What is The Venue:

The Venue is a local Bloomington Art Gallery and Gift shop dedicated to providing “fine handcrafted, functional works of art in a warm, comfortable, professional environment”. Located in the heart of downtown it attracts both local residents and College students venturing slightly off-campus. The Venue provides its guests with a variety of art mediums to either view or purchase such as jewelry, pottery, painting, and crafts. 

Objectives/What was the problem we needed to solve:

While the Gallery has been a Bloomington staple for years with the Colman family at its helm as a representation of warm hospitality, the amount of Bloomington residents and Indiana University students that are aware of them and The Venue are lacking. Additionally, the lack of social media presence is another issue that The Venue is facing in this increasingly technologically omnipresent society as modernization is necessary for an era where social media marketing and virtual events have become extremely important to all businesses.

What we accomplished:

After our research, it was decided that the creation of an Instagram account would be the appropriate choice to connect with Bloomington residents. We had two goals with the Instagram account: 1) showcase artwork from The Venue and potential events 2) increase followers and engagement in the Bloomington community. Posts and stories for the Instagram page were posted thrice a week- Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Story highlights were created in multiple categories such as Art Pieces, Artists, and Events. We were able to significantly increase the Venue’s following and most importantly the number of users engaging with us. 

Our work with the Venue ended last month, but we implemented a Student Ambassador program to carry out the marketing efforts we started. Students at IU interested in art are helping the Venue with social media marketing and aiding in-person events. 

Written by:

Melody Lin and Rahul Guhan