Amy:
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Hey there!
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Last week I attended the Small
Museum Association Conference, and
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today we're going to talk about the
question that just kept popping up,
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and I imagine it's one that
you're probably thinking too.
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Let's get started!
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Welcome to the Love My Museum podcast.
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I'm your host, Amy Keys,
and I love museums.
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I'm also a brand strategist and
communications expert for museums,
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and I'm so glad that you're here.
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I'm also really excited for
today's episode because it's
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about something I know that so
many of you are thinking about.
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Last week I attended the Small Museum
Association Conference and today we're
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talking about the one question that
kept coming up in almost every session.
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It wasn't surprising, but it was
a reminder of just how much small
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museums need support in this area.
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And it's what I do.
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So today we're going to break it
down and I'm going to talk to you
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about what you can do to tackle
this challenge at your museum.
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So, at the conference, during almost
every Q& A session, or when I was meeting
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people in the hallway, or talking to
them at the opening reception, or sitting
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beside them at breakfast, I kept hearing
different versions of the same question.
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How do you get more
visitors through your doors?
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How do you let people
know about your programs?
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Or, I don't know how to implement
this because no one knows we exist.
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And so if you've ever asked any
of these questions, I want you
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to know that you're not alone.
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And the good news is that there
are things that you can do
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starting today to see real results.
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So instead of focusing only on how
to get visitors through the door, The
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real question is, and what I want you
to start asking, is how do we make
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sure that visitors want to come back?
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How do we create an experience
that they'll talk about?
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And how do we build a connection
with our community so that they
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see us as an essential place?
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Getting visitors in the
door is really important.
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It is how your museum survives.
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But getting them to come
back and bring a friend?
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That is how your museum will
thrive into the next century.
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A visitor's experience starts
long before they walk in.
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We talked about this in the
last episode of the podcast.
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I want you to think about your website.
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Is it easy to find what they need?
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Does it feel welcoming?
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I want you to think about the
emails that you send to your
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list and your social media posts.
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Are you engaging with
people or is it just a box?
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Box that you're checking.
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How is your in person experience?
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Is it one that is consistent?
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Are visitors greeted warmly?
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Do they feel like they belong?
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When someone has a great
experience, they don't just return.
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They tell their friends.
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They talk about it on social media.
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And they help spread the word for you.
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One of the biggest misconceptions
I think is that you need a
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huge marketing budget to grow.
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A lot of the conversations
that I had at the conference.
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People would say, well, Amy,
you work at these big museums
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with these really big budgets.
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And I would have to
tell them, actually, no.
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Most of the work that I
do is public relations.
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It's media relations.
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It's earned media.
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And it's working with visitor services.
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Or, working on an email
list to get those results.
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You want to create experiences
that are worth talking about,
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because when people have a great
time, they're going to share it.
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You want your museum to be involved
in the community so that people see
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you as a part of their world, and
it's not just a place to visit once.
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And you want to make your visitors
feel like insiders, like they belong,
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and like they want to bring others to
experience what you've experienced.
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It's about building a museum that
people love so much that they
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can't help but talk about it.
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At the conference.
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I had so many conversations
with people who felt stuck.
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They knew what they wanted, they wanted
more visitors, more engagement, but
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they just weren't sure how to get there.
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And that is why I created the Love My
Museum framework, and it's made such a
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difference for so many museums already.
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A good framework doesn't mean that
you have to do more work The other
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thing I heard was, well, Amy, I
don't know if I have time to do the
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things that you're talking about.
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But a good framework doesn't mean
that you have to do more work.
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It means that you're focusing
on the right things in a way
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that's actually sustainable.
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It makes sure that you're spending
your limited time and resources
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on what actually moves the needle.
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You're not just throwing out
random marketing efforts and hoping
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that something is going to stick.
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You're creating a long term repeatable
process, not just one time wins.
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And that's what I focus
on when I help museums.
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But whether you're following a whole
framework or you just want to start
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one small change from today's episode,
the important thing is to take action.
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Maybe you decide that you will
consistently send an email out
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to your email list every month.
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Maybe you'll figure out a way to capture
email addresses of your visitors.
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Maybe you'll write a script or an
outline to help your volunteers who are
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greeting visitors at the front door.
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Maybe you'll improve your website
so that somebody is If your
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museum is struggling to get people
in the door, you're not alone.
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And there are solutions.
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And there are ones that
don't require a huge budget.
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Just a
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very thoughtful approach.
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Start by making sure every
visitor's experience is a good
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one so that they want to return.
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Focus on those relationships.
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And don't be afraid to follow a system
that will make things easier for you.
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I'd love to hear what you're
trying at your museum.
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You can always reach out.
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I'll leave some helpful
links in the show notes.
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And stay tuned because some of
the incredible speakers from the
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Small Museum Association Conference
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are going to be joining me
here on the podcast soon.
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Because at the end of the day,
it's not just about getting
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people in the door once.
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It's about creating a museum
experience that makes them want
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to come back and bring a friend.
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That's all for today.
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Keep up the great work and
keep loving your museum.
