This presentation by Friedel Grant (LIBER's Communications Officer) was delivered as part of a workshop at LIBER's 2013 conference. The workshop was: "The Interactive Library: Communicating Effectively With Your Stakeholders". Learn more about LIBER at www.libereurope.eu
2. First, a few words about me…
Joined
LIBER
in April
3. First, a few words about me…
Joined
LIBER
in April
Worked 3
years for The
European
Library and
Europeana
4. First, a few words about me…
Joined
LIBER
in April
Worked 3
years for The
European
Library and
Europeana
Previous life
as a journalist
(Financial
Times,
Reuters).
8. Remember that email….?
75% “My library does not have a
communications strategy.”
Small or non-existent budgets are
also the norm.
9. This is common.
24% Only ¼ of non-profit
organisations had a written
and approved marketing
plan for 2012.
Based on a 2011 survey of 1,288 non-profits in 42 countries. Survey
conducted by Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
10. This is common.
59% Had a written plan or
informal notes for
themselves only (not
approved by leadership).
Based on a 2011 survey of 1,288 non-profits in 42 countries. Survey
conducted by Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com
13. “Identifying the right audiences,
methods and communications
tools helps focus efforts, save
time and resources and achieves
better results.”
Bright Thoughts Blog, Mitchell Communications Group
http://blog.mitchcommgroup.com/sheadavis/what-is-a-communications-plan/
16. 2. Set a baseline.
Writing a plan
forces you to look
at the current
situation.
This in turn will
allow you to judge
the future success
(or failure) of your
plan.
17. 3. Ensure
Consistency.
Make sure the same
message is being
repeated across
your channels.
The more a
message is
repeated, the more
likely it is to be
remembered.
19. We have loads
of different
channels…
?
But we don’t really know if
they are effective, or who
uses them.
20. 1. Raise widespread awareness of LIBER membership
benefits, our areas of expertise and our influence as a
lobbying organisation for libraries’ interests.
2. Provide more resources that are helpful for
members.
3. Gather feedback to ensure that LIBER is meeting
member expectations and needs.
We hope a plan will help us:
22. 1) Have a goal or purpose.
Only start a project or sign up for a new
social media platform if you know why
you’re there and how you’ll use it.
23. 1) Don’t over-commit.
“It’s better to do one thing properly than
to end up with lots of sad, neglected
profiles all over the web.”
Frances Taylor, Marketing Manager, Business & IP Centre, British Library
24. Key questions to
start with:
1. What resources do we
have?
2. Who do we want to reach?
3. What messages do we
want to send?
27. One paid member of
staff, for one day a
week, for internal and
external comms.
(that’s me!)
Reality looks more like this…
+
A steering committee of
volunteers from
LIBER’s network who
are there to advise and
support.
29. Who do we want to reach?
Academic
libraries and
their directors.
(current & potential
members)
LIBER
Executive
Board
Sponsors
(current & potential)
Library Staff
& Users
European Commission Officials
(working on Europe’s digital agenda)
Fellow Academic &
Lobbying Groups
(eg. ISF, LERU, ARL, IFLA)
34. Putting it all together:
Goals
+ Audience
+ Resources
+ Key Messages
+ Channels
=
?
35. In Year 1, we'll focus
on putting some
basics in place.
36. 1. Start a press list.
Twenty influential
journalists and
bloggers have
already agreed to
be added to our
list.
(GOAL: 50 by the end
of the year)
37. 2. Improve the website.
(We’re using more photos. We can now embed videos!)
A taskforce will be
assembled this year
to further evaluate
the website.
-different layout?
-new features?
38. Google Analytics
shows that our
most popular
website articles
offer tips and
guidance for best
library practice.
We’ll create more
of those!
3. Analyse regularly.
39. 4. Invest in branded materials.
It's more than just the
logo:
→ adds recognition
→ consistency
→ conveys the
'essence' of LIBER to
our audience
40. Just as you recognize
these brands, we
want LIBER to have a
recognizable and
professional look and
feel.
43. VIDEOS
GOAL: To produce 3-4 videos a year.
We’ll actively work to produce more engaging videos
that raise awareness of LIBER and support our
advocacy work.
