Part 2 of the audio series based on the free ebook Getting Visitors Through Your Museum’s Doors: Building Connection in a Noisy World and is designed to help museums of all sizes attract and engage visitors.

More Free Resources for Museums:

• Museum Planning Calendar
• Museum Metrics Template

About the host: 

Amy Kehs is a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive into the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as she does. Her proven process sets up proactive communication habits for museums, cultivating relationships with visitors who will want to return and bring a friend. Want to talk more? Click this link to book a call.

Why your museum matters, even if you're small.

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You might not always hear it, but your

museum matters deeply to your community.

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In fact, a report by the American

Alliance of Museums tells us that

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96% of Americans believe museums

are important educational assets.

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And 89% say museums contribute significant

economic benefits to their communities.

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Your museum's impact extends

far beyond its walls.

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Shaping how people learn, gather and

feel connected to where they live.

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Museums help people feel

proud of where they live.

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You preserve stories that

would otherwise be forgotten.

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You spark curiosity and creativity.

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You give neighbors a place to gather,

to learn, to laugh, to pause when

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you position your museum as a hub.

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A place, not just for

exhibits, but for connection.

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You give people a reason to show up

again and again, and that kind of

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loyalty can't be bought With advertising.

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It's built through belonging.

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One time visitors versus lifelong fans.

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When you shift your focus from visitor

numbers to visitor relationships,

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something powerful happens.

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You start asking different questions.

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Are people coming back?

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Are they bringing friends or family?

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Are they talking about us at

their book club or PTA meeting?

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Do they feel like the museum

is part of their story?

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That's the difference between a

one-time visitor and a lifelong

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fan, and it's not about running more

programs or having flashier signage,

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it's about the way you invite people

in and make them feel connected.

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Think people, not just objects.

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It is natural to send to your exhibits,

collections, or events in your

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messaging, but a true community museum.

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Puts people at the heart of everything.

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Your visitors might not remember

every artifact label, but they will

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remember how your museum made them feel.

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When you start thinking in terms

of stories, conversations, shared

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memories and moments of connection,

you shift from being a place.

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People visit once to a

place they feel they belong.

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Becoming a local hub, a community

museum is where families

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bring visiting relatives.

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Students go on their first field

trip, retirees find a reason to get

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out of the house, newcomers to town,

learn about their surroundings.

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Neighbors gather for events, exhibits, or

even just a quiet afternoon, and you don't

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have to reinvent your mission to do this.

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You just need to ask, what

would it look like to make

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people feel more welcome here?

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More included, more connected.

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Sometimes it's the small things

that make the biggest difference.

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You can install a

community bulletin board.

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Offering free admission days,

partnering with local businesses,

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or simply making sure your signage

feels friendly and accessible.

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Case studies.

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A local children's museum puts

out a deal each month for children

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and their caregivers Bring 10

buttons and get free admission.

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A small art museum added a meet

your neighbor wall where visitors

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could write and post something

about what the museum meant to them.

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It became one of the most popular

features, a natural history center

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held monthly community curator nights

inviting residents to bring in personal

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objects and stories to be temporarily

displayed alongside their collection.

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A local history museum had

a volunteer favorite table.

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During the town's first night festivities,

volunteers chose their favorite artifact

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for visitors to see and learn about.

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A local historic home offered its

spas to a nonprofit organization to

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hold their meetings in exchange the

organization arranged free speaker

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nights for the community that

took place after their meetings.

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None of these ideas required big budgets,

just a willingness to try something

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new, and a commitment to becoming

a place that people feel a part of.

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Quick checklist.

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How to know you are a community museum.

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People know who you are, even

if they haven't visited yet.

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Your events feel warm and welcoming.

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You collaborate with

other local organizations.

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You talk about your people

just as much as your artifacts.

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You make decisions based on what

your community needs and wants.

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Action steps, strengthen

your community ties today.

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Here are a few small but powerful ways

to become more community centered.

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Starting this week, introduce yourself

to a local business owner and talk

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about a simple partnership idea.

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Invite a local teacher, student,

or community leader to give

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feedback on your next program.

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Look at your signage or website.

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Does it feel welcoming

to a first time visitor?

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Highlight a visitor or volunteer

on your social media this month.

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Reach out to your email list with

a, we want to hear from you, prompt.

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You don't have to do everything at once.

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Just take one step at a time and keep

asking, how can we bring more people in

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and make them feel like they belong here?

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If you've ever struggled with

how to describe your museum in

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a way that makes people light up

with interest, you're not alone.

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You might say, we are a history

museum, or we focus on local art, or

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We have a great fossil collection.

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And while all of that might be

true, it's not the whole story

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because your museum is so much more

than what's in your collection.

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Your real magic lies in your

perspective, in the why behind what

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you do in the voice you bring to your

exhibits and in the way you connect

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people to the world around them.

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That's your unique story.

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And it's one of your most powerful tools

for building lasting relationships with

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visitors in today's crowded landscape.

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Museums that communicate a clear,

compelling story stand out.

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The research tells us that

over 60% of museum visitors.

