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!
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Setting goals for library marketing is incredibly important. A couple of weeks ago, I issued a challenge.
You all responded and I accepted. So here’s the payoff: we’re going to set some goals in 60 seconds in this episode. And you’re going to see just how easy it is.
Plus someone will receive kudos!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
This week I want you, my dear reader, to make me a promise.
Please, for the love of all that is wonderful and majestic about libraries, add one critical step to your library marketing and promotions.
I want you to start setting goals.
Now, I know this may make you sigh/scream/cry/get angry at me. I know you are incredibly busy. I know you are trying your best every day to create effective library promotions. And I want you to have ALL the success possible.
Which is why I am asking this tiny but incredibly important thing of you.
Goals are an absolute necessity for library marketing success. Full stop.
And they will make your work EASIER for you. I promise.
Why you should set goals for your library promotions
Goals will help you:
Focus your efforts, allowing you to measure your progress and determine whether your promotions are successful.
Establish priorities so you can show your supervisors, your co-workers, your community, your donors, and yourself where your energy is best spent.
Stay motivated. Goals will help you identify your successful promotions so you can repeat them and create more success!
Reach your library’s overall strategic goals more quickly.
Where to start with goal setting for library promotions
Your marketing goals should align with and support your library’s overall strategic goals.
For example, let’s say your library’s strategic plan includes an objective to improve the kindergarten readiness of children in your service area. A goal you could set for your library marketing is:
To increase the circulation of our library’s picture book collection.
But that goal isn’t quite good enough. To turn this from an okay goal to an effective, meaningful marketing goal, you have to add two things:
A number to reach for
A time frame for reaching your goal.
Here’s your new, more meaningful goal:
To increase circulation of our library’s picture book collection by at least 10 percent before June 30, 2024.
Here’s another example from a real library. The Buda Public Library’s strategic plan includes this objective: “Create and circulate Maker Kits, for wider accessibility of the library’s technological resources.”
Their library will likely do all sorts of things to promote the Maker Kits: emails, social media posts, bookmarks, and more.
A meaningful goal they can (and should!) set is:
To get 100 checkouts of our library’s Maker Kits in a 12-month period.
See how easy that is?
The most important thing to remember about goal setting for library marketing is to define what you want to do specifically.
Do you want to increase circulation? By how much? And in what time frame?
Are you looking to boost the use of a certain part of your collection, like your digital materials? By how much? And by when?
Are you trying to get more people to participate in your event? What percentage increase in attendance do you wish to achieve in what amount of time?
You can set both long-term and short-term goals for library marketing success. A long-term goal might be to get 500 downloads of your library’s new app by December 31st. A short-term goal might be to increase Kanopy streams by 25 percent before the end of the month.
One important question to ask yourself
A key element of library marketing goal setting is to make sure your goal is realistic. If your goal is too far-fetched, you and your coworkers may end up feeling demoralized when you fail to achieve it.
For example, if you try to double traffic to your library website in a month, you are likely setting yourself up for failure. Instead, ask yourself this question when you are setting goals: Is this goal ambitious AND achievable?
The final step
Once you’ve set a goal, write it down. Why? Studies show the most successful people write their goals down on paper!
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Courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Promoting your library can feel a lot like feeding a very hungry, very demanding giant.
You want your community to know that your library is the source of rich and valuable information. But, let’s be honest. When you are doing the entire job of promoting your library by yourself or with a small staff, keeping up with the audience’s expectations can be exhausting.
Heck, doing it with a big staff is exhausting. Marketing is tiring.
And the more exhausted and overworked you get, the more your original content suffers. You can’t put your best work out into the world when you are weary.
Your original content, like blog posts, videos, newsletters, and social media posts that talk about what your library offers and how your library helps your community, must be as engaging as possible. Those pieces of content take precedence. You should devote your energy to making those shine.
But there are so many content holes to fill! That’s where a little trick called content curation can be super helpful.
Content curation is sharing articles, infographics, case studies, videos, and other content created by other organizations on your library’s platforms.
Now, I know this sounds counter-intuitive to promoting your library. Why would you share the work of someone else with your audience? Shouldn’t you take every opportunity to engage your followers with your library’s stuff?
That would be ideal. But I know darn well you don’t have a staff of 20 writers to fill your content needs every day. And besides helping you fill your editorial calendar, content curation has other benefits.
