Presentation given during a marketing training session for Victorian Nights North Norfolk volunteers by Rosie Clarke, Museums at Night Marketing Coordinator at Culture24.

1. Museums at Night
marketing tips for
volunteers
Rosie Clarke
Culture24

2. Welcome!
• Who are you?
• What’s the best thing about being involved
with Victorian Nights?
• Your hopes for this morning?

3. Marketing outcomes
• Storytelling
• Develop skills, confidence
• Legacy of resources
• Good PR for venues
• Attract visitors
• Give visitors great experience – WOM
• Audience development

4. Culture24

5. Content

9. Campaigns

10. The Museums at Night story
• French culture ministry
• Campaign for Museums
• Culture24 since 2009

11. 2011 festival stats
• 169 towns and cities
• 352 venues
• 467 events
• 100,000+ visitors
• £1.1 million media coverage (AVE)
• 94% of venues would take part again

12. North Norfolk Museums at Night
• “Failing forwards” philosophy
• What’s worked well in the past?
• What would you change in future?

13. Target audience
• Who are they?
• Where are they, in real life and online?
• How can you reach them?

14. Marketing channels
• Product – event description, press release,
images
• Traditional media – print & broadcast
• Online coverage
• Email newsletters
• Your own printed publicity
• In person

15. Event description
• Creative copywriting
• Why should people come out to your event?
• Collection objects / highlights / extras
• Night time atmosphere?
• Sensory descriptions – not just sight

16. Writing a press release
• WWWWWH
• Quote curator / funder / celeb endorsement
• 2 pages max in body of email
• Images
• Notes to Editors
• Named contact – respond quickly!

18. What makes a good image?
• People / cute kids having a good time,
engaging with collections
• Get parents’ permission
• Create a night-time atmosphere
• Print quality – over 300 dpi, A5 size,
minimum 2MB
• Filename, caption – title, venue,
photographer, (c), date

19. Sending a press release
• Find out deadlines
• Contact details (print = news, listings,
features editors; broadcast = producers)
• Follow-up phonecall

20. What’s your angle?
• Local media want a local angle
• Journalists look for human interest – any
descendants of local Victorians?
• Topical – link to a historical event,
personality or anniversary

22. Extra tips
• Set up a photocall
• Create a competition with newspaper
• Invite picture editor to send photographer
on the night
• Take your own photos, visitor vox pops

24. Radio interviews
• Key points - soundbites
• Facts in front of you
• Drink water!
• Next step, listeners should …

25. Online coverage
• Your own website / blog
• Telling stories, drawing people in, news
updates
• Immediacy: type what you’d say out loud
• I want your guest blog posts!
http://museumsatnight.wordpress.com
- include call to action and link back

27. Social media
• Communicate directly, anyone can read
• Simple, authentic, human voice
• Track what’s being said about you, respond
openly
• Connect with local community, interest
groups
• What does success look like?

28. Tools
• Google Alerts – save search
• Storify / Archivist to save Tweets
• Facebook page stats
• Blog – time on site, where next?
• Don’t forget to take baseline measurements!

30. Using Twitter
• Short news updates, creating buzz
• Connect with other museums / people
• Local news, pics - @PooleMuseum
• Answer questions
• @MuseumsAtNight we’ll RT
• #MatN2012

31. Facebook
• Think why you want a Facebook page
• Where are your target audience?
• Do you have time?
• Can create events, invite friends, they invite
friends
• Share stories

32. Many more
• YouTube channel – calls to action,
subscribe – long-tail content
• Flickr – tag and share photos
• LinkedIn
• Foursquare

33. Email newsletters
• Separate, targeted messages to public,
teachers, Friends of museum
• Seasonal highlights, upcoming events
• Deepen relationship – perks e.g. launch
invitations, competitions
• Cheap / free
• Tone of voice

35. Email signup
• On your website – homepage, About,
Contact
• In person at venue
• Signup sheet at external events
• Email signature

36. Your print publicity
• Posters
• Flyers
• BBC History Magazine Guide to Museums
at Night

37. Where to display print publicity
• Venue – café, entrance, back of toilet doors
• Community noticeboards
• Shops, cafes, libraries, churches,
community centres
• TICs
• Hotel information packs
• Other arts / heritage venues

38. In person
• Good experiences recommended, bad
experiences shared widely (TripAdvisor)
• Welcome in venue
• Outreach – school visits
• Conversation starters – costume
• Influencers – taxi drivers, bloggers, forums

39. Any questions?

40. Thanks very much!
rosie@culture24.org.uk
01273 623336
www.museumsatnight.org.uk
http://museumsatnight.wordpress.com
@museumsatnight
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/rosieclarke
@rosieclarke