Libraries Aren't Special and Neither Are Their Marketing Plans
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This is the presentation I made to the marketing class for the BA degree program in library and information science at Humboldt University. The class is taught by Kathrin Grzeschik and I participated via the web. I originally used the font "Sketch Rockwell" for the presentation.
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Libraries Aren't Special and Neither Are Their Marketing Plans
- 1. Libraries Aren’t Special* And neitherare theirmarketingplans. Christine Ayar Illichmann,MLIS Evanced Solutions
- 2. * We’ll get tothat in a minute.
- 4. Let’s spend today talking about four things.
- 5. 1. What marketing really is…
- 6. 2. Where innovation and inspiration are found
- 7. 3. Where social media fits in
- 8. 4. Who’s doing great marketing things
- 9. Libraries are Special and Unique!Courtesy of tackorama.com
- 10. Not as much as you’dthink.
- 11. “Marketing generates strategies and builds relationships between the customer and the product, sometimes even influencingchanges inthe product.” -AlisonCircle Columbus MetropolitanLibrary Ohio
- 12. * But thereis that one thing...
- 13. Your taxes paid for me! VISIT! Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tslac/3513758724/ Pretty please?
- 14. Drink yourpop!You’re thirsty! Don’t forget to drive the car!
- 15. Courtesy – Jenny Rollo We’re not that far from Audi and Coke. We justthink we are.
- 16. We need to look at everything from a new angle.
- 17. Convince & Convert These all apply to libraries. They justdon’t say “Library”.
- 18. It means you have tobe brave… Because people won’t get it.
- 21. From Technorati.com Social Media Can Feel Like “The Birds”
- 22. Keepa few things in mind, and you won’t go crazy. Well,you mightstill go crazy, butnot because of social media.
- 23. Social media is where you prove you’re human. Have a voice there!
- 24. Focus on doinga fewthingsreally wellwith social media… And callon your communitytodothe rest.
- 25. I <3 Bloggers.
- 28. Beholdthe power of billboards
- 29. Wyomingpushedthelimits of libraries! They usedHUMOR!!!
- 30. “Mudflap Girl” caused a stir… But reached out to users in unlikely places…liketheauto shop.
- 31. If you market well small can become MIGHTY.
- 32. You are here Lane County Courtesy maps.com
- 33. “Wewant one library card for our wholefamily.”
Editor's Notes
- Graduate of Wayne State, Detroit – Library Science Worked in public libraries Worked as a library Director Now at Evanced Solutions – we make library management software including our new product BranchAnywhere 2009 American Library Association Emerging Leader – program designed to provide options to
- I could talk about all these things forever, so I’ll spare you and try to be brief. You’ll see examples of the things I’m going to talk to in points 1,2,3 when we discuss who’s doing great things.
- Perhaps the greatest crisis of our profession is that we think our experience is singular - we can’t, or don’t want to, comprehend that our experience is actually very similar to that of the retail, corporate marketing, and design worlds. We say we get it, but we don’t seem to making the connections with what we read. Don’t just say you get it - apply it. So, are libraries that special and unique?
- No, not as much as you think. Put aside the “library” sign and many issues in libraries mimic those in the corporate world.
- We keep incorrectly defining marketing. Marketing is part of a much broader Marketing is about relationships. It’s not just about how the library reaches out to the customers. It’s about how the customers reach back to the libraries.
- There is only one way in which libraries stand out from the corporate world: Libraries have an upside down marketing job. You don’t have to get people to buy something - you have to show them why they need to see the value in something they already are a stakeholder in.
- How often do you see Coke or Audi asking you to use the products you’ve bought from them? You don’t forget those investments, right? But how frequently do people forget their library investment???
- The reality is that we’re not that far from Audi and Coke.
- Librarians look at new technology, programs, and services and say “how is this a threat?” but really the only way to capitalize and get ahead is say “how is this an opportunity?” We so often look at the world from the perspective of a librarian, that we forget to look at it from the perspective of a business builder - which is how the rest of the world is usually observing things.
- If you’re interested in marketing, then look at all the non-library information out there and consume the information there like you’re a starving person. There is so much to apply! Take foursquare – there are libraries moving towards check-ins at their libraries. I haven’t researched the benefits of getting a mayor badge or a swarm badge at the library, but a year ago, a lot of libraries balked and said “why does this matter, we can’t use this” and now they get it. Wired magazine and the blog convince and convert are great resources too. Not everything in wired magazine is going to apply to your magazine, but once in a while, there will be an article that if you look at it from outside the box and apply it, you’ll be ahead of the curve. Convince and Convert is a blog that not enough library people are reading. The blog posts from Jay Baer are timely, informative, and easy to apply to what you’re doing now. It’s a great example of why we should read more blogs from outside our sphere.
