Not good at tooting your own horn? You don’t have to brag, just give your awesomeness a voice. A lot of librarians recoil at the thought of self-promotion, and that’s both understandable and admirable; however, nobody’s going to make use of the resources and programs you’ve carefully pruned to perfection until they hear about it. So if you’re not comfortable talking up your efforts, here are a few pointers to get you proactive while keeping you humble:

Work with your marketing, PR, or communications department.

These are the guys who get paid to do this! They are passionate and skilled at getting messages out to your patrons, plus they are the official voice of the library itself. Regularly updating your marketing department guarantees that your public will see what’s going on. If you don’t have a dedicated marketing department, get in touch with whoever runs your social media. Having an online presence is the best way to reach all sorts of potential patrons.

Use your own social media account(s).

If you’re a librarian, you have friends who love books, free activities, and useful services. Use that to your advantage by posting about your specific awesomeness on whatever social media accounts you happen to already have. This doesn’t require signing up for anything new, attempting the awkwardness that is making new online friends or trying to attract followers, or doing anything besides posting a link to what you’re most excited about in the upcoming days. Trust me, your followers will be very excited to find a post they can actually use in the midst of brunch photos and election headlines. If you don’t have a social media account, consider signing up for either Facebook or Twitter; they have proven their staying power, don’t cost anything, and let you post as much or as little as you want.

Connect to a bigger group.

What if your library marketing initiative doesn’t seem to be making a difference? Don’t sweat—if you’re connected to bigger groups such as ALA and PLA, you have another platform to showcase your ideas. Professional organizations are built to connect workers in the same field, which means that you can get advice from peers as well as use the network to pass along your awesomeness to an otherwise inaccessible audience. This is a two-way street—give back and share your successes to someone you recognize is struggling, too!

Marketing shouldn’t be hard, but we have to work with the reality to reach who needs us the most. Have you had any massive successes or failures in getting your library’s awesomeness out there? Share in the comments!

The post Sharing Your Awesomeness: Personal Library Marketing first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public Libraries Online: Give a quick marketing lesson. What is the difference between marketing and advertising?

Trenton Smiley: Marketing is an overarching process of identifying and engaging the targeted audience(s) with the goal of creating a desired exchange or outcome. For an exchange to occur, both parties have to have something of value for each other. One of the most important exchanges for libraries is to sign up for a library card. The fact that the card is free or library services are already paid for through taxes doesn’t automatically make it more desirable to a potential patron. As library marketers we must communicate how our services add value to the lifestyle of the potential patron. Of course, the value to the library is a new user and supporter. Advertising and publicity are the promotional elements of a marketing strategy.

PLO: What are some easy things that libraries that don’t have a marketing/publicity department can do to increase their visibility in the community?

TS: Perhaps the easiest way to increase visibility in the community is to become a content provider. Many libraries already create content for social media posts, blogs, and newsletters. This great information can easily be shared on media sites that are always looking for content. Newsletters for school districts and other community organizations are also good outlets for your content. Working with the media has worked great for CADL receiving a great deal of support, including anchors and DJs recording and airing promos for free. The librarians write weekly columns for some of the local newspapers, while placement is sometimes hit or miss, a great deal of information still reaches the public.

PLO: What are some of the most successful marketing campaigns that you have been involved with at your library?

TS: I am always proud of the work that CADL does to create awareness of its summer reading programs. Although the “Everything right here” campaign is just beginning, I am very encouraged so far on how it’s unveiling.

PLO: What is peer-to-peer marketing and how could libraries potentially use it to reach a younger audience?

TS: It’s a new strategy being tested at CADL to target teens. Since this is a hard audience to connect with through regular marketing and outreach efforts, CADL is working with high school athletes to help market services to their peers. In addition to being a sponsor of their teams, CADL is working to get the athletes signed up for library cards, featured in special ads and conducting clinics for younger kids. CADL also hopes to garner information from them in the hopes of finding ways to better market to their peers.

PLO: What new trends are you seeing in library marketing?

TS: In the past, many libraries depended on traditional media (print, TV and radio) as the primary method to get information out to the communities. Studies, including CADL’s own research, point to digital marketing as the most effective method to communicate with the communities. While I still buy some traditional media, a great deal of the budget is allocated to digital.

PLO: What is the difference between an outward vs. inward approach to marketing?

TS: Throughout my career I have found that a great deal of time and resources are used to market programs to current users. While some services were marketed too, it was never to the degree as programs. The term “outward” refers to the importance of getting outside the walls of the library in order to connect with those non-users, which is a tough task but necessary in growing the base.

PLO: How can libraries begin to establish their brand?

TS: The term “library” is already a strong brand name. The goal is to redefine in your community. The library needs to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the needs of the community. Then, identify what niche it will fit. Positioning the library as a unique provider of particular services that connect with both users and non-users. Your advertisements, programming, and service model must all play off each other. If you don’t want to be known as just a place for kids, then the programming and ads need to reinforce that fact. Also, attach your library to partners and events that help evolve your brand or promise.

