Have you ever said or heard someone say, “Let me put my
hat on for this project”? While speaking with our clients, I hear many
questions and concerns regarding .
Many times, marketing is an after-thought. It becomes an “other duties as
assigned” task to someone’s already full list. Short- term solutions, such as
hiring an intern for a season, can help marketing efforts. Often though, these measures are taken when
there aren’t enough resources to hire someone full time. How can a site without
a marketing person on staff reach more potential visitors, encourage repeat
visits, and create high quality marketing content?

The good news is that many of the sites that use the for their exhibits have valuable information available for
marketing content. The bad news is they may not have linked the two.

An interpretive plan brings a sense of identity to a site.
It clarifies the site’s purpose to staff members, board members, and visitors.
The plan guides a site in future projects, linking to its history,
significance, and mission. The interpretive plan can also be used to develop an
outline or plan for a marketing strategy.

Having been in the sales and marketing world for many years,
I see how an interpretive plan establishes many factors that can also help with
marketing efforts. Those areas include:

Starting to market a product or site without a plan is a
complete nightmare. Inevitably, you will be throwing ideas out to see what
sticks. This trial and error type of marketing can work, but it could be years
before you see any results. At the minimum, the interpretive plan creates guidelines
and gives direction that can translate into marketing efforts.

The of the exhibits can easily help feed your marketing content. When
brainstorming ideas for exhibits, there always needs to be a connection back to
the central theme; a marketing plan can also use the central theme in creating
content. In this way, your interpretive plan creates a guideline to connect
with, and not confuse, potential new visitors through all messaging from a
site, including marketing messages.

The one area that may still be a challenge to figure out is
the
channels. There are so many ways to reach people today. One site may only use a
website to market to its intended audience, while another site may use every platform. The best way to find out which marketing channels are
working and which are falling short is to ask visitors how they heard about your
site.

While this tip does not create a complete solution to all
marketing concerns, hopefully it can help alleviate some of the anxiety and
confusion. The next time that you are asked to put on your marketing hat, start
with the content that your site has already developed. Be inspired to create meaningful marketing
content using your interpretive plan as your guide.