Does your library need to delete old events from your Facebook account? It’s a great question that came in from a viewer. I’ve got three questions to ask yourself before you hit the “delete” button in this episode.
Plus we’ll give kudos to a library with a fantastic YouTube short that puts a library spin on an iconic sporting event.
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. Then 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:
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then 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
I was scrolling through LinkedIn when a post by a librarian named Kaitlyn Carpenter, who works at a high school in Houston, Texas caught my attention. She said:
“One of my favorite things that Houston Independent School District library services implemented this year has been our monthly infographics! I love digging into data and understanding trends in my library like:
Wednesdays are always our busiest days.
Ninth and 10th graders are often the most likely to visit the library.
Comparing how circulation fluctuates throughout the school year.”
“Infographics like these allow libraries to market to their school and district to show impact! I have made it a part of my practice to include marketing images and graphics in every weekly eNews that goes out.”
Kaitlyn knows the power of infographics
The content management company Marq.com has compiled a ton of research on the value of infographics. Among their findings:
About 90 percent of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. Infographics are a perfect way to turn static, boring information into visuals. And that’s important because…
People remember 65 percent of information when it’s paired with an image. In contrast, they remember just 10 percent when they hear it or read it without an image.
Most libraries use infographics to share statistics, like summer reading participation and impact. But your library can use an infographic to demonstrate much more than numbers!
10 innovative ways to use infographics in your library marketing
Storytelling
Use infographics to tell a story about a patron’s journey and how the library affected their life. The visuals can depict all portions of the story.
You can introduce your patron as a main character. Show the problem they face. Illustrate the solution available at the library. And then end with graphics that show how your patron’s life was impacted by their interaction with the library.
Explain Your Strategic Plan
An infographic is an engaging way to easily explain the complex information contained in most library strategic plans.
You’ll want to start with an overview of your mission and vision, followed by specific goals and the steps to achieve them. Use graphics to demonstrate the timeline for the planned work.
Want to share powerful quotes about the importance of a library program or service? Include testimonials from patrons and community members in your infographic. This adds some humanity to the data.
California State Library added testimonials to their infographic explaining the impact of free lunch services.
Tutorials
We know some community members have difficulty using library resources like databases or vendor apps. (Remember how many people struggled with the Libby App?) Some members of the public may find long, text-based tutorials to be to complex.
You can turn those text instructions into a visual how-to guide to help community members ingest the information. Here’s a fun, two-page infographic from Falvey Library at Villanova University. It explains everything a student needs to know about the library as they start a new school year.
Compare and Contrast
Instead of just sharing statistics, use an infographic to compare metrics before and after library interventions. The visuals go a long way to clearly illustrating the impact of your library work.
You can also use an infographic to explain why library services are superior to other resources.
Arkansas River Valley Library System’s infographic shows the free library services that can replace paid subscription services.
Service Bundles
Create a flowchart showing how a patron uses multiple services.
For example, your patrons may start by visiting your library’s website, where they sign up for a cooking program. When they get to the branch to attend the program, they may pick up a cookbook from a book display. Inside the cookbook, they may find a bookmark promoting the library of things.
An infographic illustration of that patron journey helps explain the interconnectedness of library services to board members, lawmakers, and potential partners.
Delray Beach Public Library explains the interconnectedness of its services in this infographic.
Visualizing Partnerships
Use an infographic to show how the library collaborates with other local organizations, schools, and businesses. This will demonstrate how the library actively engages with the community, which builds trust and awareness. It can also highlight additional services and programs available through these partnerships.
Here’s a great example from the Tampa Bay Library Consortium explaining how the Institute of Museum and Library Services Funds help Florida library programs.
Library Accessibility
Your library can use an infographic to illustrate how the library makes resources accessible to different demographics. This includes children, seniors, and non-English speakers.
For example, if your library knows that 95 percent of seniors who attend tech skills programs learn to use tech fluently, you can demonstrate that with graphics.