Resources:

Trent Smiley, “Marketing with a Smile,” PowerPoint presentation for Library Conference 2015.

Capital Area District Libraries (CADL)

“Everything Right Here Spot (Featuring Taylor Taylor),” audioBoom , audio file, 0:30, January 11, 2016.

“2016 Grammys (Featuring Taylor Swift & Capital Area District Libraries),” YouTube video, 0:15, posted by “cadlvideos,” January 25, 2016.

“Celebrate Black History Month at Capital Area District Libraries,” YouTube video, 0:30, posted by “cadlvideos,” January 28, 2016.

The post Marketing 101 with Trenton Smiley first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

“Almost one thousand people in this country die each day from smoking-related illnesses. Imagine it. That’s as if two fully loaded jumbo jets collided over your hometown every day and everyone aboard was killed. . . ” Authors Karen Berg and Andrew Gilman write about “selling points” in the book Get to the Point. This selling point (in italics) was created to paint a picture of how many people die from smoking every day. The selling point is striking and I can’t imagine you could forget the image. The library has plenty of great stories, touchy-feely and full of “awww.” I have to tell you, those stories don’t always resonate with me or politicians. They want results. They want to know the return on investment.

What is a selling point?
Selling points, as defined by the authors:  “Strong messages use vivid, unambiguous language. They rest on a foundation of information presented in a package that we call a selling point, which makes a positive statement and then gives an illustration.” When I make a presentation to stakeholders, I focus on selling. The goal is to leave an impression and a call to action. I challenged myself and my team to come up with some similar (though not as morbid) selling points, and this is what we created:

• Picture 200 people playing five-card stud. Now, turn all of those playing cards into library cards. That’s how many library cards we issue in a month.
• Imagine the traffic jam! Seventy-two school buses full of children. That’s how many people attend our library events in a single month! Seventy-two school buses would stretch from the library to the Mission on Main St. . . and they visit the library voluntarily!
• If you laid out every book that was checked out of a County Library last year, you would have enough books to stretch from Ventura to Disneyland.
• Every month, residents request about 8,000 titles. That’s over 1 million dollars of savings in a year. They aren’t just picking up a handful of titles while browsing, they are seeking out our titles specifically.

Depending on the crowd, I will add a call to action at the end of the statement. “Imagine what we could do with more!” I will also add a specific request, leaving the audience with the impression that they too can be a supporter of the community’s success. I pose the same challenge to you. Get to know your stats and talk to your coworkers. Create unique, brief selling points and start sharing them. The next time someone says “You’re a librarian! I didn’t know we still had librarians!,” respond with a smile and a selling point.

Reference

Berg, K. & Gilman, A. (1989). Get To the Point: How to Say What You Mean and Get What You Want. Bantam.

The post Get to the Point Already first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Marketing is always among the first thing cut when funding becomes tenuous. This is true in libraries just as it is in any other business. It may seem like an obvious choice; however data shows that companies that cut marketing budgets during recessions had a higher return on capitol during the recession but lower during recovery. The opposite also proves true: companies that invest more on marketing during an economic downturn see higher market share during recovery¹.

What does this mean to libraries? Cutting marketing budgets during times of economic stress means falling victim to the same danger as big business: not being top-of-mind. Top of mind awareness (TOMA) is one of the most important objectives any marketer can have. TOMA means being the first thing your customer thinks of when they think of your industry. Who comes to mind instantly when you are about to sneeze? I am willing to bet it’s Kleenex. Kleenex isn’t a product; it’s a brand. The brand has been so successful we now substitute it for the product name on a regular basis.

Our customers are bombarded by messages from every direction all day long, every single day. Developing a strategic marketing plan so that you are investing your time and money in an efficient and thoughtful manner will allow you to be intentional about your message and will give you a greater impact.

What makes a successful marketing plan? There are a few simple steps to follow to get started. The first step to any good plan is to do a situational analysis. A situational analysis will use research to make a realistic assessment of your current business.

A helpful tool is a SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Sit down as a staff or team and go over what fits into each of these four areas. What has impacted your environment in the past year, such as a recession or a tax vote? A SWOT analysis will help you get an overall picture of what your internal and external environment is like and will act as a launch pad for your plan.

Next, define your objectives. Now that you have a clear idea of your situation, determine where you will focus your time, energy, and budget. Are you aiming for an increase in circulation? Define it specifically with a measurable goal so that you have a clear vision of success.

The next step is to state your strategy. What tactics will you use to reach your objectives? These should be very specific plans such as implementing a public relations campaign (include a budget) or developing a partnership with a local organization. Be specific in your plan so that you can reference this document regularly as a guide throughout the year.

The final step should be evaluation. How will you measure your success? Stating this clearly makes sure that all parties are working toward the same goals. It also means being able to show your key stakeholders, such as your Director or Board, that marketing is a good investment, especially when it’s strategic.

1.Profit Impact of Marketing Strategies (PIMS) Database

The post Strategic Marketing is a Smart Investment first appeared on Public Libraries Online.