How Do We Really Bench Into Museum Marketing?

HEY WASSUP!

HOW ARE YOU ALL?


Today, I will tell you about how to do Marketing in a Strategic Manner. Really it is a very interesting thing to understand on how to promote your museum in a correct manner...Or maybe anything which you really want to promote..

I will start with Marketing for a NON -PROFIT ORG. Its the easiest to understand and learn..

Remember:

• Its for SOCIAL CAUSE...so, why not to PROMOTE IT! 

Why it is required to promote it?

Henceforth, This is where Strategic Marketing comes into picture..which enables you to communicate effectively with the targeted audience.A structured plan is required to build AWARENESS of the programs of the organisation. the plan should be a continuous process and one should not be dependent on an individual. Structure is sequential; time element is involved, understanding manpower and budget- that's where PLANNING is involved. Are the things done in right manner? Tasks and checklists are involved to reconsider your work and fill in the gaps. Values are also demonstrated to the community . (WHY IS A MUSEUM OPENED?) MUSEUMS ARE TRYING TO EARN THEIR OWN VALUE. It brings a sense of POSITIVISM to the org to enhance its image.

IMPACT OF STRATEGIC MARKETING

• ENHANCE REPUTATION THROUGH NAME RECOGNITION
• BUILD MEMBERSHIPS
• UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF STAKEHOLDERS -If one is not able to understand, then the event will not happen. It should be clear and organised.
• NEED TO STRENGTHEN DONATIONS AND DONORS
• TO RAISE NO. OF PARTICIPATORS- Have a goalpost regarding the population
• GENERATE MOMENTUM AND SUPPORT OF ORGANISATION-Attract the populace and make them excited
• GENERAL AWARENESS- What are your strengths and weaknesses? What makes the event so different? It should be so affected so that actin can be taken upon.

HOW TO PLAN ALL THIS?

1. Know Your Position- Your value proposition, Mission and Vision. Where does my museum stand? Museums should be encouraged to do so.
2. Review your Mission Statement and Objectives
3. SWOT ANALYSIS

HOW TO EMPHASIZE ON BRANDING?

• Every Media platform such as Mailing, Website,Print Media..etc..is a touch point . most of the time it should be official. 
• Create a Detailed list of the Person attending and the Person in -charge as well.
• Evaluation should be done after the Exhibition.
• The look and the content of the media should be considered
• Treatment of the Staff and the Volunteers should not be ignored.
• The events can be broken up into certain days and every day has its own uniqueness
• The typology of the Board Members should be taken into consideration.
• A Good Alliance should be formed between you and your Office.
• From your Brand, Donors and Members should Remember you!
• Your Brand should DISTINGUISH from your Competition.
• Frequent Mails and newsletters should be circulated. It should be more personalized and give relevant info!
• FUND RAISING should be encouraged.
• Pitch a story to a NEWSPAPER!
• WORD-OF -MOUTH is Perfect for day-to-day activities!
• When your visitors post pictures of your exhibits or themselves having fun at your exhibits, they are showing their friends and followers that a trip to your museum is fun AND makes them look good online. 
• Offer a discounted ticket or other promotion to any visitors who can show you on their phone that they’ve like your page, followed you, etc on the social media site of your choice.
• Create fun selfie-friendly spots where visitors can create great pictures to share online
• Invite popular local bloggers (or travel bloggers who are planning to be in your area) and Instagrammers to visit your museum for a special after-hours or behind the scenes tour-for free of course. Offer to introduce them to the curator and talk about a new upcoming exhibit. Basically, offer them exclusive access to take pictures and develop content for their audiences based on their experience at your site.
• Many cities have active Instagram communities that gather for “instameets.” These are informal, scheduled gatherings where groups of Instagram users gather to explore a place or event and take pictures together. They are organized on Instagram and anyone who joins the instameet posts their pictures on an agreed upon hashtag so that everyone can see the pictures.

IN SUM, IT SHOULD AFFECT THE HEART, MIND AND WALLET OF THE EVERYONE ATTENDING YOUR EVENT AT YOUR MUSEUM!

