Did you ever stop and think about how much content museums have sitting inside their walls? Or the stories that are waiting to be told – both historical and modern? Museums (and any cultural institution, for that matter) are brimming with content. This content can be used for your social media channels. So don’t fret!
I want to tell you exactly how social media can be used. By putting your museums or organizations in front of your audience, you will enhance engagement, increase visitor numbers, and stay productive and active in your community. Social media is THE tool that will help set apart your museum or gallery!
Social Media in Museums
It’s incredibly important for museums to stay relevant in this tech-savvy world that is continuously changing systems. The new (and old) generations are fully embracing this technology. Trends show all generations are using social media as their main source of information. More than any other advertising method out there. Don’t let your museum fall behind in this world that social media seems to be running.
I am telling you, it pays to play. And luckily, social media can be fun to play with!
Social Media is a great tool to use for:
- Highlighting your collection
- Sharing photos from current exhibitions
- Creating buzz around upcoming exhibitions
- Spotlighting your hardworking staff and volunteers
- Targeting vacationers that will potentially be in your area.
Just to name a few!
Using Social Media Effectively
I can even break some of these topics down for you. This post will tell you exactly why media posts can be beneficial to share with your audience.
By sharing photos from your exhibits you have many options.
- You can connect with your followers through a specialized hashtag campaign. This campaign is directly related to your museum or even the specific exhibit in question. This encourages visitors to use the hashtag in their own social media posts for engagement and sharing purposes. This can happen during, throughout, and after their visit.
A great example of this is the Field Museum in Chicago.
The #fieldmuseum hashtag campaign has been in circulation for visitors to use throughout any exhibition in the museum. The museum also created a specific campaign around the extensive and diligent relocation of their infamous Sue the T. Rex. #SUEonTheMove is a social media campaign that is constantly updated. It establishes a fun tone and engages its audience.
This in turn will…
- Sharing exhibition photos will entice visitors already looking at your museum to visit and explore further. Exhibitions covering a particular topic can guarantee that people with this exact interest will find it through social media methods. This can result in potential visits in response. Exhibitions are a great way to get new visitors to the door for specific reasons that your museum offers.
For example, I have a specific interest in certain things (like most people). This includes Impressionist art, European WWII history, medieval history, and portrait paintings from the 17th-18th century. Pretty specific, right? If an exhibition matches my interests, there is a high likelihood that I’ll be coming for a visit if I’m in the area. But I don’t know it’s on if it doesn’t get circulated on Social Media, right?
And finally….
- Posting images of current exhibits can reengage visitors that have already been to your museum. I still remember fantastic exhibit’s that wowed me. Gallipoli: The Scale of War exhibit from 2015 at the Te Papa Museum absolutely blew me away. The artistic talent, the storytelling and the curation of this exhibit were absolutely spot on. Every corner had something new and equally as incredible as the last.
- Or the first time I saw “Boulevard Montmartre, morning, cloudy weather” by Pissarro. Museums reposting art pieces that positively affected me would encourage my own engagement with their post, at the very least.
Museums can target vacationers
Lastly, museums have the opportunity to target people planning their trips, or even those currently on their holiday vacations. Having correlating hashtags or an active online presence gives museums a higher chance of being mentioned or tagged on social media. This is especially relevant while people are on holiday. During these occasions, people are more likely to mention/share brands or places during their holidays more than any other times.
Going Forward For Museums
So what does this mean for museums? It means that you have a huge online audience that is waiting to be engaged with! We all know the world needs more culture, art, and history in their lives. It’s up to museums and the cultural sector to get this information to the masses – before Fortnight, YouTube videos of other kids playing dolls, and Netflix take over the intellect of the youth. Make a move and get out on social media platforms.
Have questions? Ask me here.