What do the big retail giants know about consumer behavior that libraries should also know? I’ll share some brand-new insights with you in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus, I’ll give kudos to a library with a YouTube playlist that’s causing my TBR to balloon!
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. Thanks for watching!
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
How many times have you said “no” to promotional requests in the past week or month, or year? If the answer is “never”, this article is for you.
I bet some of these situations sound familiar to you:
A librarian running a small program like a knitting group or a recurring storytime asks you for posters, flyers, social media posts, a press release, and newsletter space, even though the program doesn’t align with the library’s big strategic goals. Saying no can feel like you’re not supporting your co-workers.
A library director loves a specific service (like the seed library) and wants a big promotional push for it, even though your user data shows it’s a niche interest with low engagement. It’s hard to push back against leadership!
A department forgot to tell you about a major event until a few days before, and now they want a huge promotional campaign. (This happened to one of my library marketing friends recently!) You want to be a collaborator, but rushing something often leads to poor results.
Every year, the library promotes a National Poetry Month event with posters, displays, and social media blasts, even though turnout and interest have been very low for years. You’ve likely heard the sentence, “But we’ve always done it this way” before! It’s hard to change traditional promotional campaigns without seeming like you’re devaluing them or being difficult.
Someone suggests you start posting to a new platform, like Threads or TikTok. Even if it doesn’t fit the strategy or audience, there’s a fear of “falling behind” if you don’t jump in.
As hard as it is to do, it’s important to say “no” sometimes because library marketing is not just about being busy. It’s about being effective. If you can learn when to push back, you’ll demonstrate to your coworkers and supervisors that your job isn’t just to be a “promotional service desk.” Your work has a strategic purpose.
To help you make those strategic decisions, you’ll find a link at the end of this post to a guide I’ve created. It has a list of questions to ask so you can decide how much promotional support to give to each request.
So, how do you politely say “no” to requests outside of your strategy? Here are some scripts you can use.
Scripts to help you politely say no:
“Thanks for thinking of the marketing team! Right now, we’re focusing our resources on initiatives that directly support our library’s strategic goals for the year. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to take on additional promotions at this time.”
“I really appreciate your enthusiasm! We have a full slate of promotions already planned that align with our library’s key priorities. I won’t be able to add this to the calendar, but I’m happy to brainstorm ways you could promote it independently.”
“Our current marketing plan is tightly focused on [example: increasing card signups among new residents], so we have to prioritize projects tied to that goal. I’ll keep your event in mind for future opportunities.”
“We won’t be able to offer a full campaign for this event, but here’s a customizable poster template you can use. We can also share it internally with staff to help spread the word.”
“While we can’t do a full feature in the main newsletter, I can add a short mention in our ‘Upcoming Events’ section if you get me the info by [deadline].”
“This project doesn’t align with our current focus areas, but it might be a great fit for our [bulletin board / in-branch digital sign / social media story]. Let’s talk about some of those options.”
The importance of buy-in from your supervisor
Whenever you find yourself in a situation where you need to say no, it’s a good idea to give your supervisor a heads-up. You can say:
“I wanted to let you know that I’m going to recommend a lighter promotion plan for [person or department]’s [project/event]. It’s a great initiative, but based on our marketing priorities for [this quarter/this year], it doesn’t align with those priorities. I’m offering [a few options] instead to support them without pulling too much from our strategic efforts.”
You might also consider asking your boss for guidance and support in managing these requests. This invites your boss into the decision without making it feel like you’re just refusing work or being lazy. You can say:
“I’m seeing more requests come in for promotions that aren’t tied to our current goals. To stay focused, I’d like to suggest that we prioritize projects based on [brief criteria — like audience reach, strategic importance, or alignment with core services]. Would you be comfortable if I used those filters to decide what we promote fully and for what we offer lighter support?”
And what if your boss is the one making these requests? Try saying:
“That’s a really interesting idea, and I am happy to do it. As you know, our marketing plan is heavily focused on [strategic goal], and I’m concerned that if we stretch ourselves and our work too thin, we won’t hit the targets we’ve committed to. Can you help me prioritize this work?”
When you receive pushback from a supervisor, remember to frame your response in terms of impact, like meeting goals and maximizing results. Emphasize that you’re thinking of the big picture and trying to protect library resources. Sometimes, offering alternatives instead of a flat-out “no” is a good way to redirect a request.
Library Marketing Promotion Decision Guide
To help you choose between full promotional support and lighter promotional support, I created a cheat sheet of sorts. The Library Marketing Promotional Decision Guide contains questions that will help you and will help the requestor understand your decision. You can download the guide for free here.
