisation, and the things you sell, is clear and understandable – to everyone.

⭐ How to write good alt text

A perennially popular post, you'll find some easy to follow tips. And a picture of a bear.

⭐ How user testing helped to improve Bishopsgate Institute's website

Client Services Consultant Miriam talks through what we did, what we discovered – and the changes we made based on that "incredibly helpful process".

Digital sustainability

🌳 Sustainable content creation tips

Okay, this article could have sat in that first 'Online content creation" section – but this info is specifically aimed at helping you to be mindful of/reduce your website's carbon footprint.

🌳 Supercool Sessions #10: Act Green 2023 findings revealed

More than 17,000 cultural audience members from across the UK took part in a survey about their attitudes towards the climate emergency – and the role of cultural organisations in helping to tackle it. Here's what they revealed …

🌳 How to make a Sustainability Pledge

We've been making – and actioning! – Sustainability Pledges for a few years, so thought we'd share some pointers about how you can too!

I know digital sustainability is something lots of you are really keen to learn more about – you'll find loads more (FREE!) practical resources in our Digital Sustainability Resource Hub 🤗

From our "brilliant, informative and entertaining" newsletter:

⚡ FREE TOOL: Data interrogation for theatre folk

Sam Freeman of Theatr Clwyd made and shared this nifty tool that "the exhausted, overworked, but inexplicably attractive arts marketing manager/officer/professional, working in theatre, can actually use."

⚡ Kate and the all-women panel of ticketing experts – at TPC 2023

Kate talked about sharing a stage with four (other) brilliant women to talk ticketing and tech last year. Ticketing Professionals Conference 2024 is coming up in March – hope we'll see you there?

⚡ Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace for individuals and teams to save, edit and share information online. Here at Supercool, we use it as our team resource hub for important stuff. Like keeping an up-to-date list of 'Pets of Supercool'.

⚡ The Crab Museum wins an award; drops an F-bomb

The team delivered an impassioned speech when collecting a Digital Culture Network award for their eccentric and engaging Instagram posts. With an added peppering of politics and blue language.

⚡ Quick Book – our nifty Spektrix-integrated feature

Launched to coincide with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's new season on-sale, our nifty feature helped some of their biggest fans to buy loooads of tickets – in quick-smart time 🙌

⚡ Roasted carrots with feta and orzo

You seem pretty keen on the (exclusively vegetarian) recipes I share in the newsletter every month. This one was the most popular. And it really is very delicious – and straightforward to make!