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Now research exhibitions and programs

online before visiting in person, making

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it more important than ever to share what

makes your museum unique on your website,

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social media, and elsewhere online.

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What makes you different?

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Hint, it's not just your collection.

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There are thousands of history museums,

art galleries, science centers, and

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cultural institutions across the country.

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But no one else does it quite like you.

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Maybe you tell local stories with

national resonance, like the way

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your town's, textile industry shaped

labor movements across the country.

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Approach science through storytelling

and play turning complex concepts

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into hands-on experiments that spark

curiosity in kids and adults alike.

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Offer visitors a deeply personal look

at your community's heritage, curating

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exhibits with objects, loans from

local families and oral histories

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recorded by longtime residents.

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Make people feel like part of the

exhibit, not just observers, by

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always inviting them to add their own

memories, questions, or reflections

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right alongside the artifacts.

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Tell the story of that

remarkable fossil collection.

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Not just because it's impressive,

but because it reflects the

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passion of your museum's founder

who spent decades collecting and

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preserving local discoveries.

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Celebrate local artists by not

only showing their work, but by

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hosting live painting, demos,

artist talks, and residencies

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that make the museum feel alive.

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Create unexpected connections by

linking history, art, science,

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and culture in a way that helps

visitors see their world differently.

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The point is what you offer

goes far beyond your collection.

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It's the way you do it and

the way it makes people feel.

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That sets your museum apart.

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When you clarify and celebrate that

your visitors feel it too, they know

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they're experiencing something special.

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Your mission, vision and

values put them to work.

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Most museums have a mission statement.

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Often it is tucked away somewhere

in a binder or on their website.

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But here's the thing, your mission

shouldn't live in a document.

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It should live in your decisions

and in everything you do.

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Let me tell you a quick story.

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My family once spent the

day at the San Diego Zoo.

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We arrived right when the gates opened

and stayed all the way until closing time.

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It was a full day of walking

through exhibits, seeing incredible

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animals and soaking it all in.

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My kids still say it was one of the

best vacation days they've ever had,

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but here's what really stood out to me.

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The museum's mission wasn't just

something written on a plaque.

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It was something we experienced over

and over again throughout the day.

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We heard it on the double decked

bus tour first thing in the

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morning as the guide gave us a big

picture introduction to the park.

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We heard it again during the wildlife

presentation in the amphitheater woven

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into the stories of the animals and

the work being done to protect them.

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By the end of the day, we saw

it literally on a giant mural

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inside one of the final exhibits.

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The same messages we'd heard all

day were spelled out on the wall.

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Clear and compelling.

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By the time we left, my whole

family could tell you what the zoo

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stood for, not because we studied

a brochure, but because we had felt

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it throughout the entire experience.

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The zoo's mission and message were so

well integrated into everything they did.

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We couldn't miss it.

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That's the power of consistent messaging.

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Be like the San Diego Zoo.

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Let your mission show up in every

part of your visitor experience.

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Repeat your messaging everywhere.

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Your museum uses its words on your

website, in your social media posts,

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in your email marketing, in your

press releases, and in the way your

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staff and volunteers talk to visitors.

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A clear message is powerful.

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A consistent message is unforgettable.

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The same goes for your vision and values.

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These statements aren't just for

grant proposals or board meetings.

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They are the foundation for

everything you say and do.

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When used well, they help keep your

messaging consistent and compelling.

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Make planning and programming easier.

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Build trust with your community,

inspire your staff and volunteers.

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Try this the next time you

write a newsletter post on

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social media or plan an event.

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Look at your mission first.

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What would it sound like if you wove

those values into your messaging?

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Could a visitor feel your

mission just by reading a sign or

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walking through the front door?

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Consistency matters.

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In fact, it's scientifically proven

that the more often people hear the

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same message, the more they trust it.

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Repetition builds

recognition, recognition.

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Build relationships.

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Use your story in everything you do.

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When your unique story and mission are

front and center, it becomes easier

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for visitors to understand what you

stand for and share it with others.

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That's the goal.

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You want your visitors to know your

message so clearly that they repeat it to

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your friends when you're not in the room.

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That's when your museum

becomes more than just a place.

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It becomes a story.

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People wanna be a part of action steps.

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Write a simple compelling museum story.

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This is your brand story.

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Here's a quick exercise

to get you started.

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Question one, what makes

your museum different?

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Write down three things

that set you apart.

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It could be your style,

your stories, your approach.

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Question two, why do you exist?

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Revisit your mission, vision, and values.

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What do you want your community

to remember about you?

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Question three, what do you want

people to say when they leave?

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Imagine someone describing

your museum to a friend.

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What do you hope they'll say?

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Question four, write a

one paragraph brand story.

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In plain language, write a paragraph

that captures who you are, what

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you do, and why it matters.

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This isn't a formal boilerplate.

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This is what you tell someone over coffee

if they ask, what's your museum all about?

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It can be emotional,

personal, or even poetic.

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Use that paragraph on your website.

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In your email footer, in grant

applications, on your brochures,

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and in staff onboarding, when

you say it often and clearly,

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others will start saying it too.