Social media is an essential part of museum marketing in this day and age. But the social media landscape is always changing, and for anyone who isn’t extremely online, the whole thing can be a little intimidating. Marissa Stern, social media manager for the Museum of the American Revolution is here today to share her wisdom, from challenges to inspiration to professional development resources.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to the role of social media manager for the Museum.
Hi! I’m a lifelong Philadelphian and studied English and journalism at Penn State University. Social media was a burgeoning career option when I started out, and as platforms have changed and grown, I became really interested in the ways to use social media as a means of storytelling. I’ve also always been a history buff, so this was the perfect way to marry my interests in history and writing.
What has been successful/popular on the Museum’s social channels?
We tend to categorize and balance our content into different buckets, from history-driven posts to promotion of Museum events and programs to pop culture trends.
We do a lot of historical content, of course, such as “on this day” posts about different Revolutionary War battles or dates certain historical figures were born, then tying it to different objects and stories in the museum.
Those posts are popular because they’re digestible nuggets that tell one piece of a larger story that (hopefully) entices our audience to want to learn more.
What social platforms do you spend the most time on?
This may or may not be a surprise, but we still spend most of our time on Facebook. We have a very active and engaged audience on Facebook that I am truly grateful for; it makes the job more fun to know I’m not just posting into a void. But we’re also very active on Twitter/X and Instagram.
As Reels has become more of a focal point on Instagram, I’ve been spending a lot of time translating ideas and posts into shortform videos. My brain just thinks in vertical video now.
What do you prioritize when it comes to social posts?
My hope with every post is that someone learns something, and we tell stories in ways that reach people where they are. Not everyone is a historian — including myself! — so we try to translate our work in a way that resonates with everyday users and keeps it approachable and engaging. Maybe someone hadn’t heard of a certain historical figure before or didn’t know that the Museum offers XYZ.
I strive to engage our audience with content they find interesting enough to share or comment on and maybe take a deeper dive. The ultimate goal, of course, is for someone to come into the Museum because they saw something on social and wanted to visit to learn more, but what’s cool about social media is how far-reaching it is. We have followers from all over the world, many of whom may never make it to the building, but they can still connect with us online and hopefully find something they like.
I’m also big on experimentation. Since a lot of our historical content can be recycled year after year, as historical dates don’t change, I like to find ways we can repurpose our content and tell the story differently to avoid going stale. While one year we might’ve used a photo of an object in our collection, the next year I could have one of our curators do a short video talking about the object instead or focus on a different person involved.
What is the most time-consuming part of your work?
The most time consuming, but also fun, part of my work is really putting the posts together, whether it’s writing the copy or filming and editing a video or getting the right photo to use with the post. I’m lucky that working at a museum means there is usually label copy that has language already written and approved that I can use and maybe just adapt for a social audience.
I see you’re not afraid to adapt fun social media trends (like fit checks) — what are some new avenues you’re interested in exploring for the Museum?
I am very fortunate to have coworkers who are willing to be on camera and participate in trends at a moment’s notice! I love finding ways to tie our content to something current or in pop culture that isn’t too “How do you do fellow kids?” For instance, we recently did a Reels series diving into the Apple TV series Franklin. (Ed note: Links in this section lead to examples of Marissa’s work.)
Some of my personal favorites include adapting Taylor Swift’s discography to our collection to tap into the hype when her Eras tour stopped in Philly, comparing characters and stories in Liberty’s Kids (real ones know) to people and objects you can see in the Museum, and Barbie. I’ll let that one speak for itself. I’m very open to experimenting with our content and love trying out different ideas.
Challenges you see in social media for museums?
Something I am constantly thinking about is sensitivity to subject matter — social can and should be fun, but being mindful of the content you’re posting is paramount. As a museum about a war and a complex time period, we do have the challenge of balancing the lightheartedness of trends with some of the heavier context around our work. On that same note, going back to your question about trends here, I’m very conscious of the fact that not everyone in that era had the same experiences, and I would never want to make light of the reality of the story just because there’s a trend on social media that will be forgotten in two weeks. Not every trend will work for you, and that’s OK!
I think another unique challenge is that with a museum, there are many times when you’re working with content or images you didn’t take or are permitted to use in only certain instances (during the timeframe of a limited exhibit, etc.). You want to make sure you give yourself enough time to work on projects that could be affected by having to source other assets or wait on certain levels of approval before a post goes live.
Where do you turn for social media inspiration? Any favorite museum follows?
Oh man, so many! This is such a fun, smart, and creative community, and I’m constantly looking to others for inspiration and to see what other institutions are doing. A few of my favorite follows are the Milwaukee Public Library, Getty Museum (such cool video work!), New-York Historical Society, Met Museum, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. And I want to give a shout-out to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History — Tim Pearce’s Mollusk Mondays continue to be the most wholesome, wonderful corner of the internet.
Any professional development suggestions for people in this role or those who find themselves suddenly in charge of socials?
I subscribe to a few newsletters that are hugely helpful and would love to especially plug ICYMI by Lia Haberman, which is a curated weekly roundup of news and updates about different platforms, and Link in Bio by Rachel Karten. Karten’s interviews with social media professionals across all industries are so insightful, and she offers resources that help with post inspiration, data analytics, crisis management, and more. It’s always reassuring to read about people who have the same questions and concerns as you and realize you’re not alone.
The Museum Social Media Managers Facebook group is also an invaluable resource for a way to connect with other museum social folks specifically and share resources, relevant webinars, and content ideas. I’m also part of a group of social and digital comms folks at Philly-area museums and nonprofits that meets once a month to exchange ideas or just vent, which is equally valuable!
Tips/tricks to impart?
Don’t feel like you need to reinvent the wheel! It’s hard enough to keep up with all the platforms and constant changes, whether to the algorithm or even how to actually post content. You can (and should) cater your copy to your audience, but IMO it’s OK to post the same content across different channels to save yourself time and sanity.
I will also say when your job is literally to scroll (don’t even ask about my screen time reports), it’s easy to get burnt out. Don’t forget to unplug and find opportunities to touch some grass and take time for yourself offscreen.
Tell us where we can follow your work.
You can follow the Museum across all channels at @amrevmuseum. Thanks for having me!
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