Angela Hursh leads an outstanding team of marketing and training professionals at NoveList, a company dedicated to helping libraries reach readers. A 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, she has also created courses on LearnwithNoveList.com designed to help library staff learn how to create effective marketing. Before her job at NoveList, Angela led the content marketing team for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. She also has more than 20 years of experience as an Emmy-award-winning broadcast TV journalist.
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The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 181: You are a solo librarian. You have only five minutes every day to promote your library. WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU DO?
That was a question submitted by one of you in the Super Library Marketing survey a few months ago. The answer to this question is the focus of this episode.
Plus we’ll give away kudos to public libraries in two states.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments.
And please subscribe to this series on YouTube or follow me on LinkedIn to get a new weekly video tip for libraries. Thanks for watching!
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Tamara Murray moved around a lot as a kid. But her family settled in Westerville, Ohio when she was 11 years old. She’s lived there ever since and now works for the library she used as a youngster.
“The Westerville Public Library was the first place I went after getting my driver’s license to return my (ahem, overdue) library books and pick up the newest Steven King novel,” recalled Tamara. “I still remember the glorious sense of freedom I had on that warm spring day, driving down the road towards the library.”
Tamara graduated in 2001 from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in Creative Writing. While struggling to find a full-time job, a friend suggested she look into librarianship.
“I kind of hated the idea at first,” admitted Tamara. “I was worried it would be boring. But I took her advice to apply as a volunteer, just to get a sense of what it was like. And when an opening came up in the Outreach Department where I was volunteering, I was encouraged to apply.”
“From there, I earned my MLIS from Kent State University and have now held numerous positions at the Westerville Public Library – Outreach Associate, Adult Services Librarian, Web Content Librarian, and now as Marketing Manager.”
The Westerville Library marketing staff consists of Tamara and two staff members. They’re extremely agile. Projects, services, and other initiatives are often conceived of and implemented on short timelines. They are always experimenting with new things.
One day, Tamara spotted a Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) digital billboard while driving. It was positioned on the border of where CML and Westerville’s library district meet. Tamara mentioned it to her Executive Director, Erin Francoeur.
The two hatched a plan to create a friendly rivalry piece about CML encroaching on Westerville’s “home turf”. They approached CML to brainstorm the idea.
“Our initial thoughts were that we could pretend to hack or graffiti the CML billboard,” recalled Tamara. “Then we also considered filming a guard whose job it is to ‘patrol’ the border between our two districts and creating a fictional history around that idea.”
“After we realized that the billboard was only scheduled to be live for a short time, we brainstormed other ways we could represent a rivalry using our current spaces. It occurred to me that a simple ‘apples to apples’ comparison would allow us to highlight our differences and similarities in a way that would be a win-win for both libraries.”
The group decided to create a video using library cards as the main characters, fighting over which library was cooler. They added googly eyes to the library cards to give them personality and made them seem more like real characters in the story.
“The hardest part was figuring out how to add the googly eyes to the library cards in a way that wouldn’t look messy,” laughed Tamara. “I’m always thankful for the ingenuity of our children’s librarians who suggested sticky tack.”
The actual filming took less than an hour. Connor Dunwoodie, Digital Storyteller Specialist at CML, visited each highlighted location and filmed clips with a helper to model the library cards.
“Connor previously worked as a news reporter and anchor and has a gift for visualizing the space and getting the shot on the first try,” said Tamara. “Connor then took the video footage, edited it together, added sound and text, and made it live within 48 hours.”
Tamara and her counterparts at CML were hoping the promotion would spark engagement from those who already know and love both libraries. They also wanted to reach new potential patrons who live near the border of the two districts, an area that both systems refer to as a “library desert.”
“As a single branch medium-sized suburban library, we don’t think of ourselves as direct competition with the 22-branch Columbus metropolitan system,” explained Tamara. “We both are amazing in very similar and very different ways. In Ohio, we are lucky to share state funding for public libraries, which creates some built-in camaraderie since we’re not competing with each other for basic funding.”
Tamara and her team continue to do great work, creating fun promotions and highlighting how the library helps patrons (more on that in a future post!). Tamara says she finds inspiration for her library marketing campaigns nearly everywhere she looks.
“We’re marketed to almost everywhere we go, and I try to take note of what marketing is effective with me personally, as well as what’s effective with my friends and family members,” she shared.
“I ask a lot of questions. ‘Where did you hear about that?’ ‘Why did you buy this product instead of this product?’ It helps to understand what channels, graphics, and calls to action are the most effective.”
