HOW DO YOU MEASURE A RELATIONSHIP?

@erinblasco, formerly of @postalmuseum, now at @amhistorymuseum

Friday, February 22, 13

GEEK LOVEThe power of Twitter : Stumbling upon a group of 30-somethings who were into postal stuff but not hugely aware of the Postal Museum. Outreach project?

Mail art photos by Donovan Beeson. Creative Commons.

Friday, February 22, 13

•Twitter stalking

•Saying hello

•Flirting a bit

•Focus group via Google Hangout

•Decision to begin a mutually-beneficial outreach project. My goal: increase their postal knowledge, made them advocates. Theirs: fun, socializing around postal topics. Mostly using social media.

Mail art photo by Donovan Beeson. Creative Commons.

YEAH OUTREACH PROJECT

Friday, February 22, 13

• Behaviors and attitudes that indicate that a target audience outreach project that uses social media as one of its tools is going well:

• Humor - You need to know somebody well to really know how to make them laugh. Do they joke with us?

• Amount and quality of effort - We asked them to take and tweet a relevant photo and use our hashtag. How many did, how on-target were the photos?

• Introducing us to their friends

• Honesty - They tell us they honestly hate our website design. (Then offer to help fix it!)

• Commitment - Two local members of the audience volunteered with us.

• Language - Can you finish each other’s sentences?

• Meeting their goals - We wanted them to learn things and advocate for the museum. They wanted to have fun and socialize around content interests. “Is the fun enough? Social enough?”

Friday, February 22, 13

OH NO.This is kind of a one-sided relationship.

Friday, February 22, 13

• Staff and volunteer behaviors and attitudes that indicate that a social media-based target audience outreach project is going well:

• Ability to describe the target audience

• Ability to anticipate what the target audience might like or not like in the museum

• Bringing up the audience during a decision-making meeting

• Bookmarking a website that the target audience frequents

• Changing interpretation style to better suit audience

Friday, February 22, 13