How to reach teachers

In the 2021-22 Teacher Art Pass Research and Development year, we worked with teachers to find out what support they needed to be able to increase their use of museums as resources in their teaching. Discover what communication channels teachers told us they use most.

What marketing channels do teachers use?

We asked Teacher Art Pass members a number of questions on which marketing channels they use the most when considering engaging with museums and galleries both personally and professionally.

The majority rated email newsletters (72%) and social media (60%) as best channels to keep them informed of the museum learning offer.

At work, Twitter (now X) was the most used social media (35%) and at home Facebook (63%) and Instagram (61%).

Additionally teachers felt the Times Educational Supplement website and Facebook groups were relevant places to reach them:

58% Times Educational Supplement website
49% teacher Facebook group

Marketing actions you can take

Website

Review website to ensure the teacher and schools offer includes all the information teachers need, both for planning pupil engagement either digitally in the classroom or via school visits, and for teacher CPD training if its available.
Ensure the area of your website dedicated to teachers and schools is clearly and regularly signposted across prominent areas such as the homepage or website navigation.
If you don’t have dedicated information for teachers and schools, consider what information could be included on the website.
The more relevant information you have on your website, the higher you will be prioritised in organic search results when teachers use Google to find information. For more information on this, research Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) best practice.

Timing

Teachers plan the full academic year in the summer term May-July each year. This is the very best period to contact teachers, as it gives them time to factor your offer into their plans. If you miss these months, September and January are also good times to reach teachers, but they will be less able to impact their plans for the year which will already be in motion.

Marketing

Review what marketing channels are available to you to raise awareness of your offer e.g. museum email marketing campaigns, or social media presence, and possible partner agencies or collaborators that could help you reach teacher audiences.
Set up a data-capture form in the relevant area of your website so teachers can sign up to hear about your offering via email when you’re ready to share it.
If you can’t set up a data-capture form, visit local school websites and build up a database of publicly available contact information, and email these contacts at key moments in the year.
If you have some available budget, consider hiring an agency to create or include your offer in emails targeting teachers on your behalf e.g. Buzz Education or Times Educational Supplement.

You can read the full report about what teachers want from museums on the Art Fund website. Plus, we’ve got a ready to use pack of promotional assets for Teacher Art Pass to help you connect with local schools.