Shownotes
A great museum visit doesn’t start at the front door. It begins the moment someone hears about your museum. And it doesn’t end when they walk out, either. In this episode, Amy explores how to shape the full visitor experience from start to finish. She breaks down what it means to be intentional about every stage of the journey…before, during, and after the visit…as well as why these touchpoints matter more than ever. From what guests see online to how they’re welcomed in person and whether they hear from you again, it all adds up to a lasting impression. Whether you’re fine-tuning details or starting fresh, this episode will help you turn casual visitors into loyal fans by creating a journey they’ll want to repeat and share.
This is part of Amy’s Summer Book Club series based on her free ebook, “Getting Visitors Through Your Museum’s Doors: Building Connection in a Noisy World.”
Links from the Episode:
- Download a free copy of the ebook: www.lovemymuseum.com/ebook
- Join the waitlist for a new course: https://lovemymuseum.myflodesk.com/waitlist
- Listen to the rest of the series: https://www.lovemymuseum.com/podcast/summerbookclub
- https://www.lovemymuseum.com/podcast/everybody-knows-your-name
- https://www.lovemymuseum.com/podcast/communitymuseum
- https://www.lovemymuseum.com/podcast/uniquestory
More Free Resources for Museums:
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.
Transcripts
Today on the podcast, we're mapping out the entire visitor experience.
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:From the moment someone hears
about your museum to the follow-up,
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:that gets them to come back, it's
all about designing a journey.
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:They'll want to repeat and share.
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:Let's get started.
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:Hello there and welcome to
the Love My Museum podcast.
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:I'm your host, Amy Kehs
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 am so glad you're here.
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:You are listening to a special
summer book club podcast series where
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:we're diving into my free ebook,
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:getting visitors through
your museum's doors, building
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:connection in a noisy world.
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:If you haven't downloaded the
ebook yet, go ahead and grab it.
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:Uh, the link is in the show notes
and each episode of the podcast this
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:summer walks through a section of
the book and gives you ideas you
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:can put into action right away.
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:No giant budget required.
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:Last week we talked about defining
your museum's unique story, your brand
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:story, what makes your organization
memorable, how to use that story as a
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:foundation for everything that you do.
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:It's a key element to your brand
messaging, your marketing content, and
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:how you'll be building relationships.
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:With visitors so that
they become lifelong fans.
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:This week we're talking about how
to design a visitor experience.
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:From the moment someone hears about your
museum to the moment they get your thank
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:you email, or they bring a friend for
a second visit, this is what I call.
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:The visitor journey.
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:Let's be honest, a lot of museums are
so focused on getting visitors through
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:the door that they forget to think
about what happens before and after.
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:But the truth is the visitor journey
starts way before they arrive, and
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:it keeps going long after they leave.
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:And every step along the way is a
chance to either build connection.
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:Or cause confusion.
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:When we get intentional about that
visitor's journey, we create trust.
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:We make people feel like they
know what to expect, and we invite
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:them to be a part of something.
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:Creating a visitor experience that's.
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:Consistent and repeatable
creates trust and familiarity.
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:I often use the example of going to a
restaurant and having a fabulous meal.
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:The food is great, the service is amazing.
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:Everything is top notch, and you
love it so much you tell your
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:friend and decide to take them.
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:To see for themselves.
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:But when you take your
friend, it's not the same.
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:The food is overcooked,
the waiter is dismissive.
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:You have to flag them
down to get more water.
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:The hostess comes by and you get the
sense that they're pressuring you to
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:go so that they can turn the table.
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:For the people who are waiting.
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:How do you feel Embarrassed.
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:Apologetic, maybe even responsible,
do you say to your friend, oh, I'm so
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:sorry, it wasn't like this last time.
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:Creating a consistent, repeatable
experience takes the mystery out of it and
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:it creates calm author, Donald Miller says
that no one wants to walk into mystery.
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:You need to tell them what to expect.
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:You need to show them what to
expect, and that you are consistent.
