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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion

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library marketing

๐Ÿ“š2 Concrete Ideas To Boost Circulation and Prove Your Value Through Specific Library Promotions

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketing Show, episode 228

A new study about books and publishing reveals two concrete action steps you can take to prove the value of your library and increase circulation! Those steps are revealed in this episode.

Plus, kudos go to a library that received coverage for an event on Yahoo News!

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!โ€‚


Miss the last episode? No worries!

Will I see you soon?

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

This Viral Librarian Shares His Simple yet Effective Formula for Promoting Your Library: Donโ€™t Be Afraid To Share Stories

On a cold Sunday in February, I hopped onto a Zoom call with someone I felt I already knew.

About 8 months prior, this Solano County, California resident appeared on my โ€œFor Youโ€ page on Instagram Reels and TikTok. He shared joyful, heartfelt, hopeful stories of his work and the profound impact libraries had on his life.

So, I must admit that when Mychal Threets came into view on my laptop screen, I was a bit starstruck.

Seated in a staff work area, with a giant cutout of Bob Ross behind him, Mychal graciously squeezed an interview with me into his workday. He answered my questions about the impact his simple, yet profound stories have had on the publicโ€™s perception of libraries.

โ€œMarch of 2023 is when I shared that first story of the library kid who asked me if I’m a boy librarian or a girl librarian,โ€ recalled Mychal. โ€œAnd I thought that was great. This is the 15 minutes of fame for libraries. Maybe a few more people will get library cards. But it just kept on going, and Iโ€™ve just been sharing daily stories and affirmations ever since.โ€

One of Mychalโ€™s earliest memories is from age three when his mother took him and his siblings to the library to get books. At the age of 5, he got his first library card. But Mychal did not aspire to be a librarian.

โ€œI wanted to be an astronaut, a firefighter, or a police officer,โ€ chuckled Mychal. โ€œI never saw any men behind the library desk. I never saw any people of color behind the library desk.โ€

โ€œI was struggling, waiting for my next career path. I was at the local library trying to think of my next steps. And I was like, let me ask the person at the desk about how a person ends up working for the library. She already had the site pulled up. She was like, โ€˜I knew you’re going to ask that soon enough.โ€™โ€

In 2018, Mychal became a childrenโ€™s librarian. He loved the silly, carefree nature of the kids he worked with, and he wanted to share stories about the joy of his work with children. So, he started posting to Facebook. The response was positive.

Then, during the 2020 pandemic, Mychal downloaded TikTok and Instagram and began experimenting with videos on those sites. But it wasnโ€™t until March of 2023 that he started sharing those personal storiesโ€ฆ and getting traction.

โ€œI was just trying to remind people that the library exists. I try to remind people that the library is for everybody, that everybody belongs. The library is for them, whatever they’re going through in life. That was my whole goal.โ€

Mychal Threets

As of this writing, Mychal has more than 682,000 followers on Instagram and 680,000 followers on TikTok.  His videos have gotten millions of views, and heโ€™s been interviewed by the New York Times, Good Morning America, The Washington Post, and Huffington Post, among others. He received the โ€œI Love My Librarianโ€ award and the day before my interview with him, was the recipient of the Tri-City NAACP Unsung Shero/Hero Award.

It hasnโ€™t been an easy road. Mychal is open about his struggles with mental health. And, as is the case for any internet star, heโ€™s faced insults. But his thousands of fans were quick to come to his defense.

His reach extends beyond the normal library loyal crowds. I cannot count the number of non-library friends and family members who have sent me his videos, usually accompanied by the comment, โ€œHave you seen this guy??โ€

โ€œWhat I’ve achieved thus far, was never in my mind. I never thought it was a possibility,โ€ admitted Mychal. โ€œI didn’t think I’d go viral once, let alone several times. That has been a huge surprise.โ€

Mychalโ€™s videos highlight his work and focus on โ€œpatron as heroโ€ stories. Mychal explains how the library has impacted the community members he interacts with, in big and small ways.

He fiercely protects the privacy of his patrons, sharing his stories without using names or genders, instead calling his patrons โ€œLibrary kidsโ€ or โ€œLibrary adults.โ€ He also says that technique prevents misgendering and disrespecting his patrons.  

