Sharing Inspiration and Insights from Lynn Aitchison

As part of our International Women's Day podcast series, in which we highlight women's stories of creative resilience, Lucy Costelloe, head of sales and marketing at Ticketsolve, spoke to Lynne Aitchison, founder and CMO of Evolare Digital. Lynn shared her journey through the arts and cultural sector, alongside practical advice on leveraging digital marketing strategies and tools to enhance your organisation’s marketing efforts.

It’s a truly stellar episode, which you can listen to in full here - but we also couldn’t resist sharing some of Lynn’s nuggets of wisdom and inspiration that stayed with us after listening👇

The Importance of Internal Optimism

Lynn’s fearlessness and resilience clearly comes across throughout the episode - and this is something that she attributes to her "internal optimism" – a positive mindset that allows her to keep going even when faced with challenges. She believes that anything is possible with hard work and the right attitude, which has helped her overcome moments of self-doubt or imposter syndrome. We dare you not to be inspired! 

Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity

A perspective that we also embrace here at Ticketsolve, Lynn emphasises the value of a "growth mindset" and being willing to fail fast and learn from data. It’s inevitable that not every test or campaign will succeed, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing: failures provide valuable insights into what doesn't work and how to adjust strategies for future success.

Budgeting for Meaningful Growth

Lynn encourages organisations to re-evaluate their budgeting priorities, suggesting that too much money is often spent on website redesigns while marketing budgets remain inadequate. She recommends allocating 5-20% of desired revenue growth to marketing, depending on brand awareness.

The Power of Email Marketing

Struggling with a reduced marketing budget? Lynn is a huge advocate of email marketing as a cost-effective channel for nurturing leads and driving repeat purchases - especially in times of tight budgets. She believed that building and leveraging a strong email database can be a game-changer for organisations with limited marketing resources.

Personalisation and Lookalike Audiences

If you do have a larger marketing budget to play with, and are looking at digital advertising, Lynn advises personalising ads based on user behaviours and data, and leveraging lookalike audiences on social media to target users with similar interests and characteristics as existing subscribers or customers.

Continuous Learning and Curiosity

It’s fair to say that the marketing sector moves faster than many of us can keep up with! To stay ahead of constantly evolving trends and platforms, Lynn recommends dedicating time for self-learning, subscribing to industry newsletters, taking online courses, and building relationships with platform representatives who can provide valuable insights and support.

Building a Strong Team

Another inspiring message that we can get behind! Lynn emphasises the importance of surrounding oneself with a smart, capable team and creating an environment that empowers them to excel. She shares that as a leader, her focus is on removing obstacles and providing the strategies that enable her team to deliver exceptional results.

Throughout our conversation with her, Lynn's passion for marketing, her commitment to continuous learning, and her entrepreneurial spirit shone through. Her insights offer valuable guidance for marketers navigating the ever-changing landscape sector, whilst also maintaining creative resilience in the face of challenges. Listen to the full episode below (or click here) - and make sure to like and subscribe, as well!