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:Think of it like this.
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:You're not just putting
on a great exhibit.
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:You're hosting a guest, a guest
that you want to come back.
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:How do you want them to feel
even before they arrive?
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:And then while they're with you,
and then also after they go, I once
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:visited a small local history museum
that nailed this before I went their
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:website, answered all my questions,
hours, parking, what to expect, and even
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:how long I should plan for the visit.
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:And at the door, there was a volunteer
who greeted me like I was already.
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:Part of something, part of their
story, and two days later I got
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:a friendly email with a link to
their calendar and a thank you.
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:It was a small thing, but it made
me want to come back and it also
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:made me want to tell my friends.
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:So let's break the visitor
journey down into three parts.
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:There's before the visit.
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:Uh, during the museum visit
and then after the visit.
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:So the first part before the visit, this
is the stage where curiosity is building.
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:It includes them maybe looking on your
website, checking you out on social media.
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:Maybe it's a brochure
that they've picked up.
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:Maybe they heard about you through
a partnership that you have
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:with another local organization.
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:So I want you to ask yourself, can people
find the information they need quickly?
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:If they look for, and I'm putting
this in air quotes, proof of
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:life on social media or online.
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:Are you showing up?
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:Are you building excitement in
your content and making it easy
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:for them to say, oh, yes, I really
need to go and visit this place.
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:Are you sparking that curiosity?
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:And then the second part, the second
stage of the visitor journey is that.
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:Actual museum visit, and this is
where first impressions really count.
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:From the moment someone walks in, they
should feel welcomed and not confused.
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:Signs should be clear.
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:Your staff and volunteers should
know how to make guests feel seen.
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:Your staff and volunteers should
have had training on what to say and.
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:How to answer certain questions.
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:Talking points, can visitors easily
find restrooms, exhibits, events?
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:Do they know what to do next?
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:Is there anything
surprising or worth sharing?
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:Most asked questions are,
where are the bathrooms,
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:And what should I see?
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:Everyone should have an answer to that.
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:The third part, the third stage of
the visitor journey is after the
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:visit, don't let the relationship
end at them walking out the door.
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:Do you send a follow up?
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:Do you invite them to stay in touch?
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:A thank you email.
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:Or even a handwritten postcard can turn
a one-time guest into a returning fan.
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:These don't have to be expensive or fancy,
but they just need to be intentional
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:and they just need to show that you
are interested in them coming back and
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:encouraging that long-term relationship.
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:So here's this week's
bite-size action step.
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:Map out your current visitor journey.
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:Start from the perspective of someone
who's never heard of you before.
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:How do they discover you?
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:What's their experience
booking or planning a visit?
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:What happens when they
walk through the door?
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:Do you have a mechanism or a way to
collect information so that you can
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:stay in touch with them afterwards?
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:And do you follow through with that?
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:I can't tell you how many times I've
gone to a museum and even signed
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:a, a book with my name and my email
address, never to hear from them.
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:Take advantage of that.
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:Walk through your museum.
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:Or ask a friend to do it and report back.
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:This can be an eye-opening exercise
and it doesn't take long to do.
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:So to recap, the visitor journey
is more than just a single visit.
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:It's the complete experience and
you have the power to shape it.
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:When we design.
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:A visitor experience, a
visitor journey with intention.
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:We are creating connection.
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:And if this is something you'd like to
learn more about, I'm actually creating
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:a course for museum professionals
on the visitor journey that includes
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:how to do all of these things.
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:Along the visitor journey and
more, you can join the wait list
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:using the link in the show notes.
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:Signing up doesn't obligate
you to do the course.
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:It just signs you up to get more
information when it's ready.
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:It is perfect if you are Museum Pro
in charge of getting visitors through
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:your museum's doors, but you don't
have any formal training to do that.
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:It's continued education just for you.
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:If you haven't grabbed your copy of
the ebook yet, you can still download
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:it for free at the link in the show
notes, and that's all for today.
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:I'll see you next time.
