Digital Engagement Project 2013 / 2014

Proposal to museums

·  Would you like a professional audit of your website?

·  Do you want to do more with your social media but don’t know how to?

·  Could you do with help to plan for more effective use of your online presence?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above and you are an Accredited /

Provisionally Accredited museum in the areas below[1] then you should take part in the SW Digital Engagement Project.

The SW Museum Development Partnership is pleased to offer you the opportunity to work with digital marketing consultants Claire Sully and John Brunsdon of Tickbox Marketing to audit your online activity and set the foundations of a strategy and action plan to increase impact, in short how to improve your museum’s digital engagement with its target audiences.

The project builds on a pilot run with four museums – large and small, local authority and independent. Learn about the impact of the pilot project on participating museums at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhNiaZ5LKHQ.

The project is being hosted by Gloucestershire County Council and overseen by Julie Reynolds, MDO for Gloucestershire on behalf of the SW Museum Development Partnership with funding from Arts Council England. A project manager and your Museum Development Officer (MDO) will also support you along the way.

The offer to you

1) Benchmarking your current use of, ambitions for and competence with the web to help you identify goals and measure your learning and activity over the course of the project and beyond - a digital Step Change Ladder;

2) An audit of your museum’s current online activity, including website, social media and mobile presence. A written report summarising the findings and suggesting areas for improvement;

3) A four hour workshop with Tickox to explore and learn:

·  What is meant by ‘digital engagement’;

·  The importance of a clear ‘Vision’ to guide your museum’s digital engagement;

·  The framework to use to draw up a digital engagement strategy and action plan for your organisation.

This day should be attended by as many people as possible from your museum who contribute now, or will do so in the near future, to the museum’s online activity and by a representative of senior management.

It will be held jointly with representatives from another museum in your area that are participating in the project and attended by your Museum Development Officer. This will enable your organisations to offer mutual support as you develop and implement your strategy.

4) Follow up support from Tickbox Marketing and the project manager as you develop your strategy and chart your progress up the Digital Step Change Ladder.

5) Bite-sized ‘how to’ training sessions delivered by your MDO either at your museum or county group meetings. These will introduce you to the skills needed to implement your strategy – for example, how to use Search Engine Optimisation, set up a Facebook page, Tweet effectively, etc.

What we ask in return

As a successful applicant you will be required to sign a contract with the SW Museum Development Partnership to confirm:

·  That you will co-operate fully with the consultant, making available as much information as possible to him in the audit stage, including information about any analytics used on the site, responsibilities, skills levels and budgets.

·  That your museum’s governing body or senior management is committed to making staff available to take part in the audit and workshop and to implementing the strategy by developing an action plan integrated into the museum’s overall forward plan.

·  That you will share your experiences and learning more generally with colleagues locally and regionally though county museums groups and case studies on the SW Federation of Museums & Art Galleries’ website.

·  That you will comply with the timetable requirements for the completion of the project.

Timing

Oct/ Nov 13 / Nov 13/mid Mar 14 / March 14 / Mid April 2014
Expressions of interest / Museums’ online engagement audited / Strategies finalised / Evaluation completed
Participants selected / Workshops held
Digital Step Change Ladders completed / Draft strategies drawn up
Schedule of interviews and workshops agreed

To apply

Please complete the expression of interest form available from your MDO or on the Museum Development pages of the SW Federation of Museums & Art Galleries’ website www.swfed.org.uk/museum-development .

It is essential to discuss your involvement with your MDO. Please send all completed application forms to the Project Manager, Vicky Dawson, at by 5pm on Wednesday 13 November 2013.

All proposals will be reviewed by a panel against the project objectives and successful applicants will be notified by 5pm Friday 15th November 2013.

For further information, please contact your MDO

Digital Engagement Project 2013 – 2014

Application Form

DEADLINE 5PM Wednesday 13th November 2013

Please discuss your proposal with your MDO before submission and read the project description and terms of participation carefully.

Name of museum
Name and job title of project lead
Telephone
Email
Museum Accreditation number

Please describe your current online activity

Please list any planned developments to this activity

Please list any aspirations you have for your online activity

Please state briefly how you think participation in the Digital Engagement Project will benefit your organisation

Please detail below the people in your organisation that you plan to have contributing to the project


Declaration

I declare that the information on this proposal form is accurate to the best of my knowledge.

I confirm that staff/volunteer time will be available to commit to his project

I confirm that the appointed consultants will be fully supported by our organisation and we will provide the information required.

The application form must be signed by the Director, Manager or Chairman of the applicant organisation. A confirmation email from the applicant and Director/Manager/Chairman will suffice as confirmation of application (in place of signed copies)

Applicant’s signature
Name
Role
Date / Director/Chairman/Manager’s signature
Name
Role
Date

It is essential that applicants discuss their involvement in the project with their MDO prior to submitting the application

Please return completed applications by 5pm Wednesday 13 November 2013 to your MDO and the project manager: Vicky Dawson, from whom additional information may also be sought.

MDO contact details can be found online at:

www.swfed.org.uk/museum-development/museum-development-officers

V. Dawson, Project Manager – October 2013

[1] Only museums in Gloucestershire, S. Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, N. Devon/Torridge, Teignbridge and Cornwall are eligible to apply.