Marketing Library and Information Services Dr Anthony Olden Thames Valley University, London NMPLIS Summer School, July 2010
What is marketing? o o According to American expert Philip Kotler marketing is finding out what people want or need and providing the product or service to meet these wants or needs. In the United Kingdom some people maintain that marketing is the same thing as selling. 2
o o But marketing experts say that selling is just one part of marketing, indeed that if your marketing is good enough you will not have to do any selling at all because people will be queuing up to buy. It is helpful to think of marketing as a big umbrella covering advertising, public relations and other fields such as pricing and distribution. 3
o According to Adrian Palmer, Introduction to Marketing: Theory and Practice (2 nd ed. , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), we should distinguish between marketing as a fundamental business philosophy (the organisation always putting the customer first) and marketing as a set of techniques (for example, advertising and market research). 4
Why engage in marketing? o o o Palmer says that marketing became important when supply exceeded demand. Traditionally marketing is associated with commercial products such as Coca Cola, with companies that exist to make a profit rather than with not-for-profit organisations such as libraries. But not-for-profit non-governmental organisations have to market themselves these days: if demand for their services declines they may go out of business. 5
What can be marketed? o o o Products such as cell phones and flat screen televisions. Attitudes such as commitment to safe sex practices. Services such as reading stories to young children in a public library or providing electronic access to journals in an academic one. 6
Who are libraries competing with? o Commercial products are in direct competition with each other: n n Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite soft drinks Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Safari brands of beer in East Africa Textbooks produced by different publishers for the school market Ask yourself: why should a customer buy my product and not that of my competitors? (Palmer) 7
o Libraries rarely have direct competitors, but they have indirect ones: n n Children who find the story books in the library old and uninteresting may stop going there and watch more television instead. If they have access to a computer they may play more video games. University students who have difficulty in accessing the Internet at the university library may stop trying and patronise an Internet café instead. 8
Objections to marketing o o Some librarians argue that the value of libraries to society is so obvious that there should be no need to engage in marketing. This viewpoint is unrealistic in the modern world where there is so much competition for attention and resources. Some people argue that marketing, promotion and—in particular—public relations are dubious. If you have quality services to offer this will not be the case. 9
Creating library and information services o o Think about the services you offer at present and how they might be looked at with a fresh eye. Do they need to be rethought, updated and rebranded? Do you need to introduce new services? n n n Public library services Academic library services Special library and information services 10
New or revised and updated public library services o Work with children: what is on offer at present besides traditional lending services? n n Reading events, especially during school holidays. Events including simple stories and songs for very young children who are accompanied by a parent or carer. 11
o Work with adults in their 20 s: what is on offer besides reading and study facilities that will help them advance their formal education? 12
New or revised and updated academic library services o Work with students, lecturers and senior university management: what is on offer at present besides traditional lending and reference service and Internet access? n n n Encouragement and training for older university lecturers to make use of IT resources including electronic journals. Encouragement and training for new doctoral students on making the best use of resources. Information literacy training for undergraduates, including advice on the importance of avoiding plagiarism. 13
New or revised and updated special library and information services o Work with new staff, or with senior management: what can you offer in addition to traditional lending and reference services and Internet access? n Individualised service, including one-toone training. 14
Task o o Based on your country of origin and the type of library service you feel most appropriate, divide up into groups of five, six or seven and discuss possible services for development and then for marketing and promotion. Which service seems to be the most promising, and for which group of people? Explain the reasons for your choice? 15
o o A spokesperson from each group should then announce the group’s choice and provide a justification for it. You will continue to work developing your choice of service and a marketing plan for it today and tomorrow, and present your plan on Wednesday. 16
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