Marketing @ Your Library™

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Library Marketing Efforts

Introductions…

Definitions of Marketing Components

Marketing

Planning

Service delivery

Marketing Defined

Marketing

A series of activities beginning with community analysis to determine the needs of the customers and ending with the library’s communication to the community re: products and services that respond to those needs. Except it doesn’t really end there—continuing with using evaluation data to cycle right back into action.

Promotion

All the activities used to communicate to current and potential customers that the library has identified community needs and has developed cost-effective products and methods of distribution to respond to those needs.

Public Relations

Activities influencing public perception, attitude, and opinion by transmitting positive information about the benefits of using the library’s products and services

Publicity

A type of public relations, referring to activities that increase news coverage of library activities, products and services.

Advertising

Activities calling the library’s products and services to the attention of the public, especially through paid announcements.

Merchandising

The systematic process of effectively displaying and presenting library products and services within the library—in the traffic way, point of purchase, or point of use.

Outreach

Communication and service delivery activities that take place out of the library, in the community.

Sales

Activities that entice potential library customers to desire library services, including one-on-one selling (readers advisory) and sales promotions (coupons, premiums, products)—leading to completing the transaction.

Marketing is

A Planning Process

begins with needs assessment

moves into outcome evaluation

Customer-focused

enabling library staff and supporters to expend their energy on customer service

Results-driven

enabling library staff and supporters to:

evaluate outcomes for the target market

describe how we make a difference in the lives of our customers

transform the evaluation information into needs assessment for decision-making and the next round of implementation

Marketing Planning Process Know your community Implement Communicate Know your library Evaluate

Know your community

Spotlight/Focus on the customers

Conduct a community analysis/community profile

Know your Community

Select a target group/Market segmentation

Know your community Implement Communicate Know your library Evaluate

Profile your community

Know your library

Match activity, product, services with target market

Guided Visualization

Photo Analysis

Mystery Customers

Communications Audit w/ target customers

SWOT Analysis

Budget

Staff

Condition

Services

Implement

Plan/Worksheet

Deliver Services

Customer Service = top priority

Merchandise Materials

Position

Present

Display

Traffic

POP

POU

Planning and Marketing Marketing Planning Partnership Worksheet Expected Outcome When Contact Person Partner Possibilities/Benefit Outreach Activities Product Target Group

Merchandising Considerations

Decisions

Housekeeping

Display fixtures

Signage (library—front and inside)

Color scheme

Lighting

Texture

Scale

Placement

Traffic flow

Display types:

In-Library Feature (Freestanding, Endcap, Wall, Ceiling)

Window

Point of Purchase

Point of Use

Hints for Library Merchandising

Visual communication—not personal taste or style

Bold graphics with sans serif type

Avoid all caps, acronyms, library jargon, visual clutter, italics, and too many props

Imitate bookstore displays and signage

Edit

Use Impulse

Change displays

Cross-merchandise

Use it all—flooring, walls, ceiling

Scavenger Hunt

Work with co-workers/board members to find good examples of:

Signage

Bold graphics

Front outdoor

Inside library

Cross-merchandising

Shop within the shop

Housekeeping

Display fixtures

Color scheme

Texture

Scale

Placement

Traffic flow

Displays

In-library feature display

Window display

Point of Purchase display

Point of Use display

Brainstorm changes you can make to improve merchandising

Communicate

Brand it

Use the market research that ALA did for us

Get the word out

Sell it

Tell it

Media mix

Marketing Strategy Menu

Outreach: Speaking engagements Interview shows Sponsorship of community events/activities Offsite seminars Offsite workshops Service club membership Other club memberships Offsite delivery of library services Offsite demonstrations Offsite displays Other Marketing Strategy Menu Results Person Respon-sible Target Date Ideas for Our Library Library Customer Target Strategy

Paid Advertising Radio Television Outdoor billboards Direct Mail Letters Newsletters Sales or product/service/ announcements Flyers Postcards "Special customer" offers Brochures Direct response Coupons Bill stuffers Other Results Person Respon-sible Target Date Ideas for Our Library Library Customer Target Strategy

Print: Newspaper Magazines "Shoppers" (free or classified ad magazines) Yellow Pages Special directories (regional, seasonal, Chamber) Trade or industry directories (e.g., Thomas' Register ) Cooperative ad support from your library vendors Flyers Posters Handouts Other Results Person Respon-sible Target Date Ideas for Our Library Library Customer Target Strategy

Results Person Respon-sible Target Date Ideas for Our Library Library Customer Target Strategy One-On-One Selling Presentation materials Personal letters Customized proposals Telemarketing Library personnel training Other Public Relations News releases Articles in magazines, journals, etc. Open houses, coffees, etc. Other

Results Person Respon-sible Target Date Ideas for Our Library Library Customer Target Strategy Specialty Advertising Matchbooks, keychains, other novelties Calendars Datebooks Bookmarks Other Sales Promotions Discounts Loss leaders Coupons "Buy one fine, get one free" Other