โ€œMost library people don’t mind their stories being shared,โ€ said Mychal. โ€œI’m aware of the platform that I’ve grown. ย I know that it’s weird to have your story shared with the amount of people who follow me.โ€

Besides sharing his stories on social media and working full-time at the library, Mychal is working with author, influencer, and illustrator Blair Imani on an event in late March that will be a celebration of natural hair.

โ€œWe’re going to get a bunch of books donated celebrating hair love, and we’re just going to give them out to people who come to come to the event,โ€ explained Mychal. โ€œWe’re going to have hopefully some very cool people present, including authors, illustrators, barbers, and hairdressers. Itโ€™s just a chance for people to celebrate their hair love, to get some free books, and celebrate literacy.โ€

โ€œMy other goal is that I just want everybody to get a library card if possible, and to fall in love with books. So, I’m trying to pursue a nonprofit LLC to celebrate literacy, celebrate our right to read, celebrate the joy of access to books, and just put books in the hands of kids and get them excited about reading.โ€

Mychal is a big fan of his own library on social media, but he also has praise for other librariesโ€™ promotional work.

โ€œMilwaukee Public Library is probably the best library on social media,โ€ declared Mychal. โ€œThey just do such a wonderful job of following trends and then putting a library spin on it.โ€

โ€œHarris County Library is in a similar vein. They also are very good at accepting being โ€˜cringe-worthyโ€™ as a library system.”

“Storybook Maze is a street librarian in Baltimore, Maryland. She also has a fascinating job.โ€

โ€œBut otherwise, just BookTok and Bookstagram, in general, is just an easy way to find social media platforms doing great things for libraries, putting libraries on the map in the best way possible to remind people that everyone belongs in the library any different day.โ€

โ€œI’m constantly impressed by the different libraries that tag me and want me to see their videos. People are doing such wonderful things for libraries and for books and literacy overall.โ€

As we wrapped up our interview so Mychal could set up a library program, he shared advice for library marketers.

โ€œAlways remember, the library is a place where everybody does belong. As I repeatedly say, you don’t have to leave your anxiety, your depression outside the library doors. It’s all welcome inside the library. Every day is a library day.โ€

Mychal Threets

PS You might also find this helpful

Itโ€™s Okay To Take A Break From Social Media! Here Are the Benefits of a Pause for Your Library

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

Which Is Better for Library Promo Videos, TikTok or Reels?? The Latest Data Settles the Debateโ€ฆ for Now!

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketing Show, episode 227

TikTok or Reels. Which one is better for library marketing?

I came across some new research that will help you determine where to spend your precious energy and time on library marketing. The answer is revealed in this episode.

Plus, kudos go to a library that showed authenticity when it made a mistake on New Year’s Day!

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!โ€‚


Miss the last episode? No worries!

Will I see you soon?

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

Stop Annoying (and Potentially Dangerous) Facebook Messenger Spam in 30 Seconds Flat: Hereโ€™s How To Do It

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketing Show, episode 226

How many spam Facebook messages have your library’s Facebook page gotten? Lately, they’ve been downright scary.

They tell you that your account is at risk of being suspended because you’re violating regulations. They make it seem like your library has done something wrong and they try to pressure you to respond. And they are a security risk.

I’ve learned a technique to stop these messages. I’ve used it on NoveList’s Facebook account and it works.

I’ll show you exactly how to do it in this episode.

Plus, kudos go to a library from a library marketer who admires their work.

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!โ€‚


Miss the last episode? No worries!

Will I see you soon?

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

Libraryโ€™s Spectacular Success: A Day-Long Cardholder Event Draws Crowds in Record Numbers โ€“ Unveiling the Secrets Behind the Triumph!

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Mike Paulus had a career path like many library marketers I know.

The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native earned a degree in creative and technical writing. He planned and wrote educational video games for the speech-language pathology field. Then he worked at an arts and culture magazine.

But just before the pandemic, Mike saw an opening for a new position at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in marketing and digital systems.

