Top tips for a ‘no budget’ marketing campaign
Introduction
By using existing resources and planning ahead it’s entirely possible to run a small marketing campaign on a limited budget. Here are some top tips on how to do that.
Ensure your website is up to date
This might seem obvious but if your site is not up to date you could miss a valuable opportunity to communicate with your existing and potential visitors. All your communications should ideally link back to your site.
Make sure your visitor information is clear and easy to find. Read our top tips for creating a visitor friendly website.
Be discoverable
It’s all very well having a super website but make sure your target audience can find it when they’re searching online for a museum or visitor attraction in your area. With a few simple actions you can improve your discoverability.
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). To increase quality traffic to your website through search queries there’s a few simple things you could be doing to help. Make sure your site is mobile friendly; your content (throughout the site) is up to date and relevant; ensure a good user experience; and identify and include keywords throughout your site based on what people might be searching for to find your museum. VisitScotland ran two very useful webinars on Search Optimisation for Tourism Businesses.
- ‘Content is king’. Ensure you have relevant and up to date content on your site that relates exactly to what you offer. It’s good to have a mix of evergreen content (content that continues to be relevant) and fresh, new content (news stories).
- Claim your google listing. On a google map this is the part that comes up when you google a place. You can have your website details and opening hours on that listing. Watch a video on how to claim your google listing.
- Finally, make sure your website address is accessible across all your social media platforms.
Engage with local media
It’s a good idea to get to know your local media. Contact them directly, get to know them, keep in touch, and take a note of what they might be interested in. It’s also useful to find out the publication dates so you can be timely with your information. Read our PR toolkit for more tips.
Work with others
When marketing your museum to potential visitors, it’s effective to team up with other museums, tourism businesses, or organisations to help amplify your message and to widen your reach. It helps to create a ‘buzz’ around your area and allows you to promote the benefits, activities, and attractions that are specific to your region.
This concept is called destination marketing – a type of marketing that promotes a particular destination to increase visitors.
Throughout Scotland all the Local Authority areas have their own destination marketing representatives.
Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) represent a destination and help to develop travel and tourism strategies. It’s worth reaching out to your local DMO to explore any opportunities for joint marketing. Find more information on working with DMOs as well as other tourism organisations, including VisitScotland who can provide support, guidance, insights as well as access to other marketing platforms.
Check you have a business listing on VisitScotland.com and that it has up to date information and images. Creating a business listing means information about your museum can be pulled through automatically across VisitScotland content where the categories are relevant. Once created you can update your listing yourself to highlight your latest events and exhibitions. It also means your museum can be featured in the maps on the VisitScotland regional pages. Information about setting up business listings on VisitScotland.com