‘Marketing Strategy for Museums’ published

A new book aiming to demystify museum marketing will be published on 6 December 2023. Marketing Strategy for Museums, by marketing consultant Christina Lister, is a practical guide to developing and delivering effective marketing that supports museums’ missions.

At a time when many museums are facing a vast and broad range of challenges – such as funding and budget issues; huge competition for audiences’ time, attention and money; shifting audience trends; the climate crisis; and recruitment difficulties – this book showcases the role that marketing can have in ensuring that museums stay relevant and viable.

The book explains how museums can develop a strategic and proactive approach to marketing, connect with audiences, and make efficient decisions with limited resources. It breaks down jargon and provides useful models and ideas of how museums can successfully plan and deliver marketing, with examples from a broad range of museums from around the world. It also includes questions to readers for further reflection and ideas for workshop exercises.

Part I sets out an overview around the concepts of museums, marketing, and audiences and how they inter-relate; Part II presents a step-by-step framework for developing a museum marketing strategy and a plan for a marketing campaign that can be scaled up or down; and Part III delves into some themes in more detail, including communication channels, pricing, accessibility and inclusivity, and ethical marketing.

Marketing Strategy for Museums is aimed at practitioners and professionals working in museums with responsibility for and/or interest in marketing or audience development, whether as staff, trustees or volunteers; and is also of relevance to students of museum studies and heritage management.

Christina Lister is a marketing and audience development consultant with over 20 years’ experience in a range of agency, in-house, and consultancy roles, specialising in working with museums, heritage sites, cultural venues, and sector support organisations of all sizes such as the Arts Marketing Association, AIM (the Association of Independent Museums), the Museum of London and Jane Austen’s House.

She is a strategic thinker with an insight-driven approach and her work has won a range of marketing and PR awards. Having worked with over 90 organisations as a consultant and trained hundreds of people over the past decade, Christina used the questions she is most frequently asked by clients and training participants as the starting point for the development of the book.

Christina said: “Writing this book has been a wonderful opportunity to research and share my experiences and perspectives on museum marketing. I’m passionate about championing meaningful and impactful marketing, and I hope the book will make museum marketing less intimidating, provide inspiration, practical tips and prompts for further reflection.

“Marketing can still be a maligned and side-lined function within the museums sector, and I hope that my book will help to advocate for the crucial role marketing can have in helping museums to connect and build relationships with audiences and to stay relevant and viable.”

Marketing Strategy for Museums is published by Routledge, as part of its Guides to Practice in Museums, Galleries and Heritage. The book’s RRP is £31.99 and is available to pre-order directly via the publisher, and at Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

- ends –

Notes to editors

For more information, images or an interview with Christina, please contact comms@christinalister.co.uk. A media review copy of Marketing Strategy for Museums (ISBN 9781032313153) can be requested directly via the publisher by completing this form.

About Christina Lister

Christina Lister is a marketing and audience development consultant with 21 years’ experience, specialising in working with museums, heritage sites and cultural venues. She undertakes audits, consultation, and research; develops strategies; and runs training, supporting organisations’ resilience, growth, and sustainability. She has worked in agency and in-house roles as well as the last 11 years as a freelance consultant.

Her experience spans larger museums and sector support organisations such as the Arts Marketing Association, the Association of Independent Museums and the Museum of London; many smaller and independent museums including Jane Austen’s House and the Museum of Cambridge; as well as other heritage and cultural organisations such as the American Library, Shoreditch Town Hall, Babylon ARTs, Dundee Science Centre, Harwich Electric Palace and Norwich Historic Churches Trust. Christina is also a trustee of Kids in Museums.

Marketing Strategy for Museums book front cover