Environmental Scan
Museum Instagram Accounts: a new and fruitful way to present your museum identity online. No two museum Instagram accounts are the same, and the institutional approach varies depending on the genre of your museum (e.g. most art museum Instagram accounts look very different from those of science museums), but it also depends on the type of information a museum chooses to display on their Instagram (e.g. is the Instagram just a creative way to convey altered hours of operation or is the institution trying to provoke more engagement with visitors).
Although the genre of museum alters the content of a museum’s Instagram, there are ample examples of successful Instagram accounts for all genres of museums:
Art Museums:
Example: Art Gallery of Ontario
The Instagram post above (#MountainDay) exemplifies the socially responsive and visually provocative way the Art Gallery of Ontario draws from their collection to generate Instagram content. The Gallery succeeds at integrating trending topics and hashtags and highlighting their collection. The Gallery sets itself apart from other museum Instagram accounts that are purely informational by posting content that would be of interest to a diverse range of Instagram users, even those users who do not regularly visit the Gallery.
Although Instagram lends itself to showcasing visual art, since the social media platform is mostly image based, AGO also uses the platform to highlight other key offerings at the Gallery. Take for example the recent video the AGO uploaded on their Instagram:
The video is a playful 1-minute painting instructional video, similar to the fun and short videos that are often viral on Instagram thanks to their catchy and visually appealing subject matter. AGO uses the video feature to create a video that would be fun for anyone visiting the Instagram page, but uses the caption to direct viewers to sign up for AGO programming, which exemplifies the potential of creating content for this social media platform that promotes your institution’s offerings while also generating viewership and engagement from a diverse audience.
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Science/Natural History Museums:
Example: Royal Ontario Museum
Recently, the ROM has become especially well-known for their playful and provocative approach to social media. One of the recent stunts that even made news headlines: Tweeting images of the Museum’s collection of pots in honour of weed legalization in Canada. The Museum’s Instagram similarly displays how the ROM is taking a more playful approach to online visitor engagement. For example, the ROM posted a funny meme about dinosaurs (see image below):
The meme generated lots of likes and comments, due to its playful content and relatable tone, but it was also a way to subtly promote the ROM’s current dinosaur exhibit through using the hashtag “#dinozuul". Zuul is an exhibit focused on a new dinosaur discovered from ROM research, so a subtle, trendy meme allows for the ROM to market their exhibit without compromising their playful tone on social media.
Sometimes the ROM Instagram is more overt in marketing upcoming exhibitions, like a recent high-resolution image that was uploaded (see below), but the caption maintains the social media account’s playful tone that seems to be aimed towards a millennial audience by using common internet lingo (the caption: “Felt cute, might delete later” is usually used when someone takes a “selfie” on their camera):
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Small Institutions
Example: Bytown Museum
The ROM and AGO are two of the largest, most-funded cultural institutions in the country, both with dedicated digital staff and ample resources dedicated to social media marketing. Many small and mid-size museums don’t have the same resources to dedicate to their social media; however, there are still small museums using Instagram in creative ways like the Bytown Museum. The Museum is located in Ottawa and boasts a staff of six full-time employees. One of the staff positions is “Communications and Marketing Coordinator” and the job lists website, social media, and advertising as part of this staff’s portfolio. With oversight of so many tasks, the Instagram could easily fall to the wayside, but instead, the museum’s Instagram account is informative, playful, and often brings the human element to the forefront of the posts.
One of the recent Instagram posts included an image of four staff working in their winter jackets in an office with the caption “Working in heritage be like…” the caption included emojis representing a museum, a graph with a negative trend, and a thermometer:
The witty post clearly indicates the financial struggle of working in a small museum, and the account lets the viewer in on the behind-the-scenes struggle of the employees of the museum. This post exemplifies the Instagram account’s success as a personal platform that connects with viewers on a human level.
The Instagram account also utilizes some of the tricks seen in other museum Instagram accounts, mainly using their own collection/area of focus to post clever and relevant content. In the midst of all the winter storms, the museum posted the image below with the caption “Mood”:
The post is so successful because it draws on the museum’s area of focus, the history of Ottawa, to comment on current events, the winter storm. The post also indicates the importance of engagement on social media. One of the comments reads “do you know the location/year? My guess is Wellington St, late 19th century,” to which the account manager responded, “Sparks Street looking towards Metcalfe c. 1891.” The comment allowed the museum to provide a citation and more historical context in response to visitor curiosity.
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Missed Opportunities
Example: Nanaimo Museum
Since Instagram is such a visual medium, the biggest lost opportunity is using the platform as simply another way to display information about your institution’s building operations. When the platform becomes another way to simply advertise changes to building hours, inform viewers about closures, and promote in-museum programs, the account then caters to a small contingent of online viewers that are looking to come in-person to the museum. Rather than using the platform to reach a larger audience, or convey your museum’s tone and identity, the platform becomes just another source of basic building information.
The Nanaimo Museum is an example of an account that mostly caters its content to those looking to visit the museum. For example, the museum uploaded two posts within three days of each other to indicate that the museum was closed due to weather conditions:
The museum could have used one of the snowy images from their collection to convey the same information, but rather they chose a very factually straight-forward approach that is far from visually stimulating. The post indicates to viewers that this account is only relevant for those who plan to visit the museum, so for viewers in other provinces or those who admire the museum’s collection from afar, the Instagram account serves no value.
The museum rarely posts images from their collection, but when they do, these posts generate likes and comments, as they start a conversation and the posts are relevant for a broader audience. For example, the museum shared an image from their collection with the caption “Who do you recognize on the front of this Christmas card?”:
The image, which features Pierre Trudeau and his sons, including Justin Trudeau, is a great way to highlight collection pieces and provoke audience interest. The museum Instagram account rarely includes collection highlights like this, but these are the posts that help the museum connect to a broader audience.