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The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 180: How many times have you or someone at your library said, “We just want to make sure everybody in the community knows everything the library has to offer.”
That, my friends, is the wrong mindset for library marketing. You need to be more like Walmart, believe it or not! I’ll explain in this episode.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments.
And please subscribe to this series on YouTube or follow me on LinkedIn to get a new weekly video tip for libraries.
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
The best customer service experience I ever had was with a cell phone provider. No kidding.
I was having issues getting my contacts to transfer to a new phone. The provider’s website offered no solutions. So, with great trepidation, I called the customer service line.
The woman who answered was a delight to work with. She welcomed me in a friendly manner and assured me she wouldn’t hang up until she’d solved my problem. She was patient with me as I explained my issue. She was friendly, asking me questions about my day as she worked. And she thanked me with sincerity when our call is over.
A successful and delightful customer service interaction is rare. And it’s increasingly difficult for people to contact a human customer service agent. Earlier this year, Vox published a story about the death of customer service lines. Companies like Frontier Airlines, Facebook, and Amazon are cutting costs by eliminating their phone-based customer service lines in favor of email forms and chatbots.
When I read that, I thought, “That’s a huge opportunity for libraries!”
Our community is our customers. And our unique value proposition is that we offer personalized service provided by a real-life person, always.
Library staff is not chatbots. We’re not email forms.
We listen, and we help solve problems. In fact, we’re proud of our problem-solving skills.
So why don’t we spend more time marketing our unique, valuable customer service experience?
Good customer service is a competitive edge for libraries. We can build a reputation as a warm and inviting space. When was the last time you heard Amazon or Best Buy described in those terms?
Building your library’s reputation for customer service will increase visits and use of your library. And for many of you, that can be valuable in budget and funding discussions.
And delighted community members are more likely to spread the word to their friends and family about our system and the services we provide. They are compelled to talk about us positively on social media, give us great reviews on Google Business, and support our work through donations or volunteerism.
Here are 3 ways to use your library’s customer service as a marketing tool. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a great real-world example of customer service guidelines for staff from the University of Illinois.
Make it incredibly easy for people to contact you.
Your library’s address, phone number, and email address should be easy to find on our website. I’d recommend adding it to your page’s footer, as well as your “about” section. You might also add a “Contact us” page to your website.
It’s okay to have your contact information in more than one location! Don’t make your community members jump through hurdles to reach you. Remember, your competitive advantage is the ease of using the library.
You must also keep your library’s information updated on Google. And add your contact information to your bio or “about” page on all your social media accounts.
Finally, consider sharing your contact information at the top of your email newsletters, at the beginning of each video you produce, and even at the beginning of each program you hold. A simple statement like, “Our library is here to help you! Ask us any question, anytime by calling 555-5555 or emailing us at questions@mylibrary.org” is sufficient.
And if you do this anytime you interact with a group of community members, over time your concerted and consistent effort to share your contact information will convey the message that your library is a place where community members can seek help.
Promote your library as a place that helps people solve problems.
In your marketing, emphasize that your library is on the community’s side.
Your promotions should drive the following messages:
That your staff works collaboratively with users.
That you take your time to listen to problems and find the best solutions.
That your community members’ problems are your problems!
That you care about the outcome of your interactions.
One way to do this is to collect stories of the library solving patron problems. You might have to get out of your comfort zone to ask after a casual conversation but it’s worth it. Most people will be more than happy to allow you to use their feedback as a jumping-off point for a story. People love to talk about themselves. Use that to your advantage!
You’ll likely need to train your staff on how to do this. It sounds complicated, but here is an easy framework for staff to keep in mind.
If you think there is an opportunity for a patron to share a story with you, don’t wait until the end of your interaction to ask. Ask questions when the moment presents itself, even if that’s toward the beginning of your interaction. Listen for the community member to say something like, “Oh that was helpful!” That’s your cue to ask permission from the community member to share the story of your interaction.
Avoid broad questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no, like “Would you recommend the library to friends and family?” or “Did you benefit from our work together?”
Instead, ask the patron specific questions that require a bit of engaging explanation.
“What are some reasons you’d recommend the library to your friends and family?”
“How is your life different now that you’ve received help from the library?”
When you ask these more specific questions, you’re setting up your patron to offer a bit of narrative and a back story. Remember that hearing more about another person’s journey can help a potential library user visualize the difference their life could have if came to the library for help.
Look for stories everywhere… in emails to your library, in social media comments or messages, and of course, in person. When you actively look for stories, it will get easier and become second nature.
