Baffling out millennials in museums

We have been a little behind in our reading at the Ministry, so thankfully a friend of ours brought this topic to our attention. 'Have you read this article on millenials in March's Museums Journal?' she exclaimed. 'It makes it sound like all we want is booze and technology! Don't they know we do all the work?!' Digging out the MJ from our 'to read' pile, we found she was right. 'Late-night events and mobile-friendly content are just two elements need to get right for this group' the tag line reads. Oi. Museums like many other industries, seem to be struggling with how to reach out to younger people. The funny thing is, millennials make up a huge amount of museum staff- so why is this so hard exactly?

First of all, it would be impossible to write a short blog which addresses all of the issues of using the term 'millennial' in the first place. Applied to all 18-35 year olds, the likelihood of the stereotypical description of a millennial matching the personality and preferences of a given individual is about as likely as a horoscope predicting your future. Sure, if you say enough general things, you are likely to get a match. Millennials like evening open hours, millennials like hands-on events, millennials like unique experiences- ok, but who doesn't? 

Our issue is not really with the fact that the Museums Journal has published some (fairly accurate) observations about events that entice young people to museums. As a note, I would say that things like Lates events, artistic interventions, hands-on activities and art classes do not appeal uniquely to people in their 20s, they are (or rather should be) part of a broader movement for active audience engagement in museums (regardless of your year of birth). The point is that museums and museum advocacy organisations talk about 'what millennials like' 'how millennials behave', like we are some bizarre, distant race that must be studied by anthropologists. 

Lates event at the National Museum Scotland

Museums, like many sectors in fact, are interested in millennials because they are generally seen as having disposable income which they like to waste in coffee shops or at clubs. Money you could be getting, right museum management? No, according to a recent study, 1/3 of UK millennials live in poverty, and most are struggling with debt. Little indulgences like a nice coffee or a night out at a Lates event are important to bolstering social lives typically limited by our bank balance. Millennials aren't something to be farmed for cash, but an audience that needs museums as much as any other. 

This is made even more frustrating when you think about what percentage of the museum workforce falls within this age bracket. Hello! We are your front of house team, your documentation specialists, registrars, art handlers, researchers, curators, conservators, interns and on and on. Museums are run on millennial brain power. I'm sure if you looked into the teams who are pioneering Lates events in London they are - you guessed it- millennials. So why do policies, events and programmes aimed at people born in the 1980s and 1990s feel like such a burden for museums.

The answer is because you don't listen to us. You don't need to pay marketing companies to tell you how to get in touch with younger audiences, you need to listen to your younger staff members. Despite the shakeups, the short term contracts, the overhauls in museums of the years of the cuts, there remains a massive divide between museum leadership and the people doing the everyday work. I can just imagine a meeting of Directors, puzzling over the 'millennial' problem, reading reports written for them by their younger staff. If giving decision making powers to your junior staff scares you, that might be the reason why you are struggling to attract younger audiences.

I'd like to just say, from my own experience as a so-called 'millennial' and those of my friends, Londoners in their twenties are (generally) educated, cultured, engaged and enthusiastic. Even those who don't work in museums love coming to events because they love performance art or gaming or music. Not just because we like to get plastered and take selfies (although that is fun). No we don't have a lot of money to spend on events (housing shortage, university loans, being poorly paid in museums) but we still like to enjoy our city. You are very welcome to keep on keeping on with the mobile-friendly content and after hours events, but you should probably have a look within your organisation if you are feeling like you need some insights into programming for young people.

So you want to be a museum blogger?

We are so thrilled and excited to be featured in this month's Museums Journal in their feature on museum bloggers. It's odd to think we started this little blog in November of 2012, and we are still at it! The MJ's piece is such a great opportunity to meet the people behind the blogs and get to know a little bit more about what interests them. From comedy and natural history, to autism in museums, and art crime news, each blogger brings something new to the community. If you read this issue and thought, wow I'd like to do that! - then just let us say, you definitely should! But if you wanted some pointers before you start out, here are some of our top tips!

1) Think about your hook- What makes you different than anyone else writing about museums? What struck is reading the MJ article is the very different takes all the bloggers had on the field. At the Ministry we focus on young people working in museums, registry and collections issues, and women in museums. If you want your blog to get some traffic, then you have to have some kind of hook that makes people interested in your opinion. Just writing exhibition reviews probably won't get you much of a following.

2) Create your voice/brand - Ok so you have a concept, how are you going to make that consistent? You want your readers to know they are reading a blog by you each time, so think about your unique writing style. Once you've thought about the tone you want to take - friendly, informal, or critical and hard-hitting, then stick to it. Your blog should be unique to stand out from the crowd.

3) Have a content plan- How frequently are you going to post on your blog? Try to make it realistic. We aim for once a week, although twice a week would really be ideal! Very frequently bloggers start out with daily posts that peter out after a month or two. If you have so many ideas, save them up and schedule them to go out at more even intervals! If are you posting new content, be sure you let your readers know. Which brings us to...

4) Snap up those social media accounts- Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are all great ways to keep your followers up to date and drive them towards your site. The museum community on Twitter is amazing and really supportive. Be sure whatever site to use hashtags like #museums #culture #museblogger to get some attention. 

5) Get to know your community- Even before you get started, have a look around on twitter and instagram for bloggers you admire. Then FOLLOW FOLLOW FOLLOW - the best way to get followers on twitter or anything else is to follow other people. But not just anyone, the kind of people who you want reading what you right. Get stuck in on online conversations like #museumhour or visit an event like Museums Showoff to get your name our there. Some museums like the Wallace Collection offer museum blogger only events, so do your homework. 

6) Just keep swimming - Blogging can be harder than you think, especially over a long stretch of time. Life find a way of getting in the way of your ambitious plans. Maybe you had a fantastic idea for this week's post, but your boiler broke. C'est la vie. Either try and have some posts saved as drafts, or just leave it til next week. Just don't get disheartened! 

Our number one tip however is that if you want to blog, make sure its for you. Don't set up a blog because you think you have to, or its the 'done' thing. Blogging is hard, and the only way to sustain it is your passion for it! If you haven't quite figured out what drives you, maybe leave it for a bit until you find something that makes you excited!