Social Media and Heritage Site Public Engagement Jordan Graham and Alexander Roberts

30 October 2014 Social Media Michaelmas Series

The TVCHP and TSC - The Thames Valley Country House Partnership (TVCHP) established in October 2013 to co-ordinate the houses

- Brought on The Student Consultancy (TSC) in Trinity 2014 to analyse the 18-30 demographic interaction with the homes

- Survey of Oxford students undertaken, and a report written

A Problem Framed - Members of this demographic were too busy, and those that were visiting had heard about these properties by word of mouth (only)

- Social media that was already in place (i.e. Facebook) was not reaching this group, and other channels were underutilised and not engaging

The Two Prongs Lack of interest - 18-21 year olds - Not visiting sites initially

- Attributable to time and travel misconceptions

No repeat visits - If initial visit did occur, repeat visits were not common

- Attributable to publicity surrounding events and the houses themselves

A Perceptual Challenge

How best can heritage homes attract a younger demographic without deterring the visitor base they have already established with an older demographic through ‘traditional imagery’?

Present Approach

Maintain the consistency of content, but modify the way in which it is selectively presented.

Presentation Change

Introduce Apps- Following ‘busy lifestyle’ survey findings

Optimise Social Media- Following ‘word of mouth’ survey findings

Make more relevant to target demographic without sacrificing image among other

demographics

App-ortunistic - Create more generally consumable, ‘younger,’ flexible ways in which to engage with the properties

- Foster connections with University of Oxford departments and colleges

- Integrate transport links and events

(Actually) Social Media- A conservative repackaging of heritage content

- Facebook: an important, but inflexible, staple

- Twitter: hashtag importance, live tweeting

- Instagram: sharing both photographs and information, also linking in to hashtags

- With the appropriate co-ordination of these channels there is the potential for viral campaigns

Becoming Viral - Find something “amemable”- Engaging, interactive, with the flexibility to allow others to jump on

- Possible avenues: the tweeting of a historical figure, current trends, ‘selfies’

Looking Forward - Getting heritage properties on the appropriate social media platforms

- Involving departments and students of the University

- Involving businesses and institutions in Oxford

- Improving co-ordination and dialogue between the houses

Guidelines- Simply having an account is not enough - Must be co-ordinated to produce a high-quality, well-polished, and distinctive social media plan

- As the consumer has all of the information literally at their fingertips what is consumable must be effortless or it will simply not be used

Thank you for your time.