Finally, create a story bank. Collected stories have little value if they can’t be molded into something you can. Use whatever technology your budget will allow.
You can keep track of all the major details with a simple spreadsheet in Excel or Google Docs. Some libraries even use Trello, which is free, to gather and share patron stories.
Promote your staff as problem solvers
Other companies have employees. Libraries have experts who truly care about the work they are doing and the impact they have on the community.
That’s why your staff is one of your most valuable resources. They are what makes your library stand out from your competitors. Augusta Public Library did this in a fantastic Facebook post.
And when you highlight specific staff, your community members will begin to feel as if they know the employees. They’ll be more comfortable coming into your physical buildings because they’ll recognize the face at the desk or in the stacks. They’ll feel more open about asking you for help!
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The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 179: There are a series of Facebook ads that I have actually watched in their entirety… something I have NEVER done before.
So what does this have to do with you? In this video, I’ll reveal the secrets so your library marketing can have the same impact on your audience.
Kudos in this episode go to SIX libraries in Canada!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments.
And please subscribe to this series on YouTube or follow me on LinkedIn to get a new weekly video tip for libraries.
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
A woman in a blue shirt walks dejectedly through the library, head down, shoulders hunched.
She waves at patrons coming in and out of the building, but no one notices.
She places one lonely hand on the window to the world outside as the sound of melancholy music plays in the background.
Soon the music swells, and the woman walks through the front doors of the library, skipping across the lawn as she makes her way to the parking lot. Why is she so happy?
The woman represents public Wi-Fi, and the video is her library’s creative, engaging announcement that Wi-Fi is now available outside of the library building and in the parking lots.
It is this kind of out-of-the-ordinary yet effective video that first drew my attention to Prince William Public Libraries. The library serves a population of about 437,000 residents and has 12 locations.
This video, and dozens more like it, are the work of the library’s Office of Communications and Marketing. The creators not only work at a library but also have a deep and lifelong connection to libraries.
“My grandma worked at Mountain View Public Library,” remembered Emily Bickers, Media Specialist. “I loved to bother her after story times as a toddler. We would get frozen yogurt and I would babble about the book to her. It was my first book club!”
Communications and Marketing Director Rachel Johnson grew up north of Baltimore. “Going to the library was a regular trip for me as a kid,” she recalled. “I remember what the old library looked like so vividly, and then the library was renovated with completely new construction on the same land when I was in my late teens. I have no idea why the renovation stands out in my mind more than the many visits, but that’s what I remember most!”
And Michaela Hamiary Janotova, who serves as the library’s Public and Media Relations Specialist, grew up in Slovakia, in Central Europe. “As a child, I enjoyed school and loved reading and writing,” she said. “But I think my favorite memories involving libraries are being created now.”
The marketing team at Prince William Public Libraries includes writing, graphic design, media relations, digital communications and social media, and videography professionals.
The library uses video for many library promotions. “We mainly rely on YouTube to be our video repository,” explained Rachel. “But our statistics show that utilizing other social media – like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – helps us to further amplify our messaging to reach more audiences.”
Continued Rachel, “When asked what my favorite video is, it’s so hard to choose a favorite. There’s a special place in my heart for our 2021 Summer Reading Promotional video. While it’s nothing ‘special,’ the story behind it is.”
“Emily produced this video less than one week after starting with Prince William Public Libraries. We were deep into the pandemic – I hadn’t even met her in person yet – and she came along and produced this fun, engaging video that aligned so much with our mission and values. Her skills and expertise made me really excited for the future of video production and what we could do to reach even more people in our community through digital storytelling.”
“My favorite is PWPL’s Wi-Fi Has Left the Building!,” added Emily. We created that shortly after I joined PWPL and it showed me that my boss, Rachel, was not only down to have some fun with silly ideas, but willing to star in them!”
“My favorite video is RELIC: Don’t Be Left in the Dark,” said Michaela. “It’s very different from all the other videos. It’s special, like the service it promotes. “
Many libraries are intimidated by the thought of video marketing. Videos feel difficult to produce; they’re perceived as expensive to create and time-consuming. But Emily wants librarians to know that there are a lot of tools out there that can make video creation much easier, faster, and cheaper than in years past.
“Most computers and many social media apps now come with built-in video editing tools,” she pointed out. “Also, do not be afraid to use templates or stock footage to make your vision a reality even if you are pressed for time or funding.”
Last year, the library organized a Staff Day. It was a big deal. “After three years of overcoming challenges, adapting, and finding new ways of serving the community, staff deserved recognition and an opportunity to meet in person and socialize,” explained Michaela.
