7 Ways My Museum Marketing Content Can Promote Your Exhibitions

There’s no denying that bespoke museum marketing content can help your exhibitions stand out.

Potential visitors are time-poor. They have multiple options to enjoy art and want to feel excited about attending a museum exhibition. Failure to grab their attention or provide unprofessional content and printed materials could see you miss out on sales, with lower-than-expected footfall or a lack of public engagement.

However, an art-loving museum copywriter and graduate (like me) can capture exactly what you want to say. After our initial chat, you’ll regain much-needed time and focus. There’s no more crafting creative copy or editing multiple drafts during peak times. Oh no! Instead, outsourcing your art or museum’s content marketing frees you or your team to concentrate on other tasks.

Let’s explore seven ways to promote your art or exhibition with Sunflower Copywriting.

1. SEO-friendly blog content

A museum or artist blog is a valuable opportunity to convert admirers into lifelong supporters, visitors and customers. Equally, its SEO elements can help new customers and visitors find you online via:

• Keywords

• Formatted headings

• Page titles

• Meta descriptions.

Not only can you delve into what inspired the art on display, revealing a hint of the artistic process. You can also use a blog as a commercial strategy to update your followers with breaking news, exhibitions and collection updates.

Engage readers keen to learn more

Maybe the art you create (or curate) is influenced by another artist’s oeuvre or a surprising subject matter. Perhaps you’re holding an evening talk or promotional sale on your art. Your artist blog may soon find an audience, with Ahrefs’ recent research noting that 77% of internet users read blogs.

Concluding with a persuasive call to action (CTA), art or museum blog content is a means of connecting with new audiences.

2. Website content

A website is your opportunity to showcase your (or an artist's) works to the world. Just as you’d hire a professional photographer to capture its beauty in vivid detail, a museum copywriter will bring these artworks to life. This form of museum marketing can captivate your following and encourage new visitors.

Forbes argues "Having a strong online presence, particularly a website, can make or break for generating more revenue". Prospective visitors can plan their visit by reading the information you publish there. But where do you begin or start to organise an existing website?

Each of the following web page ideas enables you to showcase your values and inspire minds:

• Home

• About

• Plan your Visit

• Services

• Artworks

• Events

• Blog

• Shop

• Contact Us.

Not all of these suggested pages may be relevant to your brand. So choosing the right ones for your business, museum or visitor attraction is key to your success. Having written website content for brands, Sunflower Copywriting will infuse each page with your brand’s written tone of voice and personality.

Already have a website that needs tweaking? You may consider a website refresh of certain pages. Visit my Services page for pricing.

Publish a website you’re delighted to share

Publishing museum or art content also gives you an online space to direct traffic to and from. From the business cards and flyers you hand out, to a social media promotion of an upcoming blog or event, you’ll receive well-researched, polished and persuasive artist/museum content that represents you.

So there’s no need to further hesitate promoting your brand if you’re new on the scene.

3. Exhibition flyers and leaflets

Ideas for art content don't have to be restricted to digital forms of marketing.

Many people appreciate holding something tangible to guide them as they navigate an exhibition or collection. A brochure or exhibition flyer is a prime opportunity to go beyond the visuals and expand on your artworks or museum exhibition before, during and after a visit. Still unconvinced? Read Solopress' blog on the 10 Advantages Of Leaflets to see how print can support your brand.

Both of these exhibition content examples enable you to connect with attendees and reveal your or the artist’s process. For example, have you always practised in this medium or shown these artists and movements? Have you been established for many years? Or do you bring passion as a newcomer to exhibiting and the art world? 

Whichever description describes your brand, a museum copywriter will convey this to your public with engaging words. Be confident knowing I’ll convey what you want to say within concise and compelling content.

Become part of someone’s memories

A flyer or brochure is often kept by its owners as a memento of their day. Both items allow visitors and customers to reconnect with the art (or your products) once they return home. In this way, printed materials act as a key sales channel.