- The issue is, you’ll have to be brave. Because when you’re first to try a marketing plan, a new way of communicating, or a new outreach program, you might get weird looks. I have a great example of this.
- I had a real issue with QR codes about six months ago. This QR code will lead you to a Google Document that has a list of my favorite blogs. That URL is also available at the end of the presentation.
- So we took the QR codes to national conference. And…no one got it. Now, six months later, QR codes have burst into the library world and it’s all anyone is talking about. The company was ahead of the curve, and while that was great, I feel a bit foolish six months ago!!! It worked out though…we didn’t lose money on it – we just didn’t make money either! So there was no harm in trying. But let’s talk about social media next. Why social media? Because it’s a lot like the QR codes – there’s potential for innovation in social media, and there will be times that no one in the library world will be on the same page. But, you may as well be first!
- Social Media can feel like the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”. It’s overwhelming – there are a lot of ways to use Social Media!!!
- You might choose to focus your efforts on your library blog, facebook and your website, and let your community do the rest. You can test other ideas as they come up such as QR codes or text-reference or other ideas, but if you find a formula that works, stick to a for a while and play with it. See what variations seem to work best for you.
- Columbus Metropolitan Library relies on the blogger community to build up anticipation for events. Depending on the event type and goal, they’ll pull together the bloggers in their area and share details before the community knows. They have special by-invitation-only events. For instance, they asked mommy bloggers to come in and they talked about their summer reading programs. Those moms blogged and word rapidly spread. (Link to article is available on spreadsheet.)
- Timberland Regional Library (Washington) uses their Facebook page as a way to “push” events. Full disclosure, they use our products, but what I’m impressed with is that they use Facebook as the place to tell people “what’s happening” and as an events center. Facebook becomes the place that people interact with the library online and encourages them to come in!!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tumwater-WA/Timberland-Regional-Library/337679518132
- NYPL does a great job with multi-segment marketing. I liked their website from last year a bit more, but still, in this version, you can see how they quickly fulfill the needs of many people. You can get what you need to get to quickly without having to wade through information meant for other people, and the site is accessible for those who speak other languages and have vision needs. It’s neutral enough to have a feeling of openness for all, but specific enough that it gets right to the needs of all users. It’s reaching all market segments somehow.
- The “Bringing the World to Wyoming” campaign was a huge hit. They created billboards that combined images of culture and science with rural images. A lot of the residents of Wyoming might not be online a lot due to distance and accessibility, but they will see a billboard, so it sparks them to visit.
- Okay, I’m being sarcastic. But libraries so often forget to use humor. Wyoming did a great job of using humor in their campaign. Why not???
- So Wyoming is an example of an entire rural state banding together for a common marketing goal. But one rural library in Kansas is showing that it can do great things too…if you market well, small can become mighty.
- Ruby Martin is in Lane County Kansas and is the best example of the power of Word of Mouth Marketing. She’s a library director who serves a population of over 1800 people spread out over an area of over 1800 square kilometers. She founded the downtown development council, she reached out to local businesses, she made her library a place where those working in the farming and oil industries could stop in and do paperwork and check email. She made it the community center and a place where kids are supported. When local schools shut down a month early because of budget issues, The Lane County Library offered more programs and events for kids to attend. They applied for a multi-media grant that allowed them to purchase video conferencing equipment – meetings can be held via the equipment and the community can participate in events hundreds of miles away – for instance, they meet up with the zoo in Kansas City! They also do unique things like technology “petting zoos” with Mp3 players, computers, digital cameras, and more for people in the community to play with and see. Talk about amazing marketing.
- Remember when we said that sometimes marketing is about making improvements based on feedback? Well, the Wadsworth Library (Ohio) was getting requests for a system that would allow one family to share a library card. They did it and it was a huge hit. Patrons asked, and they responded. That creates positive word of mouth marketing – it’s nice when your library listens to you!!!
- BranchAnywhere is a good example of marketing too. As libraries close, patrons still want support and service. This sort of service allows patrons to access materials when the main branch isn’t available. It also allows libraries to “build” a branch where they may not be able to because of space, money or time considerations. It’s a new concept and it’s going to be interesting to see what it’s future is.
- The Edmonton Public Library (Alberta, Canada) completely reinvented itself and through Facebook and Youtube, it presented it’s new image to the public. It’s funny, it’s interesting and it allowed the library to represent itself as the center for innovation and community that it truly is.