Lovers of art-related video content may have come across Australian-grown art historian and TikTok star, Mary McGillivray. Over the past four years, she has accumulated over 12 million “likes” and nearly 448,000 followers on her TikTok account, @_theiconoclass, and collaborated with the ABC, National Gallery London, the Art History Institute of Australia and more.
Looking at McGillivray’s video content now – ranging from controversial photoshopped images to the best view in Florence – the ability to blend a down to earth sense of humour with well-researched art historical knowledge seems to come naturally to her. McGillivray set out with the mission of ‘making visual cultural analysis accessible for the next generation’, and the hundreds of thousands of people who have tuned are surely a mark of achievement.
If McGillivray’s video content is grounded on driving widespread appeal with art historical references, then the online success of The Tank Museum in Bovington, UK (‘the most watched museum on YouTube‘), is based precisely on the opposite – how niche it is.
From being a fairly obscure museum that not many knew about to hitting 100 million views on YouTube and breaking record visitation last year, The Tank Museum has used video content to not only build its online presence, but also drive fame, revenue and fundraising efforts for museum operations.
ArtsHub speaks with Nik Wyness, The Tank Museum’s Head of Marketing and Engagement, and McGillivray to gain insight into some of their learnings and the biggest tips ahead of their presentation at REMIX Summit Sydney 2024.
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The dos
Do use humour
McGillivray tells ArtsHub that one incentive for her as a digital creator is to dispel ‘crappy content and misinformation online’. She continues, ‘Even when it comes to medieval art history, there are videos on TikTok with millions of views that perpetuate myths and misinterpretations of historical evidence.
’Now more than ever it’s vital for academics and researchers from all fields to contribute to online conversations to combat misinformation. But in order to make our expertise accessible we must speak the language of online spaces and, in my book, humour is the best way to do it!’
For her, ‘laughing and learning are not mutually exclusive [but] quite the opposite’. McGillivray explains, ‘A good, entertaining story about an artwork or a historical object not only attracts attention in the din of online noise, but humour also helps combat the (not undeserved) reputation that art historians have for being stuffy and serious.’
Do strategise video content
For The Tank Museum, the online content strategy was an extension of PR with the goal of spreading more information on the Museum and reaching previously untapped demographics.
Looking at The Tank Museum’s YouTube Channel, some videos reached over two million views as far back as 12 years ago. Wyness says the development ‘has been incremental over a number of years, picking up speed as the audience grew and YouTube itself developed’. The Museum recognised the scope of the opportunity around 2016/17, and successfully rallied top-level support to ‘adjust our focus and resources accordingly’.
Moving from long-form YouTube videos to short-form TikTok/Instagram Reels/YouTube Shorts content is recent. Wyness adds, ‘We’ve treated shorts as distinct from long form and resourced them separately. We think shorts work better when they are bespoke and purpose made (rather than repurposing long form).
‘It’s a totally different process, a different type of storytelling – but we’ve seen this approach has brought in an even younger audience,’ he says.
Do find your niche
Wyness makes a strong point that cultural institutions should work to find their niche online, rather than strive for that general appeal, so embedded in on-the-ground programming and traditional marketing avenues.
’The best content creators are very clear about their niche and work to understand the specific needs of that audience. They’re not trying to appeal to everyone – because online, that approach risks pleasing no one,’ says Wyness.
For The Tank Museum, that demographic is clearly people who are already interested in military history. ‘We’re giving them stories and information at a level that they will find useful, satisfying and entertaining,’ explains Wyness.
This is fundamentally different to the Museum’s approach to exhibitions, ‘which are designed to enthuse and engage visitors in a subject they probably aren’t that familiar with’.
Wyness continues, ‘But that approach doesn’t work online, because social media algorithms basically feed audiences with more of what they already enjoy.
‘So in our sector, where we are hard-wired to want to broaden audiences and appeal as much as possible, it can feel almost counterintuitive to niche down in this way.’
Yet, he stresses ‘it’s absolutely essential’ in order for content recommendations and algorithms to work in your favour.
Do have a good opening hook
McGillivray says that having a good, interesting story (‘It doesn’t have to be elaborate or long!’) and a touch point of familiarity, especially for historical content, is vital for engagement.
She adds, ‘If the story you want to tell is set in a period of history that is not well-known to the average viewer, or if it’s about an artist not many people have heard of, you have to find something else in the story that the audience can relate to. Maybe it’s a universal feeling or experience, or maybe it’s simply a pop culture reference, but it needs to be familiar.’
Further, a good opening hook is what will sustain attention. It’s ‘one sentence that catches the viewer’s attention as they’re scrolling through a busy feed full of content vying for their eyeballs and time,’ she says.