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
A few weeks ago, I received a question from a reader.
The email read, “My library has recently dealt with many unexpected closures and disruptions in service. Our AC went down during a heatwave, our drive-thru will be closed for three days due to road repair, our parking lot was closed for resealing, our meeting rooms are short on tables due to some faulty wheels, our entrance was temporarily closed due to construction, our catalog will be down due to a migration, our elevator is on the fritz… and the list goes on!”
“Our staff always want to make sure that patrons are informed and prepared for what to expect when they arrive, but I’ve been concerned about balancing our messaging.”
Ensuring your community has updates on broken equipment or services that are unavailable while continuing your normal promotions highlighting the library’s value is a common challenge. For my library marketing friends who are dealing with hurricanes, construction projects, unexpected power outages, and more, I’ve created this guide with recommendations on how to manage these situations.
Tip #1: Prioritize critical messages.
If your library is facing significant disruptions that impact a large number of patrons (e.g., catalog downtime, major entrance closures,), use all your available channels (website, social media, emails, texts, signs, etc.) to inform your patrons.
As you craft your messaging, be certain to use clear, conversational text. Give easy, step-by-step instructions for navigating these disruptions. And, always be sure to include a phone number or email where community members can ask further questions.
Let your community know how long the disruption will last. And promise to provide further updates. Your goal is to minimize situations where unexpected surprises could cause frustration or inconvenience.
Here’s a great example from Delaware County District Library, which sent an email to let people know its locations will close for a staff training day.
Tip #2: Use targeted messaging for less critical issues.
For less critical issues (like broken equipment or minor repairs), an “Out of Order” sign on the affected item may be sufficient. If it’s a piece of equipment in your MakerSpace, and you have emails for community members who have reserved the equipment, a quick email letting them know it’s unavailable is warranted.
You could also use your website or digital signage within the library to let patrons know about the disruption as they arrive at the branch.
Tip #3: Have lots of disruptions? Consider bundling your messages.
If you’re facing a situation like my reader where you have multiple outages, consider bundling updates. A weekly update post on social media or an email summarizing all current disruptions will inform your community without inundating them with multiple messages.
Tip #4: Create a “Service Alerts” section on your website.
A landing page where notifications about all service alerts are located makes it easy to keep all information about potential disruptions in one place. Like Vancouver Public Library, you can train your community members to look there for updates and point to this section when creating email or social media messages about new disruptions.
Tip #5: Ensure staff have messaging for in-person interactions.
Make sure you take the time to give your library’s front-line staff up-to-date information so they can proactively inform patrons and suggest alternatives when disruptions affect a visit. This helps staff manage patron expectations. It also empowers staff and makes them feel more confident as they interact with community members.
Tip #6: Consider adding humor to your messaging.
Humor can be an effective way to soften the impact of negative news, like service disruptions, without downplaying their importance. It can also make your messaging feel more approachable and lessen frustration.
For example, instead of a straightforward “The elevator is out of order,” try: “Our elevator decided to take a break—stairs are getting their time to shine!” Or, if your catalog is down, you could say “Our catalog is taking a nap for maintenance. It’ll wake up refreshed and ready soon!”
You can also use funny visuals, as Orkney Library did when they were forced to close an hour early for a whole week.
Finally, try pairing your disruption message with a positive point. For example, “Our entrance is blocked due to construction, but we’ve still got an open door to great reads.”
Tip #7: Pay attention to your community’s response to the disruption.
As with any library communications situation, pay attention to feedback from your community members regarding your communication strategy. You’re striking the right balance if patrons feel well-informed without being overwhelmed. If they complain that they’re getting too many or insufficient messages, adjust accordingly.
Although disruptions are not ideal for your community and your marketing, you will learn things about your audience! For example:
How do patrons use the library? Disruptions can reveal patterns of library use. For example, if many patrons express frustration over catalog downtime, it indicates that digital access is a high priority. Alternatively, if they’re more concerned about space (like meeting room availability), it shows how much they rely on physical spaces. You can use this information to inform future marketing.
Which channels work best for communication? Analyze how patrons respond to disruption notices. Do they respond more to messages sent via social media, emails, or to messages delivered in person? This can tell you which communication channels are most effective for your library’s audience.
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Library marketing… it’s sometimes a balancing act.
There are things that your library wants to promote. And there are things that your community wants from your library. Sometimes, those two things conflict with one another!
In this episode, you’ll get some tips for finding the balance between building things that your cardholders and community need versus working on your library’s overall vision. Plus, a library gets kudos for a patron as hero story!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. And 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:
In college at the Catholic University of America, she interned for then-Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton while also working at the campus library.
