using web 2.0 tools to market your library
DESCRIPTION
Slides from a workshop given at the NAHSL conference in Newport, RI.TRANSCRIPT
Using Web2.0 Tools to Market Your Library
Debbie Herman (debaherman on Twitter)[email protected]
Central CT State UniversityNAHSL 2010
Part One: Class introductions and overview Choosing the right social media tools for your clientele and library staff Developing your social media presence – examples and best practices Class discussion of experiences with and present uses of social media Comparison of social media sites
BREAK (15 min.)Part Two: Overview and discussion of tools and techniques for engaging your
users Participants will develop a marketing plan for a new library service,
event, etc. that includes use of social media. Presentations and conclusion.
Agenda Outline
Class IntroductionsQuestions: What would you like to get out of this workshop?
How will you use social media in your library?
What’s your biggest challenge or obstacle?
SAY CHEESE!
Facebook – 500 million users Twitter – 75 million users
Social Media Unleashed
Facebook Demographics Shift
Librarian 2.0
Eva Simon (Commissaresse), Flickr
Staying connected with Patrons Delivering quality information Building community Marketing library services Professional development
2.0 Tools to Help with…
OPACs – To Nextgen or not? Privacy concerns Digital divide Permanence? Personal nature of the medium Firewall issues
Challenges to Ponder
Why do it? Choosing your social media niche Assess usage: Is it being used and by
whom? Barriers, physical and otherwise! How do we get support/buy-in from
colleagues/administration?
More Questions to Ask Before Diving in…
New way to reach out to our community (especially online users)
Services delivered faster and more conveniently
Improve responsiveness to patron needs
Why? A Few Good Reasons…
Best PracticesTopics
Read/Subscribe to Blogs & Websites:Mashable (iPhone app), LifeHacker, ProfHacker, Librarian bloggers: Sarah Houghton Jan, David Lee King, Meredith Farkas, etc.
TwitterYou don’t have to tweet that much, just “follow” a few social media savvy people. Search Hashtags (#) for topics (#followalibrarian).
Bubbleroom blog at LJ.com (Library Marketing) Create a custom newsfeed to find information
on a social media trend or application
Do: Keep Current without Losing Your Marbles!
Take advantage of free services to provide excellent, proactive
customer service! socialmention.com Tweetscan Yahoo pipes mashups Google alerts
Do: Listen to What’s Being Said
Yahoo Pipes Output
Tip! Custom RSS Feeds Keep Content Fresh
Don’t do it just because everyone else is!
Do: Have a Goal in Mind
“Jump on the social media bandwagon” by Matt Hamm, Flickr
Advice: You can’t be everywhere. Find out where your patrons hang out online (Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and their level of participation.
Short surveys – use LibGuides, http://www.4qsurvey.com/
Demographics – Forrester Social Technographics Ladder
Do: Be selective!
Where are your patrons?
Source: http://www.forrester.com/empowered/ladder2010
Be in sync with events that are going on in your hospital, community, college, etc.
Get to know the culture of your community! (good Mashable article)
Don’t forget about “traditional media” and physical gathering places.
Do: Get to Know Your Community
Provide an easy way for patrons to communicate with you and be part of the community
Bask in the compliments, but be prepared to handle the criticism
Do: Loosen Up!
Search Your Library in Google Maps/Places. Caveat: You can edit, but so can everyone else, so make a claim!
Foursquare for Business: Create Mayor or Check-in specials
Yelp – Create an owner account and unlock the business page. No entry? That’s ok– Create one!
Do: Claim Your Library Location
Foursquare & LibrariesLocation, Location, Location…
Foursquare Location Tips
Yelp
Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call.
Tools: getsatisfaction.com (Create an online
community to generate ideas) Twitter hashtags
Do: Crowdsourcing
Do: Stay Connected
Social Media Triumph
Tip: Brand consistently!
Communication FAIL!
Meebo (meebo.com) Text-A-Librarian (textalibrarian.com) Google Voice
IM & SMS (Texting) Services
LibraryH3lp (Library Help) Chat Reference and SMS
Using Google Voice as a Free Texting Service
Social bookmarking: Create custom reading lists or pathfinders with Delicious
Add a sharing widget to blog posts, etc.Add a Facebook “Like” button ShareThisAddThis.com
Promote your collections by adding links in Wikipedia
Do: Share!
Using Wikipedia to Promote Collections
Traffic from Wikipedia
Web analytics (Google analytics) Number of followers/fans Level of participation (comments/ “likes”) Number of views
Do: Measure Your Success
Blip.tv Stats - Engagement
Tools
Photo Sharing Sites
Video Services
Source: cnet.com (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10150445-2.html)
Repackaged Using RSS & Yahoo Pipes
Library Podcasts Yahoo Pipe
Have a newsletter? Make it social with ISSUU
ISSUU
Eventful Facebook invitations Socializr
Do: Use Social Tools to Promote Events
Eventful
Tips
Case Study: Staying Well Connected Blog
Community Outreach = Good Will Creators had a defined purpose and audience Use of Twitterfeed to promote new posts
Purpose“to foster the exchange of community health
information in South Texas and U.S.-Mexico Border Communities.”
Audience“postings … are targeted to public health and
social services personnel.”
What They Did Right…
Case Study: Boston Children’s
My Own Facebook Fail
A More Effective Use of Facebook
Text-A-Librarian service
iPhone apps (Worldcat& DCPL)
Mobile-optimized websites (EBSCO, LibGuides)
Go Mobile
iWebkit JQtouch On the horizon…
(jQuery mobile)
Build a Mobile Website
Now It’s Your Turn!
A social media presence is merely an extension of the relationships already built!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with new tools.
Start with a marketing/outreach goal and then choose the right tool(s) to support it.
Use RSS and microblogging to keep current and save your sanity!
Parting Thoughts
ConclusionRESOURCES:
http://delicious.com/debbie.herman/social_mediahttp://delicious.com/debbie.herman/marketing
Slides: http://www.slideshare.net/hermand