Bonus tip: For accessibility of your infographic, create a downloadable alt-text document for the infographic. This allows people who use screen readers to consume the infographic. Here’s an example from EBSCO. Scroll to the bottom of the illustration and you’ll see the prompt to download the alt-text version of this infographic.
Environmental Impact
Show the library’s efforts in sustainability and green initiatives. Use visuals to demonstrate eco-friendly programs, such as recycling, energy-saving measures, and community gardening projects.
If your library has undergone a renovation or built a new building and you’re Leed-certified, use an infographic to show your community how that designation saves money and the planet.
Volunteer Contributions
Infographics easily explain the impact of volunteers on a library. The visuals can help you clearly show the number of volunteer hours. They also illustrate the types of activities volunteers assist with. Additionally, they convey the value volunteers add to the library.
Need help creating your infographic?
I am not an artist. I can barely draw stick figures. So creating an infographic is daunting to me. This post explains the process I use to plan and create an infographic.
Hey library marketing friends: I’m teaching a pre-conference workshop at LMCC this year with my amazing coworker Caleigh Haworth. It’s all about marketing your collection. Registration is open now.
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:
There’s a very simple trick that you can use to get more views on your YouTube channel. It takes about 10 seconds of your time. I will show you exactly what to do in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus we’ll give kudos to a library that drew a lot of attention to a very delicious-sounding event.(Here’s a hint: 🥒)
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. Then 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 subject of today’s episode may surprise you. I want to talk about expert marketing advice. As a library marketer, you should take the advice of experts, including myself, with a grain of salt. I’ll explain in this episode.
Plus our kudos will be given to a library that did some promotional work AFTER an event. I’ll show you why this is a brilliant strategy.
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. Then 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:
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has many implications for library marketing. And now, AI is changing how people search for your library on the internet. But…
There is one, relatively easy thing you can do to ensure people find your library when searching for it on ChatGPT, Google’s Perplexity, and Microsoft’s CoPilot. We’re going to get into it in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus we’ll give kudos to a library that’s cross-posting videos from one social media platform to another. Normally, this is a no-no but there is an exception… and this library is taking advantage of it!
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 a few weeks, kids in your community will head back to school. This time of year is a marketing opportunity for all libraries! Lucky for us, one of the major social media platforms just published a guide for marketing to back to school. I’ll share the top three takeaways for library marketing during back-to-school time in this episode.
Plus we’ll share kudos for a library that did something extraordinary by harnessing the power of their loyal library fans.
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:
Library marketers want to make sure that their entire community knows everything the library has to offer. That’s a tall order.
Is it even possible? I have some advice about that today that may surprise you. We’ll get into it in this episode.
Plus we’ll give away kudos to a library that created a one-of-a-kind QR code with a complimentary campaign to educate the community about their offerings!
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:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
When Donna Forbis graduated from the 8th grade, her parents gifted her a 10-speed bike. Her mother decided she was old enough to ride to the Peoria Public Library‘s Lakeview branch.
“Back then, kids were not allowed in the adult stacks, so I was limited to my ‘side’ of the library,” remembers Donna. “I was very short (under 5′ tall), so even as a teen, I still looked like a kid. My ventures into the adult stacks would sometimes draw ‘looks’ from other patrons, but the library staff knew I was in search of mysteries I had not yet read!”
Donna’s love of the library never abated. She now works for the Illinois Prairie District Public Library. The library is small, with rural and suburban areas covering a service population of about 25,000 residents.
“We have fewer than 25 staff members (including our Director) servicing our six branches,” explains Donna. “Many staff members do double- or sometimes triple-duty.”
“My official title is Marketing & Events Coordinator, but I am also the branch manager for our Germantown Hills branch. I oversee all adult programming at our branches, and I coordinate with our Youth Services Librarian/Assistant Director on teen programming. I am responsible for creating nearly all of our promotional materials. What I don’t generate myself is usually shared with me to make sure it fits our style and brand before being shared with the world.”
