Marketing the library By Christine Edison http www

Marketing the library By Christine Edison http: //www. theworld. org/2009/12/01/phonebooth-library/ http: //hwlibrary. wordpress. com http: //apps. carleton. edu/campus/library/help/liaisons/cards/ http: //www. njha. com/library section/surfsmart. aspx

What’s public relations? Public relations involves presenting a positive public impression of an organization and its products or services. http: //theshiftedlibrarian. com/archives/2007/10/1 9/gaming-in-libraries-presentation-eh. html

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? Marketing involves connecting audiences to information about products or services. From http: //theunquietlibrary. wordpress. com/2008/09/

Marketing includes: • Advertising • Displays • Official communications – – – Press releases Signage Newsletters Web site Local media http: //mrschu 81. wordpress. com/page/14/

Who’s your audience? From www. elmhurstpublic library. org/News_& _Events/EPLSurvey. • Part of marketing is finding out who your audience is. • Librarians research the community they serve and put together a snapshot of the community.

Who’s your audience? From theunquietlibrary. wordpress. com • Determine your target audiences and figure out what needs they might have for library services. • Brainstorm how the library could meet those needs.

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. 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 • 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 – 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: //librarymarketing. blogspot. com/2005/04/ marketing-virtual-chatreference-at. html http: //askehbl. wordpress. com/2009/03/

What’s being marketed here? 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. From http: // www. jerichoschools. org/ms/library/ 99. htmink/

What’s being marketed here? From themwordblogspot. com/2009/ 12/library-marketing-success-story. html

What’s being marketed here? 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 From http: //bestsellers. about. com/od/ newupcomingreleases/ig/March-2010 -Book. Releases/Abraham-Lincoln-Vampire. htm

What’s being marketed here? http: //www. gameguru. in/sports/2007/22/wii. From http: //nancydowd. wordpress. com/2008/07/29/what-do-you-think/ bowling-becomes-a-rage-at-a-us-old-age-home/

What’s being marketed here? From http: //www. elmhurst publiclibrary. org/Adults/ Home. Office. php

What’s being marketed here? • Who’s the audience? • What need does this group have? http: //tametheweb. com/2008/09/09/london-ontariolibrary-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? Atmosphere Collections Events http: //www. elmhurstpubliclibrary. org/Teens/ Services

How about us? http: //apps. carleton. edu/campus/library/ help/liaisons/cards/ We can promote ourselves as a library resource. http: //www. rochester. edu/pr/ Review/V 72 N 3/feature 2. html

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-thelibrary-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 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, http: //www. paston. ac. uk/content/college-facilities/ Second Life … • Social/fun space (café, chairs, • Retooled Web site 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-amidfunding-and-planning-failures –Cross-promotions –Gift for getting library card

Planning ahead http: //www. college. library. wisc. edu/news/ featured/ houseparty 09 • 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.

Publicity • Start publicizing a few weeks before the event. • Send out press releases to local/school media before and after the event. • Publicize the event where your audience will notice it. – – – http: //www. college. library. wisc. edu/party/ollge. library. wisc. edu/news/featured/houseparty 09/ Radio station Web sites Student newspaper Flyers Word of mouth

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 http: //www. college. library. wisc. edu/news/featured/houseparty 09

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.