From Museum Exhibitions to Social Media Engagement: Optimising Instagram Content for the National Museum Zurich

Abstract This chapter explores the role of digital marketing in heritage and cultural tourism, with a specific focus on the National Museum Zurich. The theoretical part of the chapter discusses the transformative impact of digital marketing strategies on cultural institutions, emphasising the importance of content marketing and social media, particularly Instagram, for engaging broader audiences. The case study analyses the effect of six distinct content categories on user engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, impressions and reach, based on a thematic and regression analysis of 815 organic Instagram posts from the National Museum Zurich published between January 2022 and April 2024. Findings reveal that humorous historical photography and general content about the museum significantly enhance engagement, while exhibition-related and event posts show less impact, highlighting the need for a more dynamic presentation of such content. Informational posts effectively stimulate comments, underscoring the value of informative content. This chapter concludes with strategic recommendations to optimise the museum’s Instagram presence, suggesting a focus on high-engagement content categories and continuous performance analysis to adapt to audience preferences.