Every day, museum visitors are capturing and sharing photos and videos that showcase their experiences at your museum.
Whether they’re sharing their personal connection to a piece, creating a funny meme – inspired tweet, or just sharing what they’re seeing in a story, museum guests are creating and curating social posts, as they explore your curated exhibits.
This user-generated content (UGC) is created by real people, making it authentic, trustworthy and highly influential. In fact, 85% of consumers find visual UGC more influential than brand photos or videos! Many museums, like The Denver Art Museum and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, are incorporating user-generated content into their marketing to lift engagement online and offline, and ultimately inspire more visitors.
Want to use UGC for your museum, but want to make sure you’re playing by the rules? Here are some practical tips for getting rights to some amazing, authentic, user-generated content.
1. Give your visitors a way to share with you
It all starts with having access to great UGC. Your visitors are already taking photos and sharing their experiences in real-time, but it’s up to you to show them how to make that content easily findable by promoting your museum-wide and exhibit hashtags.
The Instagram photo above was taken at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). By creating and promoting the #HurvinAndersonAGO hashtag specifically for the “Hurvin Anderson:Backdrop” exhibition, the AGO was able to inspire people to share experiences in that part of the museum and collect that content very easily.
Looking for ways to get more visitors using your hashtags? Consider kicking things off by having museum staff share content with the hashtag, display the hashtag with in-exhibit signage or stickers, and include the hashtag on any dedicated print or digital promotion materials or devices that accompany an exhibit.
2. Want to use visitors’ visuals? Just ask!
Most visitors are excited when a museum asks to use their content – who doesn’t like being recognized and celebrated?
Just remember that you should get explicit permission from the creator before using UGC in any channel. This includes your galleries, embeds, and Media Hub.
You can read more about getting rights to UGC in this FAQ.
Museums with a high need for visual content, like The Royal Ontario Museum, use CrowdRiff’s Advanced Rights Management to acquire rights and cut their search time for content down by 90%.
3. Want extra peace of mind? Direct people to your full Ts & Cs
As museums know best, working with creators and respecting their rights is important. If you want to go further than a simple “yes” from a social media creator, you can ask them to agree to terms and conditions specific to your institution.
When you reach out for rights, have your comment direct them to read and agree to your complete Ts & Cs.
4. Feel good about using UGC
People love sharing UGC with their networks and with the places they visit. Not only is using UGC a great way to inspire future visitors, it’s also a great way to engage with current visitors. You already know how important visitor reviews and word of mouth is for the success of a museum and UGC is the best way to tap into that power in a visual way.
Want to learn more about marketing your museum? Check out our comprehensive Guide to Museum Marketing.
*Post updated on July 7, 2020 for accuracy
