When museums think about how they can use digital more effectively, the starting point is often the technology or tool itself. But the single biggest stumbling block to digital effectiveness is the internal culture. As the oft-quoted soundbite goes, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
Take social media: typically, the average museum with limited resources would benefit from more staff getting involved in contributing to social media channels, but it can raise all sorts of questions. Is it part of people’s job description? Are their managers happy for them to do it? Does everyone understand why the museum is active on social media and believe it is of value? Do staff have the confidence to feel they can contribute? It’s one thing to hand someone a Twitter or Instagram account, it’s quite another for them to feel equipped and enthusiastic about using it.
A digital mindset should run through the veins of an organisation, from the board and senior management through every member of staff and even volunteers. So how do you go about embedding it? First, recognise that it is a marathon and not a sprint. Get buy-in from the top, so you are able to invest time and resources into training, internal comms and support.
Experiment with different ways of engaging staff, such as informal lunchtime sessions. Identify enthusiasts to act as champions.
And be clear about the value to all that will come from creating a more digitally savvy museum.
Katie Moffat is the head of digital at The Audience Agency
Take social media: typically, the average museum with limited resources would benefit from more staff getting involved in contributing to social media channels, but it can raise all sorts of questions. Is it part of people’s job description? Are their managers happy for them to do it? Does everyone understand why the museum is active on social media and believe it is of value? Do staff have the confidence to feel they can contribute? It’s one thing to hand someone a Twitter or Instagram account, it’s quite another for them to feel equipped and enthusiastic about using it.
A digital mindset should run through the veins of an organisation, from the board and senior management through every member of staff and even volunteers. So how do you go about embedding it? First, recognise that it is a marathon and not a sprint. Get buy-in from the top, so you are able to invest time and resources into training, internal comms and support.
Experiment with different ways of engaging staff, such as informal lunchtime sessions. Identify enthusiasts to act as champions.
And be clear about the value to all that will come from creating a more digitally savvy museum.
Katie Moffat is the head of digital at The Audience Agency
