Comparing inbound marketing strategy for the V&A London v Brighton and Hove Museums
IN THIS ARTICLE
In this article I am reporting on the Inbound Marketing of two museum websites, the Brighton and Hove Museum (my local) and the internationally prestigious V&A Museum.
Both websites and organisation share common business goals:
- Provide information for visitors to the museums
- Sell products: tours, exhibition tickets, courses, souvenirs, membership, patronage
- Promote their charity & raise money for restoration, preservation, expansion and upkeep
- Collect email contacts for newsletter
- Earn revenue from venue hire
So lets look at the meat and potato’s of their inbound strategies…
Each Organisations approach to Inbound Marketing
B&H Museum’s Inbound Strategy
B&H have an attractive image heavy website that is supported by good organic SEO implementation which makes them highly visible with high authority in search. The website is promoted with a good mix of video and image content on socials, that promotes the museum’s activities, with BTS and Seasonal content interspersed and a good hashtag strategy.
- Effective use of keywords
- Clear header navigation
- numerous backlinks
- good internal link structure
- quality blog content
- four social channels, Facebook, Instagram, X, Youtube
- Newsletter sign up
V&A Museum’s Inbound Strategy
The V&A has a sophisticated visually strong website with extremely well organised content and clear CTA’s. The website uses good page structure hierarchy and UX as well as paid ads and keywords to maximise SEO.
Five social channels, all produce unique curated content to each channel and use a good mix of professional photography, video, BTS, promotional and educational high quality content.
- Mix of Paid and Organic keywords
- Clear header and on-site navigation throughout
- Extensive backlinks
- Extensive internal link structured
- High quality blog content and education archive
- five very active social channels, facebook, Instagram, Youtube, X, Pinterest, all individually curated
- Newsletter sign up on page and in footer
- Paid social ads
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Inbound Marketing Approach used by Each Organisation
B&H
| STRENGTH | WEAKNESS |
|---|---|
| Solid SEO, keywords/ hierarchy Content rich attractive site Informative landing pages Regular social posting | Main CTA not clear Other CTA’s are generic Newsletter sign up doesn’t work (no submission confirmation or email) Neglected Youtube channel Blog is hidden under ‘News’ No PPC strategy in search or socials |
V&A
| STRENGTH | WEAKNESS |
|---|---|
| Great art direction Organic and paid keywords Clear site hierarchy and organisation Clear Main CTA Good internal page linking Great landing pages Exceptional social content Each social channel has different curated content for different audiences Newsletter is well crafted Paid membership subscription scheme | Pinterest page seems to have no strategy Not using hashtags effectively in socials No direct brand engagement with audience |
Which organisation was best at inbound Marketing
The V&A are more successful at inbound marketing.
The V&A utilize more strategies to attract their audience with a sophisticated curated site and strong social media presence. They also use social ads and paid keywords to optimise their discovery. Clear navigation and CTA’s guide the customer through the buyers journey, and their membership newsletter is enticing to bring customers back to revisit.
Examples of how each organisation could improve it’s inbound marketing
B&H
- Declutter website layout and better organise information
- Improve landing page for Newsletter
- Email Sign up should be more prominent on page
- Using automated chatbot for FAQ / customer service
- Utilizing more video content
- Make Blog easier to find
- Make sure the newsletter is automated
V&A
- overhaul Pinterest organisation and optimise for V&A shop products, and short form video
- create more shorts on Youtube and cross publish on V and A Pinterest
- Be actively engaged with audience to boost charity’s mission and endeavours.
- Personalising Email Newsletter
- Using automated chatbot for FAQ or customer service
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References
B&H Museum [online] Home – Brighton & Hove Museums [accessed 12/11/2024]
B&H Instagram [online] Brighton & Hove Museums (@brighton_museums) • Instagram photos and videos [accessed 17/11/2024]
B&H Facebook [online] Facebook [accessed 17/11/2024]
B&H Youtube [online] Brighton & Hove Museums – YouTube [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A [online] The family of art, design and performance museums · V&A [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A Instagram [online] Victoria and Albert Museum (@vamuseum) • Instagram photos and videos [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A Facebook [online] Facebook [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A Youtube [online] Victoria and Albert Museum – YouTube [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A Pinterest [online] Pinterest [accessed 17/11/2024]
V&A Twitter [online] V&A (@V_and_A) / X [accessed 19/11/2024]
Semrush (2024) SEO data https://www.semrush.com/ [accessed 19/22/2024]
Image References:
Featured Image: Brighton and Hove Poster under the Bridge (2022) [photograph] Available at Brighton & Hove Museums unveils “inclusive” new identity – Design Week [accessed 19/11/2024]