Sharing content that aligns with your library’s mission, vision, and values will strengthen your library’s brand. It does this by building trust in your library as an institution of knowledge and inspiration. And it helps you to drive home important messages, like the joy of reading.
Before you begin sharing
The library I used to work for was huge: 600,000 plus cardholders and 41 locations. However, I had a small marketing staff. We often shared content from other sources to fill gaps in our social media and email calendars.
We set a focus for this shared content: anything we shared from outside sources had to be related to books and the literary world. This aligned with one of our library’s overall goals to drive circulation.
That focus was both simplistic and broad. It allowed us to fill our content needs with posts about authors, new books, books being made into movies, health news related to reading, beautiful libraries around the world, historic libraries (including our own), and a lot more.
Our library’s curated content led to higher organic reach on social media. Those pieces of shared content were intriguing additions to our emails. The curated content got a high click rate.
This strategy positioned us as a news source for all things related to the book world. Our followers and fans thought of us as more than a library. They turned to us for information on all topics related to literature.
So, I advise you to set a focus: one that is simple and aligns with your library’s strategic goals.
For example, Hennepin County Public Library’s strategic plan includes the line: “Offering free access to essential technology and connectivity.” Their curated content focus can be on technology and the benefits of open access to a community.
Here’s another example. One of Montgomery County Public Library’s strategic goals is to make sure all children ages 5 and younger are ready for kindergarten. Their curated content focus might be on shared literacy tips for caregivers of young children, as well as any content that helps caregivers prepare their kiddos for school.
Once you’ve set your focus, you can start sharing. Here is a list of 13 websites where you can find library-related content to share with your audience.
Do you know of a website I should add to the list? Comment below the post to let me know!
This list of user-generated content on books, libraries, and the literary world is invaluable. Use the discussion boards to give your ideas for fun, and interactive polls to create for your social media followers or email subscribers.
A good source of more high-brow literary news and lots of book reviews. Use this site to help you decide which books to highlight for individual promotions on social media and through email.
Find in-depth articles and interesting angles on literary themes. Scroll down to the bottom for links to a host of podcasts on every kind of literary subject.
My team is responsible for the blog and newsletters, and we work hard to make sure they are a rich source of content curation or promotional ideas for your library. Steal away!
This company is based in the UK and sells printing options for libraries. Their blog is rarely about printing. Instead, they cover library topics like the impact of early literacy strategies and the joy of volunteering at a library.
This daily email from Megan Kowalski (profiled here) will give TONS of great, daily ideas for content. She’s a whiz at following those little-known holidays that can make for great fun on social media (Hello, Fish Tank Floorshow Night!)
Any blog from another library or one of your partners!
If you type “library blog” into Google these days, you’ll come up with a whole list of libraries that are publishing content on a variety of subjects. They’ll appreciate you if you share their content. And you’ll know those content pieces are well-researched and written from the library’s perspective.
Your partner organizations will also be flattered if you share their content. For example, if the town yoga instructor who occasionally holds a class at your branch posts about how yoga helps relieve stress, and your content curation focus is on mental health, share that post!
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Your library’s digital signage is every bit as important as the print signs and posters you put up. But how can you maximize the effectiveness of your digital signs?
I have five tips to help you get the most out of that incredibly valuable space, all learned during my time with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.
Plus we’ll give away kudos to a library doing outstanding work in library marketing. Watch the video to find out who is being recognized.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enteryouremail addressand 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
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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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 Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
The first time I went to a conference, I made a plan.
I decided which sessions I would attend weeks before the conference began. I studied the floor map of the convention center so I could plot the best way to get from room to room. I made a list of local restaurants and tourist attractions within walking distance of my hotel so that I could make the most of my free time.
Am I bonkers? Nope. I am a planner.
A plan provides a guide for action. It ensures goals are met and time and resources are used wisely.
There are times when spontaneity is called for. But library marketing is not one of them. A marketing plan is key for the success of any type of library promotion.
What exactly is a library marketing plan?
A library marketing plan is a tool you use to help to achieve your library’s overall goals. It lays out the steps involved in getting a promotion out into the world. It helps you decide how and when promotional work will be done for a pre-determined time in a specific way.
