Do you want to launch a blog on your museum website to boost your online visibility, but are short of ideas? Here are a few to help you add content year-round.
Gain a better understanding of your online community’s expectations and needs
To find out which subjects most interest your audience, you first need to know what will encourage them to read your content.
And what could be easier than asking! Whether via a survey on your social networks (free function on Facebook and Twitter), or a questionnaire handed out to visitors leaving your museum, on your website or in your newsletter. You can also ask other museums what they post on their blog.
Numerous blogs exist these days written by museum enthusiasts. The topics covered on their websites can be another source of inspiration and ideas!
Publishing blog articles on your website will provide view statistics, valuable data that will help you determine which subjects attract the most attention from your community.
Various online tools also exist, like Google Trends (trends.google.fr) which provides information on search terms entered by Internet users. In the example below the key word is ‘Joconde’ (the French name for the ‘Mona Lisa’).
In just a few seconds, you get an overview of possible topics relating to the term ‘Joconde’, such as:
- An analysis of its presence in the video game ‘Animal Crossing’
- The discovery of its twin in Madrid
- Images of redesigns of Leonardo De Vinci’s masterpiece
- Etc.
An excellent way to keep an ear to the ground when it comes to your pet subjects.
In any case, and generally speaking, the latest news in your sector is a continual resource that you can use to update your blog. Quick tip: when using a news story to write an article, remember to give your point of view while also sticking to an educational angle. So you can talk about innovations, changes or phenomena you’ve heard about and that are related, whether directly or indirectly, to your museum’s activities.
Ideas for museum-centred content
If trying to find external subjects seems like a rather complicated or time-consuming task, remember that your museum is full of content and topics that you can use for your blog!
Here are a few ideas:
- The must-sees in your collection: Highlight the key pieces in your collection. Visitors will know what not to miss, and it will encourage people to come visit the museum.
- Behind the scenes: Give visitors a glimpse behind the scenes of your museum with photos and short texts: set-up of a new exhibition, restoration work, etc. In addition to publishing content that creates a connection with your community, you can also use ‘teasers’ to make people want to visit.
- Interviews: Expert interviews are always an excellent source of content. Place the spotlight on some of your employees who want to share their passion, interview your sponsors, guest artists or specialists in your field.
- Themed visits: If suited to your collection, give fans a tour of your museum with a focus on a particular theme. A great way to attract audiences with an interest or knowledge in specific subject areas.
- Learning for children and adults: Your museum’s blog can be an ideal place to share new fact sheets or articles specifically written for children (or their parents!).
- Answer FAQs: Do the same questions often come up that are not already answered on your website? Use your blog to give visitors concrete answers.
- Products in your giftshop: Feature an article on sale in your museum shop to pique visitors’ interest. Or post suggestions for Christmas gift ideas, for example!
- Top ‘x’: Popular, informative and sometimes funny, these often don’t require much text and appeal to all audiences. Why not a list of the museum’s “Top 5 most popular sculptures” or the “Top 10 biggest aeroplanes in our collection”.
Whatever option you choose, remember to adapt your content to your calendar and your visitors’ calendars. Keep in mind your upcoming news and how it can be featured on the blog. Use the seasons, year-end celebrations, school holidays and commemorations relating to your museum for inspiration to fill your blog’s editorial calendar.
All the content you create for your visitors will help strengthen and expand the links between you and your community. And in return, those who enjoy reading your content can act as ambassadors of your establishment by resharing articles and enhancing your museum’s visibility and reputation.
