Over the last two months, the demand for digital content has increased dramatically. Many museums have worked hard to translate their physical offerings into the digital space and have experienced a sizable growth in online reach and engagement. With the vast majority of museums remaining closed for the foreseeable future, organizations are looking to leverage their digital channels to bring the museum experience into people’s homes. Many institutions have learned during this time that digital content can transcend geographical barriers and can be used as a permanent extension to a museum’s reach. Research has shown that smartphones are also the most accessible digital tool for accessing information, with the vast majority of Americans owning a smartphone.

Cuseum’s Mobile Engagement platform is one way that institutions can effectively deliver digital content and provide a convenient one-stop location for their audience to view digital tours with interactive elements such as videos and audio.

Read on to learn four ways museums are leveraging mobile apps to keep audiences engaged during COVID-19.

Offering Digital Tours

While closures are preventing the public from accessing the traditional, on-site museum experience, organizations such as the Yale University Art Gallery and White House Historical Association are leveraging their digital tour feature found on their mobile app to provide audiences with a curated tour from the comfort of their homes. Digital tours allow users to navigate their way through your digital space while listening to an expert curator or guide speak in-depth about the objects, artworks, and points of interest, giving audiences an engaging opportunity to learn more. The tours can be offered in multiple languages and can include videos, audio content, text information, and photos, to help form a deep connection with your collection.

Digital tours are also a way to give a platform to multiple voices at your organization, from curators, educators, artists, and students. Yale Center for British Art and North Carolina Museum of Art continues to offer tours that feature many different voices from their organization.

With the public being encouraged to stay indoors for the last two months the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is giving app users an opportunity to step outside and view their outdoor sculpture tour.

Supporting K-12 Education

mobile apps for museums & cultural organizations

With students forced to stay at home due to school closures, many museums have looked to enhance at-home learning experiences using targeted digital content. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is leveraging its mobile app as an educational resource by bringing a school field trip experience to students in their local community. They have used a variety of videos, images, and text throughout a special tour that features a trip through the solar system and culminates with a tour of a manatee habitat. Using the app as an educational tool provides institutions the ability to continue their school programs and provides students with interactive, educational content.

While many parents and educators may be hesitant to give young children free rein of YouTube or the internet, a mobile museum app can be a place to access factual, educational, and trustworthy content all in one place.

Hosting Recorded Events

As many museums have turned to online lectures and webinars during this time, the mobile app can be used to feature these recorded events. With institutions looking to continue their webinar programming upon reopening, recording webinar series like live lectures, discussions, and demonstrations can produce content that can live in your app for months or years to come. The Rockford Art Museum is currently featuring lectures and popular programs such as “Coffee with the Curator” on their app. With the ability to feature recorded videos, your programs are no longer limited to a physical location and can be accessed from one location at any time from anywhere in the world.

Making it Easy to Donate

ways to make themost of a mobile app for museums & cultural organizations

In 2019, an estimated 26% of online donations were made using mobile devices. This number is likely to increase as a result of COVID-19, as everything goes digital and all people of all demographics have become more comfortable with technology. Cuseum-powered mobile apps offer a feature that directs users to a donation prompt where they can effortlessly select an amount to donate. As lost admissions revenue has caused many organizations to seek gifts during this difficult time, the donation feature provides an easily accessible avenue for users looking to help your cause.

Related Content: Boosting Membership & Donations Through Your Mobile App

As museums look to continue providing audiences with at-home museum experiences, mobile apps can be a powerful tool for delivering content, offering virtual tours, and much more. Cuseum’s mobile app platform has proved to be a versatile tool during this challenging time and will continue to drive engagement as we begin this new chapter in digital programming, on-site and off.

Interested in learning how Mobile Engagement can benefit your organization? Schedule a free consultation with Cuseum today.

Further Reading:

6 Strategies For Getting Creative With Your Mobile Tour App Content