“I was interning for her during a summer when the Democratic National Convention was held,” explained Meghan. “It was organized chaos. That summer taught me that I MUCH preferred library work over politics,”
Library work runs in the family. Meghan’s father was the librarian at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where the family eventually settled.
“I can’t ever remember not loving or being aware of the power of libraries,” said Meghan. “When we lived in Florida, the branch library for our area was a few streets away from our neighborhood. It was the one place outside our neighborhood I was allowed to bike to by myself. I would go, peruse the shelves (usually for a new Laurelene McDaniel book), and come home with my reads for the week.”
Meghan now works as the Outreach and Reference librarian for The University of the District of Columbia. She loves connecting people to the information they are interested in or need. And she loves what she learns from the students and faculty during her interactions.
When Meghan started her job four years ago, her position was brand new. So, she conducted a SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that her library faces. During the process, she uncovered an amazing angle for library promotion.
“I used a series of formal and informal interviews, space assessment, and document review to get a handle on what people thought about the library,” explained Meghan. “From there, I realized that we had a great brand image as being ‘The Helpful Place.’ Time after time, I learned that people went to the library for help because they knew someone would always be there.”
“Even if the library couldn’t help (for example, with a financial aid problem) at least we tried or would direct them to someone who could assist. I leaned into that to reinforce our already positive customer service experience while slowly building our platforms.”
Meghan also set about getting her fellow staff and faculty trained to provide great customer service to their students.
“During my first summer here, I created a customer service commitment document and general training workshop,” said Meghan. “This gets reinforced twice a year during our required departmental events. I’ve covered everything from customer service basics to remote customer service to accessible service to how to deal with students who already have too much going on.”
Meghan’s university is an HBCU (Historically black college or university) and a commuter campus. Their students are non-traditional. Those facts about her target audience inform everything Meghan does to promote her library.
“They have so much going on already,” said Meghan. “I don’t want ‘dealing with the library’ to be another hurdle they have to jump. So, we work on equity and consistency in our service. We are going to focus on the individual in front of us and work with them in a manner that best suits them as a person.”
“In the end, all the outreach I do comes down to one simple message – we are the place you can come to get help. It doesn’t matter if I’m sending an email, tabling at an event, teaching a class, or just chatting with someone – I want them to walk away remembering that the library is where they can come for help.”
Meghan’s focus on reinforcing the library’s reputation as a place where students can get good customer service was well-received and supported by staff and faculty.
“I approached this from a fait accompli standpoint,” explained Meghan. “It’s integrated into something we ALL do. I reinforce it by sharing positive feedback whenever we get it. I also framed it from the beginning as ‘This is something you are already doing.’ My work is just reinforcing that positive attitude and training on the nuances.”
Meghan admits that it is hard to measure the impact of good customer service. Reviews, polls, and occasional surveys of the library are all positive. The library also sees a lot of repeat customers.
“If I focused too much on basic metrics, I might cry,” declared Meghan. “Instead, I see our outreach as relationship building. If you make a student happy, they will talk about you with your friends.”
“That is why customer service is so important. You can help someone, but if you do it in an off-putting way, that person will never come back. You can also be unsuccessful in solving someone’s issue but, if you are friendly about it, that person comes back because they liked the experience and at least you tried.”
“It’s basically designed to juice your creative side to find content ideas when your brain is tired,” explained Meghan. “We don’t have to work alone! The one great thing about librarians is that we are all so willing to share.”
Meghan has one great trick for catching those fleeting moments of inspiration.
“I keep a note in my phone where I can brain dump things whenever the inspiration strikes,” explained Meghan. “Once a week, I sit down with that note and process things out to make sure I can actually do something with them.”
“Also, never discount the phrase, ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out together.’ For our students that shows that research is a process, and we are all working on it. It can also model that failure is okay. Resilience in research is a key skill. When our students see that even librarians have to keep trying, it helps.”
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
My husband is an optimist.
In April 2020, about a month into the pandemic, we learned that our planned family cruise was canceled.
“No problem,” said my darling spouse. “We’ll rebook for August. Certainly, this will all be over by August.”
You know the rest of the story.
Our cruise was rebooked a total of FIVE times over the course of the next 18 months. We finally set foot on a ship this year. And despite what you may have heard about the state of the cruise industry, our latest trip was wonderful. That’s due in part to the customer service on the ship.
And what I realized, as I was sailing through blue waters with a drink in hand, was that the marketing on the ship enhanced the customer experience.
So, I started writing down what I was learning to share with you. Here are the five big marketing lessons I learned while sailing.