Although the genre of museum alters the content of a museum’s Instagram, there are ample examples of successful Instagram accounts for all genres of museums:
Art Museums:
Example: Art Gallery of Ontario
The Instagram post above (#MountainDay) exemplifies the socially responsive and visually provocative way the Art Gallery of Ontario draws from their collection to generate Instagram content. The Gallery succeeds at integrating trending topics and hashtags and highlighting their collection. The Gallery sets itself apart from other museum Instagram accounts that are purely informational by posting content that would be of interest to a diverse range of Instagram users, even those users who do not regularly visit the Gallery.
Although Instagram lends itself to showcasing visual art, since the social media platform is mostly image based, AGO also uses the platform to highlight other key offerings at the Gallery. Take for example the recent video the AGO uploaded on their Instagram:
The video is a playful 1-minute painting instructional video, similar to the fun and short videos that are often viral on Instagram thanks to their catchy and visually appealing subject matter. AGO uses the video feature to create a video that would be fun for anyone visiting the Instagram page, but uses the caption to direct viewers to sign up for AGO programming, which exemplifies the potential of creating content for this social media platform that promotes your institution’s offerings while also generating viewership and engagement from a diverse audience.
...
Science/Natural History Museums:
Example: Royal Ontario Museum
Recently, the ROM has become especially well-known for their playful and provocative approach to social media. One of the recent stunts that even made news headlines: Tweeting images of the Museum’s collection of pots in honour of weed legalization in Canada. The Museum’s Instagram similarly displays how the ROM is taking a more playful approach to online visitor engagement. For example, the ROM posted a funny meme about dinosaurs (see image below):
The meme generated lots of likes and comments, due to its playful content and relatable tone, but it was also a way to subtly promote the ROM’s current dinosaur exhibit through using the hashtag “#dinozuul". Zuul is an exhibit focused on a new dinosaur discovered from ROM research, so a subtle, trendy meme allows for the ROM to market their exhibit without compromising their playful tone on social media.
Sometimes the ROM Instagram is more overt in marketing upcoming exhibitions, like a recent high-resolution image that was uploaded (see below), but the caption maintains the social media account’s playful tone that seems to be aimed towards a millennial audience by using common internet lingo (the caption: “Felt cute, might delete later” is usually used when someone takes a “selfie” on their camera):
...
Small Institutions
Example: Bytown Museum
The ROM and AGO are two of the largest, most-funded cultural institutions in the country, both with dedicated digital staff and ample resources dedicated to social media marketing. Many small and mid-size museums don’t have the same resources to dedicate to their social media; however, there are still small museums using Instagram in creative ways like the Bytown Museum. The Museum is located in Ottawa and boasts a staff of six full-time employees. One of the staff positions is “Communications and Marketing Coordinator” and the job lists website, social media, and advertising as part of this staff’s portfolio. With oversight of so many tasks, the Instagram could easily fall to the wayside, but instead, the museum’s Instagram account is informative, playful, and often brings the human element to the forefront of the posts.
One of the recent Instagram posts included an image of four staff working in their winter jackets in an office with the caption “Working in heritage be like…” the caption included emojis representing a museum, a graph with a negative trend, and a thermometer:
The witty post clearly indicates the financial struggle of working in a small museum, and the account lets the viewer in on the behind-the-scenes struggle of the employees of the museum. This post exemplifies the Instagram account’s success as a personal platform that connects with viewers on a human level.
The Instagram account also utilizes some of the tricks seen in other museum Instagram accounts, mainly using their own collection/area of focus to post clever and relevant content. In the midst of all the winter storms, the museum posted the image below with the caption “Mood”:
The post is so successful because it draws on the museum’s area of focus, the history of Ottawa, to comment on current events, the winter storm. The post also indicates the importance of engagement on social media. One of the comments reads “do you know the location/year? My guess is Wellington St, late 19th century,” to which the account manager responded, “Sparks Street looking towards Metcalfe c. 1891.” The comment allowed the museum to provide a citation and more historical context in response to visitor curiosity.
...
Missed Opportunities
Example: Nanaimo Museum
Since Instagram is such a visual medium, the biggest lost opportunity is using the platform as simply another way to display information about your institution’s building operations. When the platform becomes another way to simply advertise changes to building hours, inform viewers about closures, and promote in-museum programs, the account then caters to a small contingent of online viewers that are looking to come in-person to the museum. Rather than using the platform to reach a larger audience, or convey your museum’s tone and identity, the platform becomes just another source of basic building information.
The Nanaimo Museum is an example of an account that mostly caters its content to those looking to visit the museum. For example, the museum uploaded two posts within three days of each other to indicate that the museum was closed due to weather conditions:
The museum could have used one of the snowy images from their collection to convey the same information, but rather they chose a very factually straight-forward approach that is far from visually stimulating. The post indicates to viewers that this account is only relevant for those who plan to visit the museum, so for viewers in other provinces or those who admire the museum’s collection from afar, the Instagram account serves no value.
The museum rarely posts images from their collection, but when they do, these posts generate likes and comments, as they start a conversation and the posts are relevant for a broader audience. For example, the museum shared an image from their collection with the caption “Who do you recognize on the front of this Christmas card?”:
The image, which features Pierre Trudeau and his sons, including Justin Trudeau, is a great way to highlight collection pieces and provoke audience interest. The museum Instagram account rarely includes collection highlights like this, but these are the posts that help the museum connect to a broader audience.
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