Using Snapchat to Reach Library Patrons: Part 2 (includes guest speaker Nikki Palazzo's slides)

1. 1

2. 2
Agenda
8/31/2017

3. “I struggled with communication
because kids don’t read email
anymore and they’ve moved away
from Facebook and Twitter. That’s why
I decided to create a Snapchat
account.”
https://librarianenumerations.word
press.com/2016/04/13/libraries-on-
snapchat/
3
10%
34%
56%
K-12 College/University Public

4. The Viability of
Snapchat for Teen
Services
Nikki Palazzo, MLIS ‘17

5. Who Uses It
Snapchat has 166 million daily users who use the app 18 times per day, gaining a total
of 25-30 minutes spent on the app daily per user.
In early 2016, it overtook Facebook and Instagram in usage by 12-
24 year olds, then shortly after surpassed Twitter in daily usage.

6. If libraries aim to meet users where
they are, then we should meet
teens on Snapchat.
But…

7.  Is the platform effective at sharing library information?
 Will teens want libraries in one of their few adult-free spaces?
 Is data-driven decision making possible with a platform that captures such little
data?

8. Public Libraries > Skokie Public Library
@SkokieLibrary

9. Set Up
Met with Marketing
-Created a style guide
-Curated a list of existing library accounts they could follow as examples
-Created “Why Snapchat” document and presented to department
Organized use of iPad
-Became clear it wasn’t sufficient
-Found room in budget for iPod just for YA
Briefed YA team on the project
-assigned daily posting to designated staff member who was there every day
Established account name
Posted flyer with Snapcode and username in teen areas of library

10. In 58 days…
109 followers 32 posts

11. In 58 days
Each post got 85+ views
33 direct snaps were received, 50% of which were informational in nature
-”Can we have a free book?”
33 documented screenshots were taken, 79% of which were of informational posts.
0 inappropriate interactions

12. What to Post
Librarian book talks familiarize teens with staff, promote the collection, and serve as
RA, especially for books on sensitive topics

13. What to Post
Teen book talks can boost views. A single, 10 second video of a teen talking about his
favorite book gained Skokie 41 followers because he promoted it on his own account.

14. What to Post
Funny things that happen in teen spaces to build community, affinity, and awareness.

15. What to Post
Information about library services can be anything from featuring a book sale to
showing off tech available for checkout to giving a tour of a helpful database during
research paper season.
-bookmobile schedule
-how to find booklists on the website

16. What to Post
Information about other organizations provides helpful resources, be it local youth
organizations or national hotlines or websites.

17. What to Post
Day-of event promotion inspired Skokie teens to change their plans so they could
come to the library for that event
-Pop Tart example

18. What to Post
Live coverage of events helps teens not in the library follow along and builds
community awareness and increased excitement.
-bucket drumming

19. What to Post
Plugging future events builds hype and reminds teens to register and/or mark their
calendars.

20. What to Post
Behind the scenes tours of a bookmobile, a book sorter, or off-limits areas can be fun
and insightful for curious teens.

21. Academic > Dominican University’s
Office of Student Involvement
@DUBeInvolved

22. Set Up
Researched other academic institutions and groups within higher ed who used
Snapchat
Created a proposal and plan that was presented to Dominican University’s Web
Advisory Committee
-Granted permission to make campus’s first account
Assigned student employee as primary poster
-Has evolved into a role he truly owns

23. Launch
The platform was promoted through word of mouth, Snapcode and username flyers
placed around campus, and on other OSI social media channels.
Posts got 290+ views
Became go-to source of campus event info
Nearly 10 other campus groups created Snapchat accounts based on OSI's success,
including the university itself

24. What to Post
See: earlier slides
Host a Geofilter Competition to promote the platform, increase audience engagement, and encourage
cross-departmental collaboration. Bonus: it fits in with existing maker activities.

25. Snapchat can work if you…
-Gain hands-off support from stakeholders
-Give full reign to whomever works closest with the teens
-Use a designated posting device, ideally an iPod Touch or similar
You must be OK with the fact that trackable data is limited to
-Followers
-Views per snap
-Screenshots
-Direct snap interactions
All data must be manually tracked in a spreadsheet.

26. Any questions?

27. 28
Memories
&
Stories

28. “Personal collection
of Snaps and Stories
you save, backed up
and stored right on
Snapchat”
Memories
29

29. 30
1. Press the button below the shutter
button to access your saved
memories
2. Search via the search bar at the top
3. Toggle between the tabs at the top
4. Camera Roll- toggle between All,
Screenshots, and Videos subtabs.