Make it easy for your community to find the information they need.
It was easy to book on the company’s website. The cruise line walked us through each step of the pre-boarding process, with multiple touchpoints including videos, emails, and fliers mailed to our home. Any time we had a question, we could find the answer by heading to the cruise line website.
Your library’s website is as important a marketing tool as the sign on the outside of your physical location. In fact, I would argue that your library’s website is another branch of your library. Make certain your community can find what they need, when they need it, on your website.
If you have trouble figuring out how to organize your website, ask your front-line staff to make a list of the questions your community asks. Track questions for one week to one month, depending on the size of your library. Then arrange your website so your community can find the answers to the most asked questions on your website.
Handholding makes the experience smoother.
Once we booked our cruise, the company we sailed with began sending us a series of email onboarding messages. They walked us through the process of finishing our paperwork, reminded us to get our passports and vaccinations, relayed important safety information, and gave us advice on packing and navigating the port on embarkation day.
Mind you, this was not our first cruise. But this onboarding made our vacation run more smoothly. We didn’t have to think about anything! We knew the company would give us the information when we needed it.
Show your community your library cares about the customer service experience of your organization by using onboarding email messages. Send new cardholders a series of emails designed to introduce them to services that your library has to offer.
And send current cardholders an onboarding series too! Once a year, re-introduce them to your select services. If they sign up for a program, send reminder emails in the days leading up to the event. For summer reading or other big initiatives, send periodic emails to encourage participation and remind them of incentives they can earn.
Repeating messages stick.
Remember the Marketing Rule of 7? The average person needs to hear a message seven times before it really sinks in.
On the ship, important announcements were repeated over the loudspeaker, on digital signs, in the daily calendar, and in automatic notifications from the cruise line app. Even on vacation, when I didn’t have 1000 things at work and home competing for my attention, I needed to hear messages more than once to absorb them.
Repeating marketing messages result in something called the mere-exposure effect. This phenomenon finds that people show an increased preference for a stimulus as a consequence of repeated exposure to that stimulus.
In other words, the more you repeat your library marketing messages, the more likely people are to remember them and do the thing you want them to do! You may notice that I often repeat advice on this blog. Why? Because of the mere-exposure effect!
This doesn’t have to involve a lot of work for you, the library marketer. When you’re creating your next promotion, focus first on what you will say. That’s your base message. Try to use as few words as possible. Write as if you were in conversation with your community member.
Example: Our Summer at the Library celebration begins May 31! Win prizes by completing reading goals and fun activities. Get ready by signing up for our digital tracker. Have any questions? Email us at mylibrary@mylibrary.org.
That language is short and direct. It can be repeated on social media platforms, email, digital signs, and posters. It won’t overwhelm readers. And it clearly tells community members how to participate.
One note: for some promotions, you won’t need to repeat your message on ALL channels. Think first about your target audience and where they are most likely to want to interact with your messaging.
For some programs, like summer reading, with a huge target audience, you may want to market on all channels. But for other, more niche promotions, you can focus on target platforms. This approach saves you time too!
People read signage when it’s done well.
The cruise ship’s wayfaring signage was placed in key public areas and was simple and direct. And that was the only kind of signage! We knew when we saw a sign, it meant something.
If your library puts too many signs in too many places, you’ll make it confusing for community members, who eventually tune out all that visual overload. Choose your sign placement carefully and strategically, and when in doubt, minimize. If you’re worried that people will get lost, then remember the next lesson…
Staff members are your secret weapon.
Every staff member on the ship was apparently trained to answer any question, from how to find the bar, to how to reserve seats at the nightly show. If we needed any help, all we had to do was ask. What a treat!
This easy, comfortable staff interaction made the day so much better. We knew if we had any problems, the staff would have our backs.
With all the digital tools at our fingertips, it turns out that front-line library staff are the key communicators and customer service ambassadors. Train staff to understand that customer service is everyone’s job. They should be able to answer any question (or find the answer to any question) about any service, program, or department, even if they have never worked there.
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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!
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:
The Library Marketing Show, Episode 170: In this episode, I’ll reveal the single most important question that you should ask every library guest. This question is the key to revealing your most effective library marketing tactics.
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 subscribe to this series to get a new weekly video tip for libraries.
Also, I have a special request: I want to hear your best advice for library marketing in 2023! What did you learn this year? What are you excited to try next year? Share your thoughts for a future Super Library Marketing post.
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.
I’m 100 percent certain that everyone who reads this blog has heard of the book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Written in 1989, this self-help book has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
Covey’s approach to attaining goals is to follow what he calls “true north” principles. Those principles are based on seven character ethics that he says are universal and timeless.
