NCompass Live - April 13, 2022 http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/ The way people consume information has changed a lot over the past two years —including our library patrons. Learn how to make some small adjustments to your library's social media to ensure that your community members stop scrolling and start paying attention to your posts even in a very crowded feed. This quick course will include buzz phrases such as: Quality vs Quantity and Short Form Content to help you create thumb-pausing content in 2022. Presenter: Suzanne Macaulay, Deputy Director, Pioneer Library System, Canandaigua, NY.

1. Tweak Your Library's Social Media
NCompass Live April 13, 2022
Suzanne Macaulay, Program Director
Pioneer Library System (NY)

2. Suzanne Macaulay
Program Director, Pioneer Library System (NY)
Partner with 42 small and rural public libraries to
support library services across four counties in
upstate, New York.
Things I do:
● Coordinated Outreach
● Youth Services Consultant
● State Aid for Library Construction
● Continuing Education
● Social Media and Communications
● Talk about donuts a lot
Co-Chair ARSL Marketing & Communications
Committee

4. Social Media for Small Libraries
● ARSL Annual Conference, October 2020
● NYLA Annual Conference, November 2020
● South Central Kansas Library System, January 2021
● Southeast Library System, January 2021
Social Media for Rural and Small Libraries
● ALA Annual Conference, June 2021
Libraries, Social Media, & COVID-19
● Pioneer Library System, April 2020
Creating Social Media Graphics on Canva
● Pioneer Library System, February 2021
Social Media 101
● ARSL Annual Conference, October 2021 (co-presenter)
Graphic Design for Small Libraries
● ARSL Annual Conference, October 2021
● NYLA Annual Conference, November 2021
● Pioneer Library System, February 2022

7. What can we do about all these
changes?

10. Facts:
● Over the past 24 months Social Media became the go-to place for news,
information, entertainment, and human interaction
● Experts predict that while time spent on Social Media may eventually dip, it will
remain higher than pre-pandemic

11. Facts:
● Social Media has changed and will continue to change
● Libraries have changed and will continue to change
● Library users have changed and will continue to change

12. Facts:
● Social Media users (typically) have limited attention spans
● Small and rural libraries (typically) have limited time, personnel, and budgets

13. Now decide:
1. What are your goals for Social Media?
2. What does your audience want or need?
3. What can you reasonably start and sustain?

14. What are the library’s goals?
● Interact directly with community members
● Conduct Outreach to short or long-term homebound patrons
● Keep library relevant
● Demonstrate library's continued value
● Inform your community of upcoming events and programs

15. What are the patrons’ needs and
wants?

16. What are the patrons’ needs and
wants?
● Low-key social listening
● What conversations is your community already having?
● What are other groups providing?
● Identify and engage with your power users
● Ask questions!

17. Patron needs/wants:

18. Patron needs/wants:

19. Patron needs/wants:

20. What are the patrons’ needs and
wants?

21. Care
● Be mindful of your content
● People are still recovering/fatigued

22. Care
● Why are you posting?
● Does it have a purpose?
● Does it inform, entertain, help, guide, educate, raise/increase awareness?
● Is it relevant, accurate, useful?
● Is it easy for people to understand?

23. Care

24. Care
● Just because you can post it, should you post it?

25. Digital Burnout is Real
● People are taking stock of the content they view online and how it makes
them feel
● Don’t be part of the problem

26. Consistency
● Once a day is good
● …But a few times a week is good too
● Avoid rapid fire posts...
● ...But don’t ghost your audience

27. Consistency
● A regular posting schedule lets your patrons know you are there for them
● So schedule posts…
● …But be flexible!

30. Connection
● Give your audience a personal touch

31. Avoid Stock Photos

33. Connection
● Post/create original content

34. Too Much of Good Thing

40. Social Media is crowded…
Don’t let your content get lost

41. Connection
● Try new things
● Have fun!

42. To view this video, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/LivoniaPublicLibrary/v
ideos/4591489440942125/

43. Capacity
● What can your library/library staff reasonably sustain?
● You can’t be everything to everyone all the time
● Set personal/professional boundaries
● Don't get discouraged!

44. Work Smarter, Not Harder
● Can you streamline?
● What features does your audience no longer use/pay attention to?
● Where are you duplicating work?

46. The Intersection:
Quality vs Quantity Social Media Strategy = Short-form content

48. The Intersection:
Short-form/fun size content saw a massive rise during the past two years and
will only continue in popularity

49. Fun Size Content
● Communicates a single message
● Not too heavy on your audience
● Doesn't take long to consume
● Quick and easy to create
● Mobile-friendly

50. Fun Size Content
Use text sparingly
● Make all text Twitter-length (280 characters)
● Read out loud before posting
Bright, quality images
● Nothing grainy, pixelated, stretched, blurry, watermarked, etc
● BONUS POINTS: Use real photos with faces
Short, fun videos
● Try Facebook Live, Reels, Instagram Stories, and TikTok

52. Final Thoughts
● Borrow inspiration from accounts you like
● ...but give credit when credit is due
● Have a (flexible) plan
● Consider how people consume information
● Not everyone is on Social Media
● Have a Social Media Policy (or two!)

53. Final Thoughts

54. Additional Resources:
→ https://bit.ly/3vbNLVy

55. Contact
Suzanne Macaulay
Program Director, Pioneer Library System (NY)
Email smacaulay@owwl.org
Phone 315-394-8260 x1106
Twitter @sdmacau
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/suzannemacaulay