Massachusetts Health Science Libraries Network (MAHSLIN) Conference, 2012

1. Just Ask Them:
Developing A User-
Centered Marketing
Approach
Rebecca Metzger
MAHSLIN 2012

2. Goals
• Understand the basics of the marketing
cycle
• Be familiar with a user-centered approach to
marketing
• Know various techniques for gathering
information about library users
• Be able to apply concepts of market
segmentation to own libraries

3. Marketing Isn’t…
• Flyers • Emails
• Press releases • Facebook
• Table tents • Public relations
• Brochures • Advertising

4. Marketing Is…
• Communicating with your users &
potential users to determine their
needs
• Designing services to meet those
needs
• Informing users about your services

5. Marketing Cycle

6. Market Segmentation
• Demographic—age, occupation,
department, status
• Location of use—in the library, remote
• Intention of use or benefits they hope to
derive—Ph.D. research, patient
treatment options, understanding own
diagnosis, better grades, sources of
research funding

7. Market Segmentation Brainstorm

8. Market Segments @ Lafayette
Student user types • Non-library users Staff/Administrative user types
• First years • RefWorks users • Deans
• First year seminars • Athletes • Career services
• Sophomores • Transfer students • Development Office
• VAST • Library Ambassadors • Residence life
• New major declarers • Dining Services
• Juniors Faculty user types • Communications
• Seniors • New faculty Department
• Honors thesis students • Department heads • Alumni office
• Study abroad students • Faculty by division • Admissions office
• International students • Faculty by department • Coaches
• Resident advisors • Untenured faculty • ATTIC
• Ambassadors (campus tour • Tenured faculty • Writing Center
guides) • Adjuncts & Visitors • Office of Institutional
• Fraternities/Sororities • Faculty committees Research
• Student organizations • Advisors
• WAs (Writing Associates) • Library users Other target audiences
• Peer tutors • Non-library users • Alumni
• Library users • RefWorks users • Parents

9. Segmented examples

10. Share
• Add categories you didn’t initially think of /
partners suggest categories
• Which groups are you serving well?
• Which groups are you currently under-serving,
but may offer marketing opportunities?
• Have you ever done market segmentation
before?

11. Market Research
Asking/testing
one user is
better than
none

12. Market Research
• Data
• Observation / environmental
scanning
• Surveys
• Focus groups
• Interviews

13. Messaging:
What do your users value?

14. Messaging
• “The library’s new virtual voice recognition
interface permits library users of any age to
request reference responses to complex
questions involving fact-based databases in
the biological and earth sciences.”
OR
• “I finished my oceanography homework in the
bathtub.”

15. Words That Work

16. SLA Alignment Project
•Knowledge sharing
•Value-added intelligence
•Expert analysis
•Save time and money

17. Rebecca Metzger
library_outreach@yahoo.com
http://libraryoutreach.wordpress.com