Social Media in Museums
Today's generation is obsessed with social media and instant information due to the internet. Museums have had to find a way to fit into this millennial society by sharing information in a whole new way. You will find many museums, historical societies, house museums, etc. using platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even Snapchat to market themselves and share their knowledge with the public. What many of us don't think about is the strategizing, planning, and hard work that goes into getting this kind of information out. This blog will be a demonstration or how to, so to speak, about what goes on behind these posts and how they are shared with all of you.
Since social media is new to the museum world, there aren't really any foundations or "rules" covering best practices. This can be somewhat exciting because museums can now create and market an image to match their mission and share who they are with the world. However, guidelines should first be set to keep an track with the museums mission and the voice they want to be heard.
1. Which media platforms are you going to use?
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Snapchat
Etc.
2. You want to establish goals and strategies for each media platform you wish to use.
Who will oversee your accounts?
What audience would you like to target?
How many followers, likes, etc. would you like to have? (you should raise this goal each time you hit the previous number so you're always trying to reach more people)
What voice do you want to use? (institutional or personal voice)
What type of content will be shared on each media platform?
How often will you post?
Building up content is important to achieve before trying to reach followers. The content should tell great stories using the institutions collection and/or local history. These stories allow the community to connect with your institution on a new level and to tell the stories of real people and events. This also gets viewers to build a connection to their past. Even though you will most likely be sharing other people's stories, originality and creativity is important to keep in mind. Being creative with your story telling allows viewer to get a new perspective on stories they may have already heard and therefore, build on that existing connection to the past.
Telling stories isn't the only way to reach the public. Sending visitors on scavenger hunts to find objects in your institution can be a fun way for you and your visitors to connect. having a photo or selfie challenge, establishing hashtags, and posting events are great ways to connect and bring popularity to your social media presence. There are many other way to provide content for your visitors to share and participate in. BE CREATIVE!!
Now it's time to build up a following if you haven't already from building your content. Having hashtags as mentioned earlier is a great way to start accumulating followers. You may mention these hashtags throughout your institution, encouraging visitors to take photos, hashtag, post, and in turn, follow your institution. By creating content and connecting with people who will share your stories allows you to reach a wider audience and gets you one step closer to reaching the goals of your institutions social media goals.
As for everyone else, please go support your local museum, historical society, national park, or whatever it may be by following them on social media and sharing their stories with your family and friends. You never know what kind of impact this simple task could make on your community.
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