30. 31
• Open a saved snap  Swipe up
• Delete, save to your phone/send to external app,
edit, send

31. 32
• Select a video or photo from your Snaps,
Camera Roll, or Eyes Only menus
• Swipe up where it says “Edit and Send”
• Click on the pencil icon
• Edit via the toolbar on the right, save to your
phone via the save button in the lower left
corner, send to a friend or upload to your story
with the blue arrow button in the lower right
corner.
• Right swipe to add a geo-filter, info-filters; left
swipe for Instagram-style filters, and to slow
down or speed up a video

32. Stories
33
Search Stories Create a
custom story
Stories
Settings
Add to
your Story

33.  Type New Story Title
Custom Stories
34
My Story  Gear icon  Custom
My Story Settings

34. If you don’t see an option send me your Snapchat @handle and I’ll add you
Your
Turn!
1) Who You Are
2) Favorite thing about being a librarian
3) Favorite LC or Dewey Decimal classification area

35. Views per snap
Who’s viewed/taken a
screenshot of your snap
36

36. 1. Tap and Hold
2. Screenshot
Saving Content
37
1. Arrow icon
2. Swipe Up

37. Tips & Tricks for Promoting your Snapchat Account and Snaps

38. Promotion
39
• Snapcode & Username
• Places:
• Profile picture
• FB, Twitter, YouTube, etc
• Website1
• Business cards1
• Email signatures1
• Circulation desk
• Around the library/school
• Front of the library1
• Assemblies
• Outreach visits

39. Content Tips
Be Intentional
• ≈1 min per story
• 1 filter & 1 lens per
story
Cross-promotion
“Crossposts help
promote your
Snapchat account and
notify viewers when
the video is ready to
view” –Alanna Graves1
Quarterly Campaigns Experiment with
different times
• 81% of college
students use
Snapchat during
the late afternoon2
• 70% of college
students use
Snapchat on Friday
and Saturday2
40
Use WiFi when
Possible
Use filters/lenses
sparingly
• 1 filter & 1 lens
per story3

40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?ti
me_continue=43&v=kO67-
KSoPZU
41
Content Ideas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=-q3_OcubLH0
• 10 Seconds At A Time, A Teacher Tries Snapchat To
Engage Students
• NASA

41. • Use a database
• Answer questions/offer advice
Resources
• General Electric
• Taco Bell
How To/Q&A

42. Recommendations:
• Include 1 still image on your Story
• CTA
• Use lenses/try a face swap!
• Take a picture of a book cover  save to your camera
roll
• Open Snapchat  Selfie Mode  open lenses  select
face swap
Book Talk

43. • @Cisco- “Day in the Life of an
Account Manager”
Behind the Scenes

44. • NPL- Geofilter Design Contest
• My Snapchat Contest
• GrubHub- Food Doodle
45

45. Takeover is when a brand lets a social
media influencer take over the brand’s
account for a day.1 Allows patrons to be
the content creators.
User Takeovers
https://blog.hootsuite.com/host-
snapchat-takeover/

46. https://blog.hubspo
t.com/marketing/sn
apchat-best-brands
• @sourpatchsnaps
• @generalelectric
• @grubhub
• @washingtonpost
• @tacobell
• @mashable
• Buzzfeed- find via
Discover
Tips for Enhancing
Your Snaps
Recurring Hashtag
• #TeenTuesday-
Alanna Graves
Humor
• Put a funny twist
on mundane
activities (DJ
Khaled)
• Tell Jokes
Call to Action (CTA)
& Teasers
Engaging Images
47
Stills
• Avoids backwards
text lettering
• Users can take
screenshots of
content
• 10 second
expiration
Add Interesting
Doodles, Lenses, etc
• Michael Palaco-
@mplatco
• Shonduras-
@shondras
Emoji!

47. “I like to see how many views our first picture gets vs our last
picture; usually there’s a drop-off after the 2nd or 3rd which
indicates that we might be posting too much about one thing.”
–Alanna Graves1
Analytics
48
Management
Platforms
Snaplytics
Delmondo

48. paigealfonzo@gmail.com
@paigealfonzo
@bookmaven530
librarianenumerations.wordpress.com
Thank you!
49