It’s a lot of work, and Donna’s library still struggles to reach community members, especially regarding their programs and events. But Donna’s library is doing something that seems old-school yet innovative: A wall calendar!
“The idea for the wall calendar came from our Director,” explains Donna. “Several area outlets like banks and stores used to offer free wall calendars to their customers, but the practice has dropped off in recent years. While the world might be more comfortable with digital calendars, many patrons still want a wall calendar. Since the banks were not offering free calendars anymore, we decided to fill that void.”
“With a wall calendar, we can promote the library every day for a full year inside our patrons’ homes. We want our patrons to think of us as their go-to for research and resources, educational and entertainment opportunities, and a central community gathering spot. The calendar is a daily reminder that we are here for our neighbors.”
Donna and the rest of the library staff spent about three months working on the format and layout for the 8.5″ x 11″ wall calendar.
“The first version was nothing more than a stack of stapled papers, with notes on each page of a suggested layout,” recalls Donna. “Then I created an initial mock-up of the calendar in MS Publisher and shared it with our Director for critique. From her feedback, I shifted some photos around, added, and subtracted date-specific holidays, and determined what other information we wanted to include.”
“One topic of discussion was whether to have the library info pages at the beginning of the calendar or the end. My logic was, that if the info pages were at the end, behind the December calendar, they would be accessible to users all year long without taking the calendar off the wall.”
The final calendar is a mix of fun content and library news. You can see it here.
“Our calendar is set up to highlight our branches, reading challenges, and some of our evergreen programming,” says Donna. “We also provide ways to connect with the library through a page filled with links and QR codes to get to our website, catalog, calendar, reading challenge platform, and social media channels.”
The library printed 725 copies and distributed them beginning the week before Christmas. Calendars were available at each branch and through some of the library’s community partners, including nursing homes and daycare centers.
Donna also promoted the availability of the calendars through the library’s regular marketing channels. And until just a few weeks ago, she posted a notice of the calendar’s availability in every library email newsletter. They managed to hand out nearly all their copies.
“We are very pleased with how it came out, and our patrons have been very appreciative,” remarks Donna. “When looking at it from a cost-benefit analysis, we spent a little under $2300 (plus shipping) for the calendars. That equates to roughly $200 per month in advertising spread across our community for a full year. And it is in a form that our patrons want and need. Even on a tight marketing budget, the expense was worth it.”
If Donna does the calendar again for 2025, she says she’ll have the final design done by Thanksgiving, so patrons have a longer window of time to pick one up.
And where will her next great library marketing idea come from?
“Inspiration can come from anywhere,” declares Donna. “I maintain connections with other library marketers through the Library Marketing Book Club, the regional Heart of Illinois Library Marketing networking group, and professional groups like the Illinois Library Association’s Marketing Forum.”
“One of my all-time favorite pieces of library marketing came from the Invercargill (New Zealand) City Library back in 2017, which was 2 years before I became a library marketer! They did a parody of a Hollywood Reporter magazine cover featuring the Kardashian clan at the height of their Keeping Up with the Kardashians fame. When I look at it today, I still laugh!”
“I keep an eye on what advertisers in other industries are doing through organizations like Adweek, HubSpot, and other marketing tracking organizations. If someone on one of those platforms is writing or commenting about a particular piece of advertising, it may be worth noting.”
“As far as other libraries go, I am awed daily by my peers! Because of my ‘solo marketer’ limitations, whenever I see a library with a catchy video on TikTok, Reels, or Shorts, I am completely jealous! There are not enough hours in the day for me to learn how best to shoot and edit videos, get them uploaded, and do it regularly to build and maintain a following and get all my other stuff done!”
Donna has a piece of advice for anyone working on library marketing.
“Regardless of the situation, whether you have a program or promotion you want to try, need money or materials, or anything else – If you don’t ask, the answer will always be ‘No.’”
“People generally want to be helpful and be of service, but often they don’t know the best way to do it. Tell others what you need and ask them for their help, and you might be surprised at the answer, even for the ‘impossible’ ask!”
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:
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 