4. Exhibition signage

Keeping things short, whilst communicating the backstory of an artwork or artefact, can leave artists and museum professionals feeling overwhelmed given their busy schedules. Interpretation signage has only a few seconds to draw the viewer’s eye and win their attention. So hiring a professional copywriter to produce this crucial exhibition signage task makes sense.

Sunflower Copywriting can support you with well-researched micro-copy that educates the viewer about the display they’re viewing. Written to follow your tone of voice or style guides (if applicable), your new interpretation materials will be spot-on, accessible and informative.

As one Museum Next blog explains, "Effective museum labels anticipate and answer visitors’ unspoken questions about the artwork or object they accompany. At the same time they forge emotional connections".

It would be a pleasure to support your event or collection in this way.

5. Artist bios and statements

Often overlooked in museum marketing, an artist's bio or statement helps you tell a story.

Whether you create art yourself or manage a collection, relatable content endears what is often viewed as a ‘lofty’ subject to your readers. People choose to support or view art made by creatives or artists because it’s infused with creativity. They want to learn why they should appreciate a particular painting, sculpture or other art form. However, artists can feel too close to their process. They struggle to describe their creations. This is where a museum copywriter’s services come into play.

Working with you to understand what drives you and the process, your engaging new artist bio will showcase your (or the artist’s) creative expression. Equally, adding biographical information lends a human aspect that the public enjoys learning about.

What can be included in an artist's bio?

This subject matter will vary depending on the artist in question. However, several themes can be included to create interest. For example, you could create gallery and museum-worthy content around the following topics:

• Which processes were used?

• What connects a body of work?

• Was it created in a studio or en plein air?

• Which materials and techniques were favoured?

• What subjects drive, influence and inspire the piece?

• Did you/they attend art school or were you/they self-taught?

• Have you/they always been an active artist or did this passion develop later in life?

Whilst visitors and tourists are not always there to study, artist bios and statements give you room to deepen their understanding. You never know who you may inspire!

6. Social media captions

A modern form of museum marketing, social media captions drive curious visitors to your website or blog. An artist, gallery or museum can then build on the other forms of content listed in this blog article to get the word out to a wider audience via social posts.

Whilst Sunflower Copywriting doesn’t offer social media management, many brands have hired my writing services to promote blog articles and future events with this short-form content. Pick me to craft original copy or repurpose existing printed/digital content to maintain a consistent message.

The benefits of posting art-themed content on social media include:

• Creating brand awareness

• Growing your online following

• Offering a glimpse behind the scenes

• Redirecting fans to your blog and website

• Showcasing your/your museum's work and values

• Widening access to your artworks or collections internationally.

Blend your visuals with words

Social media content helps you steer the conversation towards your art or museum. It helps attract more visitors and customers who can glimpse life behind the scenes. This service is available for Facebook, Threads, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.

You already have stunning visuals … let my words create excitement and attract visitors. After all, The Museum Scholar cites Zoe Fox's insight that "Museums have realised that they can use social media for much more, like understanding their audiences".

7. Repurposed Content

While you may already be repurposing your blog content on Instagram and co, have you ever considered making your words work even harder for you?

Repeating a message or story is not boring! It can reinforce your communications and museum marketing to the public, especially new target audiences. Letting your art content and copy work harder for you is a great way to work smarter, not harder.

For example, I can repurpose your existing programmes or flyers into spot-on social captions, witty website copy and written interpretation materials into blog articles. Or vice versa. This flexible content service will be tailored to you, ensuring that your content marketing shares the same tone of voice, key information and formatting.

Receive standout written content for your art, gallery or museum

Prepare to receive engaging art and museum marketing content from Sunflower Copywriting. From artist blogs to museum signage and social media captions, each will feature compelling content ideas and appealing copy. Whatever your reasons for outsourcing, I’ll take the task of content writing off your ever-growing to-do list.

Keen to learn more? Reach out at kate@sunflowercopywriting.co.uk or use this short Contact Form to inspire loyalty and admiration from your next art or museum event.