44. FACTSHEETS
GOAL: To create 4 factsheets a year.
They will provide helpful information to our members and
be a versatile way to communicate: downloadable,
printable, sharable.
46. And more…
•PHOTOGRAPHS – Regularly upload
photographs from LIBER events to Flickr.
•SURVEYS – ask members if they are
satisfied; give them a chance to feedback
directly to us.
+ website updates, social media, etc…
48. 1. RISING TRAFFIC to the website.
Especially repeat visitors (sign of loyalty)
2. MORE ‘buzz’ about LIBER on social media.
More retweeting, sharing etc…
3. FREQUENT press articles about LIBER.
Thanks to our new and growing press list.
4. HIGH AND PROVEN level of satisfaction among
LIBER members.
As shown by the annual survey we plan to undertake.
Writing a communications plan was one of the first things that LIBER asked me to do. From my work in communications, I had some idea of what should go into a Communications Plan but I’d never actually been in charge of writing one. It was – to say the least – a slightly daunting task. When I first sat down to think about it, I felt a bit like this….
There were so many thoughts running through my head, and so many questions to answer. I imagine that many of you feel the same way.
The reason I think that many of you share these feelings is that a few weeks ago, I sent an email to everyone who’d signed up for the workshop. I asked if you had a communications plan in place. About a third of your answered, and here are some of the common themes that cropped up: 75% said their library did not have a communications strategy.
75% of you said that your library did not have a communications strategy.
Small or non-existent budgets are also the norm. Some of you have finances dedicated to communications, but over half of the people who replied said they only had staff resources to work with.
Small or non-existent budgets are also the norm. Some of you have finances dedicated to communications, but over half of the people who replied said they only had staff resources to work with.
Small or non-existent budgets are also the norm. Some of you have finances dedicated to communications, but over half of the people who replied said they only had staff resources to work with.
Let’s start with some basic principles. These are actually from Ned Potter, an academic librarian and someone who runs marketing courses for libraries. We’d actually invited him to speak here, but he wasn’t able to attend, so instead I’m shamelessly stealing a couple slides from one of his presentations.
Let’s start with some basic principles. These are actually from Ned Potter, an academic librarian and someone who runs marketing courses for libraries and has recently published a book, The Library Marketing Toolkit. We’d actually invited him to speak here, but he wasn’t able to attend, so instead I’m shamelessly stealing a couple slides from one of his presentations.
Let’s start with some basic principles. These are actually from Ned Potter, an academic librarian and someone who runs marketing courses for libraries and has recently published a book, The Library Marketing Toolkit. We’d actually invited him to speak here, but he wasn’t able to attend, so instead I’m shamelessly stealing a couple slides from one of his presentations.
In LIBER’s Communications Plan reads like this:
In LIBER’s Communications Plan reads like this:
In LIBER’s Communications Plan reads like this:
In LIBER’s Communications Plan reads like this:
We have all kinds of channels, but we don’t really know the impact of them. Send our most important messages to our key stakeholders, in the most appropriate formats. Use our (limited) resources efficiently , putting the bulk of our efforts into the most important and effective activities and channels. Measure the impact of our communications activity and to use this information to adjust our plans as necessary.
We have all kinds of channels, but we don’t really know the impact of them. We want to make sure that these channels are sending the right messages to the right people, and that we’re putting our limited resources in the most effective places.
In LIBER’s Communications Plan reads like this:
Let’s start with some basic principles. These are actually from Ned Potter, an academic librarian and someone who runs marketing courses for libraries and has recently published a book, The Library Marketing Toolkit. We’d actually invited him to speak here, but he wasn’t able to attend, so instead I’m shamelessly stealing a couple slides from one of his presentations.
He outlines two guiding principles for library marketing.
He outlines two guiding principles for library marketing.
So with those two principles in mind, here’s how we started: by asking ourselves four questions.
And here’s how we answered them….
In my dreams, LIBER has a huge office full of marketing and communications professionals. In reality, we have a team that looks more like this….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
And here’s how we answered them….
So, when you put all of this background work together, what does it add up to? Here are some of the highlights of our plan.
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the
One of the key holes in LIBER’s communications strategy is that it had no formal way of reaching the