โ€œMy wife had already worked here for a few years in Youth Services,โ€ explains Mike. โ€œSo, I jumped at the chance. Iโ€™m still downtown, working a block away from that magazine, trying to have a direct impact on this community. Pretty lucky!โ€

Mike and his four co-workers in the Programming and Communications Services department oversee all digital and print promotions. They also do a good chunk of the libraryโ€™s event programming, managing all adult events that use outside presenters. (Sound familiar to anyone?!) ย 

Last year, Mike was given the task of coordinating cross-departmental, library-wide events. The most successful of those events was a Card Crawl.

โ€œOur building recently underwent an $18.5M renovation,โ€ remembers Mike. โ€œWeโ€™d just moved back in and reopened the doors in October of 2022. So, the library had a lot of new rooms and amenities, including all these cool outdoor spaces.โ€

โ€œIn spring 2023, we held our โ€˜Outdoor Open Houseโ€™ to showcase the new patios, the terrace, the plaza, and whatnot. Just a few hours one afternoon, with free ice cream, free fresh-cut flowers (my wifeโ€™s idea), and light activities. We had 750 people show up. This became the model for the Card Crawl.โ€

As Mike explains it, the Card Crawl is a more robust version of past cardholder appreciation days, held in September during Library Card Sign-Up Month. The library previously had a prize drawing and offered patrons free candy if they showed their library card.

But last year, they expanded with a full-day event on a Saturday in late September. ย 

โ€œWe decided to upgrade the cardholder appreciation day using the Outdoor Open Houseโ€™s basic concept of having activities and giveaways stationed all over the library, near all the cool, new stuff,โ€ says Mike. โ€œThe idea of showing your library card to get free stuff (and have fun) was a no-brainer, leading to the โ€˜Card Crawlโ€™ name.โ€

โ€œWe just wanted the public to get in here and wander around. But showing appreciation for current cardholders and making new ones was the most important part. We wanted to help people feel proud of having a library card, foster those vibes.โ€

Besides building a lasting relationship with cardholders, the Card Crawl had another big benefit.

โ€œWe used the Card Crawl as a way to get different departments working together and excited for a common goal, something tangible of which we all had ownership,โ€ explains Mike.โ€ This included our Friends of the Library group. We also used the event to strengthen some community partnerships, working with Eau Claire Transit on free bus rides, and a local chain restaurant for free ice cream.โ€

Mike and the rest of the L. E. Phillips Memorial Public Library marketing team used the landing page as a hub and promoted the event on all their available channels, including:

  • Press Release(s)
  • Facebook posts and Facebook event
  • Instagram posts and Reels
  • Email newsletter features
  • A dedicated email newsletter
  • In-house posters
  • Partner promotions
  • Day-of directional signage and flyers

โ€œFor about six weeks before the event, we just feed the new copy and graphics into those channels whenever possible,โ€ remembers Mike. โ€œWe also made three HUGE library cards. Before the event, we used them for some fun Instagram stuff. During the event, we set up two selfie stations so people could pose with them, post, and tag us. And now we have these fun, massive library cards to use for whatever.โ€

Mike says the biggest challenge the marketing team faced was โ€œreigning in all the ideas.โ€

โ€œOur libraryโ€™s slogan is โ€˜So Much More,โ€™โ€ says Mike. โ€œBut staff jokes that it should be โ€˜Too Much More.โ€™ Everyone has such great ideas, and they all want to dive into them. So, my job was to try and keep things doable and sustainable without too much stress. Our committeeโ€™s motto was โ€˜big impact for little effort.โ€™โ€

โ€œThat said, we still had A LOT of moving parts to promote, and you canโ€™t promote everything all at once in every little Facebook post, etc. or it becomes white noise. I had already dealt with this at the magazine Iโ€™d worked for, with some large, festival-style events weโ€™d staged.”

“You need to choose a small handful of things (or just one thing) at a time, and then decide the best channel and tone. But when you promote, youโ€™re always pointing back to the landing page for full details.”

The marketing teamโ€™s careful balance worked out. The Card Crawl brought in about 1,800 people, three times the libraryโ€™s normal Saturday attendance.

