Stop whatever you are doing right now for two minutes and read this urgent message from me. I would not ask for your undivided attention if I did not really believe that this post is important.
There is one social media platform on which libraries are failing, and its greatly upsetting to me because, frankly, it’s the easiest one to use and populate. So stop the madness. Get an Instagram account.
I know you are pressed for time. I am guessing you look at Instagram as a way to showcase beautiful, fun photos but without direct links or pitches, you don’t see the marketing value. You may believe it doesn’t offer any real ROI on the time it will take to set it up and support it.
I disagree. It’s where you need to be. Don’t ignore it. It’s not as hard or as time-consuming as you think and it does have ROI. It builds brand awareness. It fosters a community of library lovers. It reaches out and engages a younger generation of readers. It’s hip. It’s cool. Its value is in its potential.
Sure, you need a strategy. Start with something simple-tell the back-story of your library. Post photos from your archive. Post photos from behind-the-scenes: the cataloging room, the distribution dock, the book drop. Post photos of exhibits, artwork, beautiful book covers or great book displays. Post photos of your cardholders reading. Post photos of your outdoor reading areas, your drive-thru window, or the view from the roof. You only need to post once a day to start building an audience and to gain a valuable presence.
Follow other libraries. Follow library lovers–you’ll know them when you see them. Comment and like their photos. They’ll like, comment, and even tag you back.
Why are you doing this? This is where millennials and teens are hanging out. They’re the future of your library. Engage with them. Be willing to take the time to build a community where they hang out. Surprise and delight them.
Need some inspiration? Here are some libraries doing it right.
and my Library.
If your library has an Instagram, please share a link in the comments section. I’d love to hear about your experience with Instagram.
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Views in this post are my own and do not represent those of my employer.
April 15, 2015 at 6:11 pm
Follow us @chandlerlibrary
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April 22, 2015 at 9:08 am
Thanks Rosanna!
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April 20, 2015 at 4:07 pm
I suggested trying Instagram last year after returning from a family wedding and seeing that my nieces and nephews (all under thirty) had switched from Facebook to Instagram. There was reluctance at first with library staff who were already trying Instagram as it is phone based, requiring staff to use their own equipment for postings. Also, the lack of a program to allow you to pre-schedule posts meant more than one staff member had to be involved (the number who help me with public relations is small). At first, we experimented with a soft launch of Instagram–meaning we did not promote it anywhere–and ended up with over 100 followers almost immediately. We still have not truly promoted our Instagram, but followers continue to grow. Now we have two people assigned to posting photos. We are not tried vintage photos, sticking to sharing new stuff and silly staff and volunteers. The growth with Instagram is not as fast as Pinterest, but many of our followers are younger, including our teens and those in their early twenties. Check us out: https://instagram.com/augustacountylibrary/
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April 22, 2015 at 9:07 am
I love your Instagram! Thank you for sharing.
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June 13, 2015 at 11:45 am
@missouriveregionalibrary
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June 13, 2015 at 11:47 am
@missouriveregionalibrary. Our Instagram is managed by our head of circulation and our public computer center manager. We are pretty new to this.
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September 3, 2015 at 6:27 pm
@cromainelibrary. As the graphics and marketing assistant, it’s recently become my responsibility to take charge of our Instagram page. So far, they’ve uploaded one picture quite a while ago…so I need a plan of action for getting it started. I’ve been reading online articles about it like crazy, trying to figure out the best way to go about it and what to start with. This article is great because, frankly, it seems a little overwhelming at the moment.
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September 3, 2015 at 6:40 pm
When my social media specialist is on vacation and this becomes my responsibility, I walk around the library on Monday and find five things to take photos of. Then, I have one ready for every day of the week. Take it one week at a time-before you know it, people in your library will be sending you photo ideas and you’ll see ideas everywhere you look. You can do it!
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September 3, 2015 at 6:55 pm
That’s a great idea, thank you so much! I will definitely try that out.
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