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Institutional Voice:What Are We Trying to Say?
Stephen BoydAlbright-Knox Art Gallery
@textsfrommyself
Think about the ways you talk to people on the internet.
If you’re like me, you started here.
artobserved.net
Then we went here.
dailydot.com
And now we’re (more or less) here.
But they’re here too.
…talking about things like this.
sproutsocial.com
And this.
purelybranded.com
Brands quickly figured out that if they want to be effective on social media…
…they need to create the presence and energy of a funny, popular, charming person.
wikipedia.org
Some brands adopt an indulgent, comforting tone.
Others want you to know how cool they are. They get it.
adsoftheworld.com
But brands are on social media to sell you things. Brands are not people.
They reinforce a consistentimage and generally use one voice.
If you spent time with a person like that, you’d be bored to tears.
pixel.nymag.com
A museum has more than one voice on social media...
…because people act differently in different situations, and museums are made of people!
thereelnetwork.net; whorunsgov.com; washingtonpost.com; biography.com
In the museum field, we call this INSTITUTIONAL VOICE.
Institutional voice on social media includes:• Promotion• Marketing• Curatorial content • Conversations and questions• Museum competitions and campaigns• Events• Education• Jokes• Cats
Therefore, institutional voice should be:• Friendly• Irreverent• Hilarious• Engaging• Inviting• Educational• Timely• Jokes• Cats
An effective institutional voice means we can post about this.
And then this.
And then this.
And then this, all without seeming unhinged.
David Douglas Duncan
Brenda Bieger
Luke Copping
What are we selling? Who are we talking to?
Above all, we’re selling experiences.This one. And these.
Photos by Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger
We’re talking to everyone about everything we do.
• Institutional voice should be open and inviting, not exclusionary.
• We can have conversations and answer questions.
• Unlike brands, we CAN be personal. Because we have personalities!
What can an effective institutional voice accomplish?
• Make people want to share our content– “Go viral!”
• Make people think we’re funny and cool• Associate us with their personal brand• Inspire people to donate money• Make people want to visit the museum
The way museums present themselves on social media is an invitation to
potential visitors (even if they don’t come).
serenataflowers.com
It’s like we’re asking them out.
So does the tone of our institutional voice on social media need to match
our printed texts and labels?
SOCIAL MEDIA VOICE MUSEUM VOICEgriddaily.com
Short Answer: No.
smiletoday.net
Is This Like a Bad Tinder Date?
Also no. Institutional voice should focus solely on enhancing the visitor’s experience, no matter where that experience takes place.
The museum voice can and should differ from the social voice because it’s in a different setting.
Social media followers and visitors want (and possibly need) different things at different times.
Long Answer:
Tone CreepWhat I call “Tone Creep” happens when a prevalent voice or slang enters public discourse and is adopted (with mixed results) by brands and advertisers.
This. Just This.
In some cases, Tone Creep can lead to a deliberate lowering of the discourse that goes back to brands attempting to win your trust: by being indulgent or being cool.
You’ve worked hard to establish your voice, so stay consistent.
Public Focal Points• Don’t co-opt public sentiment for your
voice. • Brands don’t have empathy—they’re
there to sell you things. • Museums CAN be empathetic, as long
as they stay true to who they are.
To Review• Museums are made of people.
• People have different personalities.
• An effective institutional voice represents a diverse institution with many personalities and voices.
• Follow your institution’s social channels!• Even if you don’t work on digital or social
media projects, start thinking about the voice that represents the institution to you.
• Start conversations with digital/web/social colleagues about how this voice impacts and represents your work.
What YOU Can Do
Thank you!Stephen Boyd
Albright-Knox Art GalleryBuffalo, New York
@textsfrommyself
