South Western Federation of Museums and Art Galleries
Brief for marketing material
Overview and objectives
The South Western Federation of Museums and Art Galleries (SW Fed) exists to support, to share
skills, ideas and experience, and represent the museums and galleries in the South West and the
people who work in them. Its membership base is therefore at the core of its purpose. As part of a
new business plan, it is aiming to grow its membership numbers substantially, so that it delivers
more of its core purpose, so that it can generate more income (subscription, donations, sponsorship,
legacies and commercial income) and operate from a more sustainable basis (employ part time
contractors to undertake work in support of the volunteer Board).
Targets for growth in the next three years are to increase by 32% on 2013’s total, which works out at
an extra 50 individual members, 20 institutional members and 15 corporate members per year 20152017.
Target audience
Museum professionals. Mainly early to mid career but also targeting students, seniors and
freelancers. Tend to be from a curatorial background, serious/earnest, intellectual, from MOSAIC
groups Small Town Diversity, Rural Solitude, Liberal Opinions and Professional Rewards.
Need to make it clear that the SW Fed is open to both accredited and non-accredited museums and
museum staff engaged in any aspect of a museum’s operation, to volunteers, museum friends,
retired staff and appropriate to Senior staff as well as early to mid career staff, as they are currently
under-represented. It is also open to companies and individuals who supply and sell services to
museums (corporate members).
Identified opportunity from consultation
The SW Fed is highly valued by its members, it is supported and seen as fulfilling its purpose
successfully. The main reasons members value it are for being the voice of Museums, providing
good communications, training, networking, being credible and long-established, cheap and regionwide yet local in delivery (of networking and training). Other valued aspects are its website,
especially the job ads, a sense of belonging to an organisation, its fora and conferences, its ability to
talk directly to funders and its neutrality. Providing free entry to participating museums was less
valued among consultees.
Institutional membership stands at 130 of around 540 potential museum and community
organisations in the South West. Its current market share for institutions is therefore approx 24%.
Individual market share is estimated very approximately at 2% of all staff and volunteers working in
such institutions.
Corporate membership stands at just 6 suppliers. Corporate members have to have worked with a
museum in the South West and their membership is subject to two satisfactory references from
museums in the region and approval by the Board.
Being highly valued and yet having low market share make for a clear opportunity for a membership
marketing campaign at this point
Channel
A new membership officer will be conducting membership marketing campaigns by:
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emailing individual contacts generated by training sessions; board contacts and suggestions;
referrals from the membership; to all potential institutions; and following up with phone
calls
identifying decision makers in museums who circulate newsletters and developing
relationships with them (suggest membership promoted in their in-house newsletters,
leaflets on site/in staff rooms, meet with them regularly to establish needs, rapport and
further opportunities to promote membership)
running a member-get-member campaign (with possibly an incentive for the member
making the referral)
distributing postcards/DL leaflets promoting membership at events, conferences and
training
approaching the Museums Association and BaFM for a joint campaign (consider offering one
year’s free trial)
organising a LinkedIn campaign
creating and promoting an offer for those in their fourth year of membership (eg bursaries,
eg free place at the conference)
investigating other opportunities for member offers and making approaches, eg to
corporate members
Running lapsed member campaigns on regular basis, chasing non-renewals by
email/letter/phone to renew or find out why not, and feeding in results with strategic
implications to the Board
Messaging and tone of voice (brand guidelines)
The membership offer for individuals can be summarised as professional development, training,
networking events, newsletters, website, advocacy support and free entry to participating museums.
In addition to staff development, institutional members also get featured on the homepage and in
spotlight features and in the e-newsletter, website links and several cards for free admission for
staff.
See website for further detail on tone of voice www.swfed.org.uk/component/content/article/46
See Brand Guidelines
Messaging should be concise, serious, professional and sell the benefits of joining clearly and in a
compelling manner. See previous powerpoint presentation for membership selling document.
Material required
Campaign creative, strapline and key messages in two formats, one as an email and one as either a
postcard or a DL leaflet, depending on length of campaign message and whether response form
required, please advise.
Email should have embedded links to on-line joining function and to website homepage. It should
work in smartphone and tablet format as well as desktop.
Email will initially be used for item 1 on list of membership officer activity and should then be easily
adaptable to a member-get-member campaign, joint campaign with another similar body, lapsed
member campaign, LinkedIn campaign and 4th year retention campaign. Email may also be adapted
as an ad for in-house newsletters.
Postcard/DL leaflet will be used in talking with institutions, at events, training sessions and
distributed to larger Museum staff rooms. Print runs of 2000, 5000 and 10,000 should be quoted.
Both pieces of collateral will be updated with new membership benefits/offers as they are
developed over the next two years (eg access to bursaries, masterclasses, award schemes and joint
purchasing initiatives)
Timing
First drafts by mid September 2014
Second drafts by mid October 2014. These will be tested in a focus group.
Final material delivered by mid November
Budget
Not to exceed £1200 with full break-down of costs required.
Liaison – please liaise with Vicky Dawson, Chair, vickym@dawsonheritage.co.uk 01823 274525