Let's Get Digital!
Space Shuttle Atlantis | Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center | Florida
Websites, social media, VR technology… we didn’t start the fire, but it’s always a burning question. What digital tools are helpful for your attraction? Where do you draw the line? Should you be designing and selling NFTs? And what is digital in the first place? It can feel like a never-ending and expanding carousel of choices. Forming a digital strategy can feel overwhelming, so let’s break it down.
First, let’s talk about what digital means. There’s often confusion about what digital is and how it differs from technology. Digital can include websites, social media, apps, virtual and augmented reality experiences, and the video that greets your guest at the welcome center.
“Technology includes hardware like computers, infrastructure, and ticket kiosks. Digital is the content and assets layered on top of technology that provide experiences and engagement.”
- Nik Honeysett, President and CEO of the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC)
A digital strategy will look different for every organization but likely have similar objectives: sustainable growth and enhancing the visitor experience. A digital strategy provides a framework allowing you to chart user experience goals and utilize digital systems, integrations, and tools to reach those goals. Honeysett says, “If you exist to engage an audience, you need to focus on what that means and then look to see which digital systems and integrations will help you achieve that goal.”
To build an effective digital strategy, Honeysett recommends starting with your goals.
Root your digital goals in an institutional plan. Digital strategies should reflect what the institution is trying to achieve.
Review what you need to tell your audience and be aware of what your audience wants to hear.
Explore what resources are already available vs what will be needed to create content and experiences.
Analyzing what’s already in place and how your visitors interact with current digital pieces will also help form your strategy. Honeysett and BPOC create custom journey maps for organizations with which they work. The journey map is a visual guide to what happens before, during, and after a visit to an attraction. This can include website visits, reservation options, what you see upon entry, flow through the attraction, and how people continue to interact with the attraction after leaving. Another section of the journey map includes information about internal processes and operations. Honeysett says, “If you’re tackling a piece of your digital journey, the map will show you the things you need to consider.”
It's also important to review what you’re currently doing in the digital space and evaluate if it’s working. Honeysett explains, “Look at the pieces you have in place now. Are they effective? Often, the more you do, the more diluted the pieces become. Instead, focus on core services and boost the quality of what you’re doing so it doesn’t get lost in the mass of communication people receive. If you want to grab the audience’s attention, do something well and create a connection.”
After reflection and evaluation, a plan can be put in place, but Honeysett warns it can be a long process. He says, “A digital strategy takes time. You can’t just brainstorm about what you want to do. Being creative and strategic is a discipline; it’s a muscle that needs to be exercised.”
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