Laurel,
My experience is that a blanket marketing campaign to attract a specific
audience doesn’t really work very well. It may produce a tour arranged by
organizers who are always looking for someplace new to bring a bus tour, but
if you want the seniors to stay involved with your museum you need a more
personal approach. Hope I’m not being naïve, but from the name of your
organization I assume you are a medical museum? If so, have you spent some
time involving individual retired physicians and nurses in the
interpretation and education programs? Through them, you could target
smaller organizations or groups in which they circulate, and specific
publications, newsletters, etc. that they receive and read themselves. Very
shortly you would have a strong advocacy group who would promote programs at
your museum among their peers.
For a current program at our museum, I did do a presentation at the local
senior center, but found that my best rate of direct participation came
through a personal follow-up (by me) AND nurturing by another senior. Once
they come to participate in a program, they are very enthusiastic
ambassadors!
Also, I have found that if we don’t offer a senior discount we are out of
the running. I have also learned that opening the museum to tours arranged
by others led to a nearly 100% no-show or cancellation rate. From this point
forward, I will require a pre-payment, and if we lose the tour because of
that so be it—history shows that odds are they would be no-shows anyway.
Micki Ryan, Director
Orcas Island Historical Museum
[log in to unmask]
PO Box 134
Eastsound WA 98245
360 376 4849
www.orcasmuseum.org
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Laurel Weller
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 9:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Attracting older audiences
Hello all,
Unlike most museums, the Mütter Museum attracts primarily younger audiences
(under 35) – I have been challenged with increasing our numbers in the
seniors demographic. Does anyone have experience marketing to this group?
Do you have any strategies that worked for you? Is there a resource web
site or publication for retirement community activity directors with whom we
could list ourselves? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you!
------------------------------
Laurel K. Weller
Museum Educator
Mütter Museum
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Phone: 215-563-3737 x203
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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