โ€œWe did a weekโ€™s worth of card signups, renewals, and replacements in a single day,โ€ recalls Mike. โ€œCheckouts and circulation were through the roof. Culvers scooped 630 scoops of free, frozen custard. Our Friends group had one of their most profitable book sales. We gathered a few hundred emails in a prize drawing. And Eau Claire Transit gave a ton of free rides all over the city to cardholders.โ€

โ€œWeโ€™re lucky enough to have a great Library Board and some big supporters on our City Council. So, we invited those people to come volunteer at the Card Crawl giving away prizes, and to just be a part of the day. It gave the โ€˜powers that beโ€™ a nice, close-up look at what we do. They got to see our customers all being happy. They got a little ownership of what we do for the community.โ€

โ€œThe day had a great energy with both kids and adults excited to roam the library and bust out their cards for prizes. My wife and I were โ€˜Card Crawlersโ€™ who snuck around the library with special prize wagons, waiting to be found. Since I donโ€™t work a desk, this gave me an amazing chance to interact directly with customers, which really doesnโ€™t happen that often.โ€

The prize giveaway the team ran during the Card Crawl not only collected emails for the library’s subscriber list, it provided a little post-event promotion when the library announced the winner in a video.

Mike will do a few things differently for the 2024 Card Crawl. For example, he wished the team had taken more photos of the event.

โ€œOur Youth Services desk pulled double duty as a prize station, in addition to setting up a few different activities,โ€ explains Mike. โ€œThat was just too much for the staff we had on hand. Next year, weโ€™re planning on adequate staffing and extra hours.โ€

“The other big thing was the eventโ€™s end time. Things really tapered off in the last two hours of the day. We only had passive activities happening during that time. So, we either need to end it earlier or plan more scheduled events.”

But until September, Mike and the team at L. E. Phillips Memorial Public Library have plenty to do.

โ€œSustaining our annual events, programs, and promotional cycles is enough to fill our days,โ€ exclaims Mike. โ€œThe challenge (as always) will be figuring out how to do new stuff while maintaining the old. Maybe letting some stuff go.โ€

โ€œRight now, our video work goes in phases. We do a lot more videos during promotional downtimes. So, weโ€™ll go from weekly videos for a few months to no videos at all. Finding a better balance is big on my list.โ€

โ€œWeโ€™re also hoping to make time to develop general library marketing campaigns. So more of the โ€˜Hey! Weโ€™re cool! And youโ€™re cool when you use the library! Tell your friends!โ€™ type stuff.โ€

โ€œIf weโ€™re not careful, all we do is fill the promo channels with upcoming events after upcoming events, which gets boring for people pretty fast. We need room for more fun, brand loyalty stuff.โ€

โ€œOh, and we also need to top last yearโ€™s April Foolโ€™s Day video.โ€

When he needs inspiration, Mike looks to the work of other libraries.

โ€œThe Southern Adirondack Library Systemโ€™s Facebook account is an absolute meme machine. Slam dunk upon slam dunk. I have no guilt in this: I steal their stuff all the time.โ€

โ€œI have to mention the Milwaukee Public Library, right? Weโ€™re all Sconnie-proud of them. If they could stop being so cool, thatโ€™d be a big help.โ€

โ€œThe Joliet Public Library is another favorite on TikTok.”

“I like following libraries with cool or interesting events and services and thinking about how Iโ€™d market their events if we were the ones doing them. This usually gives me ideas on how to handle our own stuff. It helps to jump-start your creativity, like a thought exercise.”


PS You might also find this helpful

The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How One Library Marketing Team Executed a Grand Opening of Epic Proportions for Their New Library Building

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

Donโ€™t Panic butโ€ฆ BIG Changes Mean Your Library Emails Might End Up As Spam. Here’s What You Can Do.

Photo courtesy of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

If you send emails for library marketing, you may have been scared by recent articles on X, LinkedIn, and other marketing blogs that predict doom and disaster for email marketing in the coming months.

Last October, Gmail released this blog post, outlining changes coming to the algorithm they use to determine whether incoming emails make it into the regular inbox or go to the spam or promotions folder. Yahoo soon followed suit.

The response in the marketing world to these announcements took on a somewhat frantic tone.

“Are our emails going to be delivered?”

“What changes do we need to make to ensure we don’t end up in the junk folder?”

The short answer is that with a few small changes, your library emails will be delivered. Yahoo and Gmail want you to:

  • Authenticate your email
  • Enable easy unsubscribe
  • Reduce unwanted emails

Let’s go through each of these steps, beginning with authentication. Authentication means that your library’s email sender reputation is sound.