Do build trust and loyalty
The success of The Tank Museum’s online presence is not only in its exposure, but the level to which this has effectively converted people to visitors, donors and supporters of the Museum – it’s about loyalty.
In order to build this, Wyness suggests that ‘generosity, accessibility and consistency’ are key.
Generosity is shown in the time and effort put into the content, and the value it creates for the audience. ‘Interesting, authoritative and genuinely useful’ content is what will bring audiences back to the channel.
Accessibility also ties in with audience expectation, as well as platform conventions and best practice.
In terms of consistency, it’s ‘not only about posting regularly to build audiences long term, but also about being consistent with the topic and how we talk about it’. This can take into account house production style, presenters, duration and what time a post goes out.
The Tank Museum receives advertising revenue from its digital content, has a Patreon page with an online membership scheme, receives online micro-donations and, now, has YouTube Memberships. The non-profit is increasingly supported by its online fan base.
’All this works because our audience is composed of enthusiasts – and our online presence positions us as the charity that communicates and preserves this history for future generations,’ says Wyness.
The don’ts
Don’t care too much about the comments
When asked about the one thing she wished she had known when starting out on TikTok, ‘Don’t read the comments too often and don’t take them seriously,’ says McGillivray.
‘The comments section is all too often where reason, perspective and good faith go to die,’ she adds.
Don’t overestimate production value
McGillivray’s advice to arts organisations that want to jump on the potentials of video content is to first do research, both into ‘similar organisations that are getting it right’ and also those that aren’t in your field.
‘Learn from what influencers, meme-makers, public intellectuals, educators, writers and filmmakers are doing on these platforms to really understand the culture of online video.’
However, ‘do not overestimate production value and do not underestimate storytelling’. She continues, ‘You do not need specialist video production teams (these can, in fact, be detrimental to making good online content) nor do you need fancy equipment. A phone and a good eye is all you need! The best educational videos online focus on telling a good story using an authentic voice.’
Don’t try to be “down with the kids”
Wyness also speaks on the importance of authenticity, rather than just mindlessly jumping on a trend. Plus it’s important to note that people expect more out of cultural institutions, as compared to individual influencers or social media personalities. Some had to learn this the hard way…
Wyness adds, ‘Trying to be something you are not always backfires. You can end up either alienating your core audience, or the intended audience can sniff out the insincerity of it.
’The British Museum recently slipped up with a TikTok that showed the risks associated with trying to be “down with the kids” and was heavily criticised for it.’
He is referring to the backlash and accusations of sexism that the British Museum received after reposting a TikTok regarding its Legion: life in the Roman Army exhibition. The original video was created by a TikTok user unrelated to the British Museum with the tagline ‘Girlies, if you’re single and looking for a man, this is your sign to go to the British Museum’s new exhibition “Life in the Roman Army” and walk around looking confused’. Perhaps the British Museum saw it as an opportunity to capitalise on internet culture and exposure, but the whole thing ended up being a publicity disaster.
This case study exemplifies precisely what Wyness is warning against. ‘There is a misconception that the objective of social media is to “go viral”. This is often only achieved when a brand behaves out of character or acts in some way that is counter to expectations,’ he continues.
’The attention this generates, while flattering, rarely translates into enduring audience connection. I just don’t think people need museums to be “cool” in that way. And that wouldn’t be a smart way for us to try and compete on social media anyway – because there are plenty of people who really are cool or funny and can authentically pull it off.’
Read: Forget AI, why viralism is costing you your job
Wyness concludes, ‘What museums do have is credibility, relevance, reason and authority. These are far more valuable commodities to satisfy audiences on platforms that are too often dominated by misinformation, superficiality and clout chasing.’
Don’t push for a hard sell
’Gen Z can smell a marketing campaign a mile away,’ says McGillivray. ‘They will not engage with direct, traditional CTAs (call to action), nor will they participate in inorganic online trends. The worst thing you can do is leave all your social media accounts in the hands of your marketing team.’
She continues, ‘Digital native audiences value authenticity above all else, and they respond best to passionate individuals sharing stories about art, culture and history in an unfiltered way.
‘The good news is, cultural organisations already have plenty of brilliant storytellers in their midst: look to your educators and visitor services personnel for your ready-made “talent”. These are the people who already spend their days engaging the public in exhibitions, collections and events – they are your experts,’ concludes McGillivray.
Wyness and McGillivray will be speaking at REMIX Summit Sydney 2024 (13-14 June), a two-day program of talks, discussions and networking on the future of culture and the creative industries. Check out the full program.
