Marketing

I’m a

Brand Strategist

&

for arts and cultural organizations

WHAT I DO

I help organizations clarify their message, find their audiences, and grow. With over 25 years of experience in building brands, I partner with you to transform your patron development strategy and brand story, generate revenue and relevance, and infuse best practices to continue your success.

CONTACT

sprentiss@artfulstrategies.org
608.628.8832

IS YOUR MARKETING WORKING?

Is your programming reaching empty seats instead of eager audiences?

Does your messaging get lost in the noise, making it hard to attract new patrons?

Do visitors understand your unique value, or do they drift away after a single experience?

Attracting and converting casual visitors into loyal patrons requires more than just great programming or collections. It demands a deep understanding of your unique position in the community’s cultural landscape, and to connect that unique value with your audience’s needs.

That’s where I come in. I help cultural organizations transform their marketing and brand story into a powerful engine for growth and engagement.

  • I can help you:

    • Clarify your unique value and brand story, and develop a plan to help you communicate it.

    • Guide the development or refinement of your mission/vision/values.

    • Analyze the competitive landscape to differentiate your products and messaging.

    • Guide the organization to speak with one clear voice.Identify and nurture strategic partnerships.

    • Oversee your next rebranding or website with external design partners.

    • Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard in the process.

  • I can help you:

    • Evaluate the tone, clarity, targeting, and emotional resonance of your current marketing, and redirect your efforts to make them more effective.

    • Develop an integrated plan for a campaign or launch, with clear goals, messages, targets, and metrics.

    • Reinvigorate your customer relationship management strategy, with a focus on loyalty and retention.

    • Assess your team structure, reignite and re-engage their talents, and develop a change management plan.

    • Provide a holistic picture of your marketing and brand through a 360-degree audit.

    • Conduct an onsite marketing strategy sprint to inspire and train your team.

    • Ignite community partnerships and activations to help your brand grow.

    • Assess gaps and opportunities in your visitor experience to delight guests and improve retention.

  • I can help you:

    • Identify and refine new programming and experiential opportunities to tap into new markets.

    • Assess your brand across all experiential touch points, with an eye toward reducing friction, increasing delight and repeat buyers, and fostering belonging and inclusion.

    • Create human-centered engagement opportunities that connect with and immerse you in your community.

    • Launch new programs and products to the right audiences with the right message.

  • I can help you:

    • Develop and refine your target audiences and how to reach them.

    • Identify where new patron growth will come from.

    • Turn research and data insights into action.

    • Identify what you want to know and connect you with an appropriate research partner.

    • Evaluate your analytics and reporting capabilities and advise on best practices.

    • Craft compelling brand messaging and content strategy

    • Optimize team structure and culture for peak performance

    • Guide leadership transitions with expert mentorship

    • Navigate facility transitions and change management within teams

    • Energize strategic planning and board engagement

I care about organizations that make the world better.

I provide insight that drives results—freeing you to focus on your bold mission.

  • CMO-level expertise

  • 25+ years of experience in generating millions in revenue

  • Data-led, audience-centric, results-driven approaches

  • Join a group of phenomenal clients

How It Works

  1. Book a 15-minute consultation.

  2. Review your custom proposal.

  3. We execute the plan together.

  • Sherri brings strong leadership skills, a keen analytical sense, an instinct for breakthrough creative, a passion for understanding customers, and a dedication to the art that results in lasting success.

    —David Snead, President & CEO, Handel + Haydn Society

  • Sherri understands the pulse of current audience trends in post-pandemic world. She is a marketing guru and business leader providing mission-driven strategies that enhance audience development, retention, and donor satisfaction.

    —Marie-Hélène Bernard, President and CEO, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

  • She's a leader that excels regardless of the context. Sherri is both thoughtful and probing… and gets to result. She's a star.

    —Trey Devey, President, Interlochen Center for the Arts

  • I would recommend Sherri without hesitation if you need a leader with focus, insight, intelligence, empathy, and deep experience.

    —Jonathan Martin, President & CEO, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

  • Sherri combines strategic insight with practical recommendations for implementing complex process change. She is a patient listener and thought partner who charts a path to a stronger marketing program. She cares deeply…and encourages adaptation, innovation, and evolution. I can't recommend her highly enough.

    —John Forsyte, President, Pacific Symphony

  • Sherri was a strategic thought partner on our brand refresh. She’s the perfect blend of creative and strategic across all facets of brand strategy, helping to crystallize key insights on current and future audiences. She is a joy to work with—smart, strategic, and fun—the best kind of consulting partner.

    —Dana Long, VP of Marketing and Communications, Pacific Symphony