“One drawback of having a large library system is that staff does not get a lot of chances to get to know each other or what each department does – a fact that was exacerbated during COVID,” said Emily. “We wanted to create a video that would highlight what each department does and how they all work together.”
And so, they did. The library’s video was so incredible that Prince William Public Library won a Gold Viddy Award in the category Non-Broadcast Short Form Videos. The Viddy Awards is an international competition recognizing excellence in creating, producing, and delivering videos. It’s put on by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP).
The marketing team at Prince William Public Libraries has won a host of other awards in the past two years for other videos, a strategic marketing campaign, and a magazine. They admit they have a lot of rich fodder for great promotions. But the team does have a secret ingredient to creating campaigns that resonate with audiences… fun!
“The Office of Communications and Marketing has the expertise and resources to create fun, engaging campaigns because there are always exciting, positive efforts happening in our libraries,” said Rachel.
The marketing team looks to their fellow library staff and the outside world for inspiration. “Our evolving community and creative librarians are a great source of inspiration,” said Michaela. “There is so much going on to draw ideas from, and we ensure that we find the most effective ways of reaching the target audience.”
For Rachel, it’s… “Social media! There are so many clever librarians and library staff throughout the country – it’s inspirational. We also closely follow other trends in social media and create our messaging based on those trends.”
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The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 179: It’s time to work on your calls to action!
How do you motivate people to interact with your library promotions? It’s time to supercharge your call to action or CTA game! You’ll find tips to do that in this episode.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments.
And please subscribe to this series on YouTube to get a new weekly video tip for libraries.
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Francesca Castro has been visiting libraries for as long as she can remember.
“My mother took me to children’s programs at the public library when I was very young,” recalled Francesca. “Then, in elementary and middle school, I begged my parents for cash to spend at the annual book fair. In college, I was pulling all-nighters and made some of my best memories of my academic career in the library.”
Now, not even a year after graduating from Arkansas State University with a degree in communications, Francesca is working her first professional job at a library. And her success, particularly around TikTok, is inspiring library marketers twice her age, myself included.
Francesca is a Marketing Coordinator for the Saline County Library in Benton, Arkansas. The library has a service population of about 85,000 residents.
Francesca’s interest in managing the library’s TikTok began during her interview. “I remember asking if Saline County Library (SCL) had a TikTok account,” she said. “Their response was no. So I told them if they hired me, I would make a Saline County Library TikTok account and that I had gone viral a few times on my personal account and would want to do the same for SCL.”
“I understand that it is hard to grab the attention of teens and tweens these days and a lot of them are already on TikTok, so why not bring the library content to them, ” continued Francesca. “I also use the platform to show that libraries are more than what people assume that they are. I have made videos about what working in the library is like versus what people probably think it is like, and I make sure to post content that shows you can check out items other than books.”
Francesca has created more than 40 posts on TikTok since she launched the Saline County Library account, which has nearly 500 followers. One of the most popular posts is a simple, short slideshow of storytime set to music.
She’s quick to jump on trends, like this one featuring the Titanic theme. Francesca also appears in some of the posts, which adds a personal touch to the account and adds a face that library patrons may recognize when they walk into the building.
Francesca does have a secret formula for TikTok success based on her experience and research.
“I have learned to almost spam posts on TikTok,” she revealed. “The algorithm on TikTok is like an endless loop, and videos from weeks ago are still floating on the surface. Unlike other platforms, your post would not be the first to pop up on the screen after a few days. The reason I say spam post is because the more videos you post, the more content you have going through that endless loop.”
“Another tip I have figured out is to keep the content short and relatable. The key to success on TikTok is to be short, entertaining, and straight to the point.”
And even though consistency is key, Francesca admits she is not always consistent when it comes to posting TikToks. “I usually post them when I have an idea, and I get inspiration from other library TikTok accounts. I try to post 3-5 times a week.”
Many library marketers are also intimated by the process of editing videos for TikTok. But Francesca says you don’t need fancy editing software or third-party apps. Simplicity is key.
“When it comes to editing the videos, I usually just edit them on TikTok, which only takes a few minutes,” she advised. “I will say I am consistent with the hashtags I use. I like to use #Librarytok #librarymarketing, and #booktalk.”
And although she’s only six months into her new role, Francesca has advice for other libraries looking to use TikTok to reach new audiences.
“If you are unsure about starting a TikTok page, I suggest you have a person or a team of people who are outgoing and not shy to run the page,” she said. “The advice I would give any Library would be to beware of trends and KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!”
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 