Forming an Instagram Identity
After you’ve asked the hard questions about what you want to achieve via your museum’s Instagram account, it’s time to start forming your Instagram identity! The best way to convey your identity to your audience is through posting content. Your initial posts and the accompanying captions will tell your audience who you are, where you stand, and why they should care. Think back to the ROM’s post featuring the dinosaur meme. The post may appear light-hearted, but whoever posted the dinosaur meme was also making a strategic choice to post content that was funny and relatable. Whoever posted the meme had their audience in mind, and that’s likely why the post generated over 2,700 likes on Instagram.
When you’re getting ready to publish your initial Instagram posts, think back to your strategic plan and what you want to convey via Instagram. Posting funny memes won’t be appropriate for many institutions, for example a museum focused on social justice would likely convey a more sombre tone on social media.
For our example, the Unreal Museum, the museum staff have decided that they want to use their Instagram to convey the breadth of their subject matter (all things “unreal” from fictitious novels, TV shows, and films to imaginary worlds to fake brands), as well as conveying the relevance of their subject matter in today’s world.
The first step in conveying that identity is the initial post. There is no mandatory content that needs to be included in this first post, rather it depends on what you’re trying to convey. For the Unreal Museum, the museum itself is very new and not yet well-known, so the first post needs to contextualize who the museum is since they don’t yet have a solid brand identity.
The post shares enough information to potentially intrigue viewers while also providing a bit of background. Beyond a first post, revisit your museum’s strategic plan for Instagram and consider the type of content that will align with your plan. Are you looking to highlight the collection? If so, try a variety of posts that integrate your collection in image-form. Are you looking to start a conversation? If so, try posts that mix image and text to encourage visitor interaction.
The next section will look at the logistics of the various Instagram features so you have a better idea how each feature, from images to video, can best serve your institution’s Instagram identity.
When you’re getting ready to publish your initial Instagram posts, think back to your strategic plan and what you want to convey via Instagram. Posting funny memes won’t be appropriate for many institutions, for example a museum focused on social justice would likely convey a more sombre tone on social media.
For our example, the Unreal Museum, the museum staff have decided that they want to use their Instagram to convey the breadth of their subject matter (all things “unreal” from fictitious novels, TV shows, and films to imaginary worlds to fake brands), as well as conveying the relevance of their subject matter in today’s world.
The first step in conveying that identity is the initial post. There is no mandatory content that needs to be included in this first post, rather it depends on what you’re trying to convey. For the Unreal Museum, the museum itself is very new and not yet well-known, so the first post needs to contextualize who the museum is since they don’t yet have a solid brand identity.
The post shares enough information to potentially intrigue viewers while also providing a bit of background. Beyond a first post, revisit your museum’s strategic plan for Instagram and consider the type of content that will align with your plan. Are you looking to highlight the collection? If so, try a variety of posts that integrate your collection in image-form. Are you looking to start a conversation? If so, try posts that mix image and text to encourage visitor interaction.
The next section will look at the logistics of the various Instagram features so you have a better idea how each feature, from images to video, can best serve your institution’s Instagram identity.
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