WILL BE BACK SHORTLY!

MUSEUM MARKETING...REALLY??

Hmmm...Yes! Agreed Indeed!

Before I move further, I wish to exclaim that now officially I'm pursuing my Masters and in a discipline which is very interesting yet unheard !

Any Guesses? No?

Okay!

So, the discipline is called as "MUSEUM STUDIES" OR "MUSEOLOGY (In Fact!)




YES...I know ..Life is so complicated....uugh!!

But this is the reality...It was really unconventional for me to get into such a course which hardly has scope in India..Being the biggest risk of my life I strongly feel that such should be endorsed at a larger scale to an asounded audience.
I managed to skim into it as initially I have a historia curios seed which wanted to learn more pragmatically rather than with bookish knowledge. So, as a Matter Of Fact, I did it!!



As the time is travelling and the train is moving, I would like to give you a sneek-o-peek into what this course is all about and especially what I am studying now...



(Yes...I know)...

Currently, I am looking towards a subject known as 'Museum Marketing'. as the name suggests, it is all about promoting the Museum Culture to its utmost severity through any means ,such a social media (WHAT I AM DOING)...feedbacks..(WHICH I WANT AFTER I FINISH THIS) and so on...It is more of attracting the attention of the people and converge them into StoryTelling!



(NO NO PLEASE!...)

Didn't mean this, but yes it is more about getting to know about their interests, rather than being informative and convincing them what you know.

Depending upon the interests,at first, we need to choose the audience to whom we are getting indulged into..THE TARGET AUDIENCE!!!



This look....Kills me!!! HAHA...

The target audience can be anyone-Men, Women,Children, anyone can join the museum family.To lure them towards the museum, certain strategies are meant to be Planned and Implemented..

For Instance, -

TO CONDUCT SPECIAL EVENTS ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS...

MOUTH-WORDING....(LOL!)

Y
E
S!

And so on..So basically, this course demands for such tools in order to create an environment of curiosity and attention from the visitor to be more relatable and wanting the visitor to visit again and again to the museum.

On the other hand, it also allows the museum to be more consistent in order to maximize its performance inch by inch. 

"WITHOUT THE HEART, THE MIND IS LOST"

Hence, without the visitor, the museum is no more. If a museum is not able to attract its followers, ( and obviously, those who don't follow), it would not be considered as a 'LAND OF THE MASSES'.

Therefore, Marketing is quite essential in order to enhance the working of the museum as well as to check the participation of the visitor. Thereby, some famous museums have their own Visitor Analysis in order to perpetuate their working and the perception of the visitor.

In Short, The Visitor's 'PAY IN' to the Museum would not be a wastage!

Other than that,the most important phase in Marketing lies in the the underlisted Four Definitions (AIDA) which can surely help to attract your visitors to your Museum!

1. Awareness-

You can tend to draw the attention and initially do it by Creating a Logo for your Museum, Like the V&A, so that the appeal of the museum is more reassuring the visitor's attention and keep your museum in his memory all the time. Social Media is as assert where the museum can have bright and colourful pages and can be used as a platform to share and describe the happenings, announce public events and provide community info!

2.                         Interests-

You can enlighten the grey matter of the audience by getting to know how they can relate themselves with the museum- culturally, aesthetically, socially, and drive their emotional state to an extent where they indulge themselves to the core.

3.                              Desire-

This is the most self driven aspect where one is willing to consume something in order to satisfy his/her want. The audience tend to draw itself to the artefact/product due to its uniqueness and creative appeal and here the museum holds the audience with queer curiosity. One can take up reviews/feedbacks , have lucky draws and certain tactile activities and can therefore relate the aspirations of visitor to them.

4.                                            Action-

This is the doing aspect- where the museum comes into being through physical comfort by promoting sales through discounts, providing them with free meals, conducting free and comfort services therein to make the audience happy and give them ease with the state of entertainment and enjoyment.

At the end, Museum Marketing is a prolonged aspect of the museum where the museum finds its comfort when it comforts the visitor's needs and wants.

See Yaa Ciao Ciao!