It’s a great book. But, because I’m a weirdo, I read it and thought, “There needs to be a list like this specifically for people who work in library promotion.” No joke. My internal monologue is strange.
We need some true north principles for library marketing now more than ever. We face uncertainty in every corner. Algorithms and budget shortfalls and virus variants can make our job seem impossible.
It may feel like the whole world is working against you and your library. So here are my true north principles for doing your best and most effective work.
Be good to yourself.
This is first on my list because it’s the most important and frankly, most library staffers could use a little morale boost. This year, I want you to celebrate the work you do. Every. Single. Week.
By the way, my boss gets full credit for this idea.
It’s pretty simple: At the end of the week, write down all the things you did. Then, pick a “gold star moment“: one thing that you did that stands out for some extra recognition.
Send your list to your boss or keep it for yourself. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you take the time to acknowledge all the work you’ve done in the last week.
And, rather than focusing on what you didn’t get done from your to-do list, recognize all the work you did do.
You’ll be surprised at how much better you’ll feel at the end of a workweek. And you’ll be motivated or excited about the work coming in the following week.
Be constantly learning.
I know that most library staffers are incredibly overworked. You’re promoting your library in addition to 100 other tasks, including cleaning the restrooms and acting as security. The idea of spending any time learning more about marketing feels overwhelming.
How does someone fit personal professional development into their schedule?
Set a learning appointment for yourself every single day. All you need is five minutes. Spend that very short but important block of time reading a blog, a book on marketing, or an email newsletter on marketing. If you’re a visual learner, watch a YouTube tutorial on marketing or work on a self-paced marketing course online.
For the typical, full-time library staffer working five days a week with two weeks of vacation, that will add up to 1,150 minutes or 19 hours of learning in a year! That’s plenty of time to stay on top of marketing and social media trends and learn new ways to engage your audience more effectively on all channels.
Best of all, at the end of that year of learning, you’ll feel more confident in your work and of course, your library’s promotional efforts will improve.
Need help finding places to learn about marketing in a short amount of time? Here’s a great list.
Be hyper-focused on your library’s overall goals.
What is your library trying to accomplish right now? Are you hoping to increase your circulation to pre-pandemic numbers? Are you helping to bridge the pandemic educational gap for elementary school students? Are you implementing a step-by-step plan to ensure your library is truly accessible to everyone? Are you undergoing a facilities improvement project?
Your promotions should be centered on whatever your library is trying to accomplish this year.
When you focus your marketing with precision on your library’s strategy, your marketing will be more effective. You will avoid spreading your message thin. You’ll be using your precious time and energy more efficiently.
Every piece of marketing you do needs to be in service of reaching your library’s strategic goals. They are the reason you come to work every morning. Make certain there is a solid connection between your promotional efforts and your library’s overall strategy.
Be a fan of data.
Block off five minutes in every workday to gather or analyze the metrics of your marketing and promotions. Just like with the professional development appointment you’re making each day, schedule this into your calendar.
This simple step will give you a very clear sense of what is working and what isn’t. You’ll have the numbers to back yourself up when you make decisions about which promotions to do and which ones to drop.
Be constantly experimenting.
One of my favorite parts of working in marketing is experimentation. There are so many ways we can test promotions to find the most effective means of communicating with our audiences.
I want you to think of yourself as a kind of scientist. Your experiments don’t have to be complicated.
For example, when you send emails, try sending on different days of the week and different times of the day.
When you want to promote an item in your collection or a service provided by your library, post on all your library’s social media channels. Then look at the insights to see where you get the highest engagement.
When you write blog posts, try experimenting with the length of the post, the length of the title, or the number of images you insert in the piece. Then look at views to see if your metrics are impacted by changing any of those factors.
Experimenting is fun. And it can lead you to create more effective promotions. Need some ideas about where to experiment with your promotions? Here’s a list of things to try.
Be open to change.
How many times have you heard someone say, “But we’ve always done it that way” in your library? Reject this phrase.
I think many times we get stuck promoting our library the same way we always have. Don’t be afraid to look at the data and say to your boss or co-workers, “This isn’t working. Let’s try this instead.”
In library marketing, change isn’t a bad thing. It means you are being responsive to your community’s needs and meeting them where they are as their lives are changing.
Sometimes it takes a while for fellow co-workers, senior staff, and your community members to respond to your ideas.
Effective library marketers set a timeline for how long they think it will take to increase engagement or reach a certain target audience with a message across multiple channels. A good rule of thumb is to give any new promotion about three months to catch on. If it’s not working by then, experiment with something else.
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 