Marketing the library

http://hwlibrary.wordpress.com http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/library/help/help/liaisons/cards/

http://www.njha.com/librarysection/surfsmart.aspx

http://www.theworld.org/2009/12/01/phone-booth-library/

By Christine Edison

What’s public relations?

http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/10/19/gaming-in-libraries-presentation-eh.html

Public relations involves presenting a positive public impression of an organization and its products or services.

Public relations includes:

• Advertising• Promotions • Events • Publicity• Networking

with the community

From the ALA Store, www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=1407

What’s marketing?

From http://theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com/2008/09/

Marketing involves connecting audiences to information about products or services.

Marketing includes:

• Advertising

• Displays

• Official communications – Press releases

– Signage

– Newsletters

– Web site

– Local media

http://mrschu81.wordpress.com/page/14/

Who’s your audience?

• Part of marketing is finding out who your audience is.

• Librarians research the community they serve and put together a snapshot of the community.

From www.elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/News_&_Events/EPLSurvey.

Who’s your audience?

• Determine your target audiences and figure out what needs they might have for library services.

• Brainstorm how the library could meet those needs.

From theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com

Marketing plan

Phillips, Loreen S. Cruise to Success: How to steer your way through the murky waters of marketing your library. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009. p. 39.

Marketing plan

S.W.O.T.North Penn Tactical Response Team of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, practicing Cellular Team

Tactics, from Wikimedia Commons

S.W.O.T.

• Strengths– What does your

library do well?

• Weaknesses

• Opportunities

• Threats Phillips, Loreen S. Cruise to Success: How to steer your way through the murky waters of marketing your library. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009. p. 39.

S.W.O.T.

• Strengths

• Weaknesses– What barriers

do you have to service?

• Opportunities

• ThreatsPhillips, Loreen S. Cruise to Success: How to steer your way through the murky waters of marketing your library. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009. p. 39.

S.W.O.T.

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• Opportunities– What can you

capitalize on?

• Threats Phillips, Loreen S. Cruise to Success: How to steer your way through the murky waters of marketing your library. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009. p. 39.

S.W.O.T.

• Strengths• Weaknesses• Opportunities• Threats

– What stands in your way to achieving success?

Phillips, Loreen S. Cruise to Success: How to steer your way through the murky waters of marketing your library. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009. p. 39.

What’s being marketed here?

• Who’s the audience?• What need does this group have?

http://askehbl.wordpress.com/2009/03/

http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com/2005/04/marketing-virtual-chat-reference-at.html

What’s being marketed here?

From http://www.jerichoschools.org/ms/library/99.htmink/

On April 7, 2008, Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of “The 99” series of comic books (based on Islamic culture), talked to Jericho Middle School eighth grade classes. Al-Mutawa has created a comic book series about superheroes powered by knowledge. His primary mission is to foster the idea that we all share the same values and to celebrate diversity.

What’s being marketed here?

From themwordblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/library-marketing-success-story.html

What’s being marketed here?

From http://bestsellers.about.com/od/newupcomingreleases/ig/March-2010-Book-Releases/Abraham-Lincoln-Vampire.htm

Seth Grahame-Smith, author of “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” started his book tour at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Last month, “the museum kept a small exhibit dedicated to Lincoln’s connections with the gothic a display that even included the last ax Lincoln wielded, though probably not against vampires.”

– Associated Press article from the Chicago Sun-Times,

March 19, 2010

What’s being marketed here?

From http://nancydowd.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/what-do-you-think/http://www.gameguru.in/sports/2007/22/wii-

bowling-becomes-a-rage-at-a-us-old-age-home/

What’s being marketed here?

From http://www.elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/Adults/HomeOffice.php

What’s being marketed here?

• Who’s the audience?

• What need does this group have?

http://tametheweb.com/2008/09/09/london-ontario-library-marketing-campaign/

What’s being marketed here?

• This ROI calculator shows library users what they would have spent purchasing the same items they have taken out from the library.

http://www.nsls.info/roi/?m=patron

What’s being marketed here?

• This is a way for libraries to show what a great value they are to the community.

http://www.nsls.info/roi/?m=patron

What can libraries promote?

Collections

Events

Services

Atmosphere

http://www.elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/Teens/

How about us?

http://www.rochester.edu/pr/Review/V72N3/feature2.html

http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/library/help/help/liaisons/cards/

We can promote

ourselves as a library resource.

And one more…

• A brand name identifies a product or service in the community and conveys something about what that company stands for.

• What about the library’s identity?

http://www.wyominglibraries.org/campaign.html

How do you do this?

Marketing plan objective: The university library will increase the number of card holders by 5 percent (200 students).

http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2006/04/rock-on-celebrating-the-library-and-learning.html

What does this audience want?

• Help with research• Online services• Find good information

sources easily• Meeting place for

projects and socializing• Entertainment and food

http://nancydowd.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/sneak-preview/

What prevents library use?

• Think Google is good enough for research

• Library anxiety

• Don’t think of library as place to meet

• Don’t know about services

• Library Web site isn’t user-friendly

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

http://libraryplayground.wordpress.com/category/information-literacy/

What can the library provide?

• Classroom visits from

“personal librarian”

• Handouts and classes on resources

• Study rooms, tables for group projects

• More ways to contact library for services: IM, chat, e-mail, Second Life …

• Retooled Web site

http://www.paston.ac.uk/content/college-facilities/

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• Social/fun space (café, chairs, video games, laptops…)

How can we get the word out?

– Table in student commons

– Classroom visits

– Events for

students– New school

year open house

– De-stressors during finals

– Contests in or about library

http://dukechronicle.com/article/library-party-canceled-amid-funding-and-planning-failures

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–Cross-promotions

–Gift for getting library card

Planning ahead

• Plan events 2-3 months ahead for best results.

• Brainstorm for unusual and fun new ideas.

• Partner with businesses.• Example: “Break the ice”

event at the beginning of the year. Students party at the library with food, movies, a Rock Band contest … aw well as library card applications and library information.

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http://www.college.library.wisc.edu/news/

featured/houseparty09

Publicity

• Start publicizing a few weeks before the event.

• Send out press releasesto local/school media before and after the event.

• Publicize the event where your audience will notice it.– Radio station

– Web sites

– Student newspaper

– Flyers

– Word of mouth

http://www.college.library.wisc.edu/party/ollge.library.wisc.edu/news/featured/houseparty09/

Measuring the event’s success

• Number of participants• Number of new library

card applications• Increased library usage

after event• Survey students before

and after event

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http://www.college.library.wisc.edu/news/featured/houseparty09

Find help here

• Visit http://sites.google.com/site/marketingtipsforlibraries/ for help with this assignment.

Your assignment

• Break into groups by the kind of library where you might like to work (archive, special library, academic library, public library or school library).

• You will receive a marketing plan objective for your kind of library.• Decide what the target user group needs from your library.• Design an event to attract that user group to your library.

What will you do to:– Plan the event– Promote the event– Evaluate the success of the event

• Take 10 minutes now and discuss this with your group.