5 Ways To Successfully Draw Attention to your Art Museum
Written by Varda Bajpai
December 11, 2020
In today’s culture, creative work and artistic expression are becoming more and more desirable, and with this comes the rise of the art museum. Art museums are a great place for people of all backgrounds to bring their families or friends and interpret artwork in their own manner. These museums can be a very popular place to visit, but there are certain aspects that are key to the success of a museum.
1. Create an Experience for the Consumer
When a consumer visits an art museum, they are usually not looking to buy a product. Instead, they are looking for an interactive, stimulating experience that they will remember. If the manager of an art museum can make this experience positive enough for the consumer to remember, the consumer will leave reviews and tell their friends or colleagues about the museum, thus attracting more potential customers. In order to make a consumer’s experience positive, there must be a balance between the museum’s opportunities and the consumer’s free will. Most people do not like to be controlled or told what to do every step of the way, so the museum should allow consumers to decide what areas they want to pursue or interact with and the depth of their interaction, while also giving the consumer many options, such as tour guides and pamphlets.
2. Boost Consumer Interaction
In order to create an experience for a consumer, museums must find ways to boost consumer interaction with the artwork. Consumers who spend little time paying attention to the work and do not get to interact with the museum will feel underwhelmed when leaving the museum, and will be less likely to recommend the museum to their friends and family. To avoid this, managers and curators of a museum must try to boost engagement and stimulation in the museum. This can come in many forms, such as interactive games for children or tour guides who are able to explain the artwork displayed in the museum.
3. Make the Consumer Feel Special
When visiting a museum, a consumer wants to feel like they are being catered to in order to draw the consumer back as a potential repeating customer. In order to do this, the consumer should receive opportunities to feel important or like they are outstanding from the rest of the people at the museum. One example of this strategy working effectively is in the Vatican Museum. The famous painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is displayed in a room separate from the rest of the museum, and there is a separate queue in order to view it. Consumers who wait in this queue and have the opportunity to view the painting feel separated from those who choose not to, and are thus more excited about visiting the museum. This will encourage them to express this feeling to others, which will boost the attention that the museum is receiving. However, this tactic that the Vatican used cannot be applied in every situation and is only one example of a museum making the consumer feel special. For example, if a museum uses the same tactic and separates a painting from the rest of their museum, but the painting is average and not something that is worth waiting in a queue for, the consumer can be left feeling underwhelmed and cheated out of their time and money. Museums must also contemplate on whether or not consumers will see certain artwork as worthy of spending extra time or money to view, and whether or not this is the right tactic to make their visitors feel special.
4. Create a Well-Known Brand for your Museum
As with any product or service, a well known branding can be very significant in the success of the company. For example, Nike would not be Nike without a recognizable logo. The same branding is necessary in the success of a museum — although it is not always in the form of a logo. For example, a recognizable piece of art or design can be key to bringing in visitors. The Louvre is well-known for being the home of the Mona Lisa. Without this key aspect to the museum, the Louvre would be a lot less successful than it currently is. However, creating a brand does not always necessarily mean acquiring a famous piece of artwork — this can also be expressed through unique architecture, a unique style of display, or countless other aspects that differentiate your museum from others. This branding is important so that people have something to look forward to when visiting your museum.
5. Create an Positive Environment for the Consumer
Last but not least, the environment that artwork is displayed in is very important to the success of an art museum. Like any other place that a person would like to visit, a museum should have a positive ambience in order to stimulate positive emotions in the consumer. A visitor who wants to view artwork in a museum will most likely be more satisfied with a well-lit, clean, and calm atmosphere as compared to a dirty, noisy, poorly-lit atmosphere. These components are key to creating a positive experience for a consumer and leaving them satisfied with their visit.
There are many other aspects to the success of a museum, but these five are very important, noticeable features that will differentiate your museum from others around it. A successful museum will create a positive experience and environment for a consumer, which will make the consumer more likely to recommend the museum to others and grow the success of your museum!