A library marketing plan also ensures everyone knows the end goal of your marketing efforts. It sets deadlines. It keeps people accountable. And it clarifies how you will measure your results.
You don’t need a plan for everything you promote at your library. You do need a plan if you are creating a campaign that lasts for more than several weeks.
How to put your marketing plan together
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a list of free project planning websites. They will help you with the execution of your plan. At the bottom of this post, you’ll also find a customizable template to download. It’s based off the library marketing plan spreadsheet I used for years.
Know the thing you are promoting inside and out.
Be sure you can answer every single question about the thing you are promoting. You must become an expert on the event, service, or item you will promote.
Ask yourself, what problem will this solve for my patrons? How easy is it to use? What are the features that can’t be found at any of my competitors?
Clearly define your end goal.
Use the SMART goal framework to ensure you and your co-workers know exactly what you are aiming to achieve. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
So, if you are looking to increase brand awareness, set an actual, measurable end goal like: “Within the next 6 months, we want 50 percent of residents living within a 30-mile radius of our Main Library to know that we have renovated the building and to be able to name at least one new service available at the library.”
Determine your target audience.
Many library marketers say their target audience is “our cardholders.” Be more specific.
Ask yourself:
Which cardholders?
How old are they?
How often do they use the library?
Fill out your picture of your target audience with as many demographic characteristics as you can. This gives you and everyone working on the plan a picture of who you are trying to reach.
Analyze your competitors.
Research anyone providing a similar program, service, or product. Ask:
What are they doing well?
What are they doing poorly?
What are the things that differentiate your library from their business?
These are your marketing advantages. You can use this information to create messaging that tells your target audience why they should use your library service, instead of a competitor.
Create the message.
Get the message or elevator pitch for your promotion set. It’s the most important part of your plan. You need it to create all the tactics you will use to promote your library.
Choose your tactics.
Go through all the available channels at your disposal for marketing and decide which ones will work best to reach your end goals.
You do not have to use everything that’s available to you. Sometimes, a video will work well and sometimes an email will do a better job. Not every promotion needs print materials, a press release, or a digital sign.
You know best how your target audience reacts to each tactic and which will bring you the best results. If you have a budget, decide how you’ll spend it during this step.
Set the schedule.
Every library has a different approach to its promotional schedule. I am a fan of tiered distribution of marketing. The approach takes advantage of a consumer cycle of excitement. Here’s how it works:
Release one or two promotional tactics at the beginning of your promotional cycle, like a social media post and a press release. The promotion gets some play, and excitement builds in the consumer base. It gets shared and people talk about it… and then the excitement dies out.
Release the second tactic, like an email, and the people who see the email get excited and start talking about it and sharing it, and then their excitement dies out.
Release a video, and that builds excitement and gets shared, and the excitement then dies out. And so on!
When you use the tiered distribution approach, you get a longer promotional thread. Your promotions will be more successful because the excitement around them builds over time, not in one big burst.
It is also easier on the person running the marketing! It gives you a small break in between each tactic and creates time for you to measure the success of each tactic individually.
Assign tasks.
Delegate jobs and deadlines for appropriate staff. If you need help from another library department, assign their deadline now so they have plenty of time to get you the information you need.
Measure results.
Don’t forget to measure and record the reaction to each piece of your marketing plan. Analyze what worked and what did not, so you can put that knowledge to use next time.
Free or cheap project management solutions
Clickup: the free plan will work for small libraries. The unlimited plan is very affordable and would work well for medium to large libraries.
SmartSheet: their lowest plan tier is a little more expensive than ClickUp but has more integrations.
Asana: this is what my employer NoveList uses. It makes is easy to assign tasks and deadlines.
Marketing plan template
I’ve created a customizable marketing plan spreadsheet. It includes my suggestions for the timing of promotional tactics for an event or service promotion.
You can delete or add columns based on the tactics available to your library and the size of your library. Download it here.
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The Library Marketing Show, Episode 145: In this episode, we’ll answer a question from Leica. She says, “I am a one-gal, part-time show here. I can set my priorities easily, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on working with NO goals or strategic plans? I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not given anything to work TOWARD. So, as much as I *think* I do well, I don’t really have any measurable way to verify.”
Kudos in this episode go to the Garland County Library. Watch the video to see why they’re being recognized.
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 video tip for libraries each week.
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page.
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 