What is email sender reputation?

Email sender reputation is a score that an Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns to any organization that sends an email. The higher the score, the more likely an ISP will deliver emails to the inboxes of recipients on their network.

Like any algorithm, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and other email providers use ranking signals to determine the folder in which your email landsโ€”or if itโ€™s delivered at all.

Here is what we know about those ranking signals, according to my research. Sources Iโ€™ve used for this post include marketing expert Michael Barber, Mailmeteor, and my co-workers in product management at NoveList.

Sender Authentication and IP Address Reputation

Sender authentication involves verifying the authenticity of the senderโ€™s domain. The email providers are looking at past sending behavior coming from your IP address.

The bad news is that your library has very little control over either the sender authentication or the IP address reputation of your emails.

For example, MailChimpโ€™s website says their customer’s emails, including those from many libraries, are sent from an IP address that is shared by multiple customers. If one or more of those customers send emails that negatively impact MailChimp’s overall IP address reputation, your libraryโ€™s emails could be affected. Your library can purchase a dedicated IP address from MailChimp for an additional monthly fee.

Domain Reputation

Email service providers also consider the reputation of the domain name in the email address. The domain is the part of your email address behind the @ symbol.

The email providers look at past sending behavior and the overall quality of emails from that domain. Specifically, they are looking at 3 factors.

Spam complaints

Email recipients click the spam (or junk) button for three reasons:

  • They donโ€™t realize the email is coming from your library.
  • They canโ€™t remember signing up for your libraryโ€™s emails.
  • They canโ€™t find the unsubscribe link.

Get ready for a shock, because I’m changing my position on a major part of my email marketing advice.

In the past, I was a proponent of opt-out emailing for libraries. But because of recent changes in the algorithms used by Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo to sort messages…

Your library should make your emails opt-in. This ensures your emails are going to community members who want your content, which protects your sender reputation.

You can also reduce the likelihood that someone will mark your library emails as spam by making sure your “friendly from” line includes your library name. Add a first name to the friendly from (it doesnโ€™t have to be a real person!) like “Angela from The Central Library.”

Make sure your reply address is a real email address as well. Let subscribers know how often you’ll be sending emails. And donโ€™t send so few emails (yes, you read that right!) that subscribers don’t remember signing up!

Recipient inaction

When your email recipient either deletes your libraryโ€™s email without opening it or leaves your libraryโ€™s email sitting unopened in their inbox, that’s recipient inaction.

You can reduce recipient inaction by making sure your library emails are targeted to the audience that most want that information. Create interest groups and an opt-in page like this one from Delafield Public Library.

Letting your community members choose the information they wish to receive by email from your library will reduce recipient inaction and spam complaints against your library.

You can also reduce recipient inaction by spending time making sure your email subject line is as good as it can be.

Engagement metrics

Open rates and click-through rates play a significant role in email reputation. Higher engagement indicates that recipients find your emails valuable and relevant, leading to better deliverability. Low engagement metrics tell the email algorithms that that your emails may be unwanted or irrelevant.

One-click unsubscribe

The biggest change is that Gmail and Yahoo are asking marketers to add one-click unsubscribe. Most email marketing providers are addressing this issue and have plans in place to include one-click unsubscribe this year.

A fun tip to improve your sender reputation

Ask your library email recipients to reply to your emails! Marketing expert Ann Handley says this is actually the one important email metric you need to track.

To encourage your library email recipients to reply, ask for their feedback on a service within your email. Or ask recipients to reply with the name of a book they think should be included in your next booklist or book display. This is a chance for you to be creative!

You donโ€™t have to respond to every email reply. But it is an opportunity to improve your sender reputation while gathering information that will help you to better serve your community.


PS You might also find this helpful

4 Simple Ways You Probably Havenโ€™t Thought of To Boost Signups to Your Libraryโ€™s Email Newsletter 

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

Millennials and Gen Z Could Be the Key to Your Libraryโ€™s Success! What the Results of a Massive New Survey Have To Say for Libraries

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketing Show, episode 223

The final result of a massive new survey on Gen Z and Millennial users of the library has been released.

And I think right now is the time to read it and analyze it as we move into 2024 because it may have big implications for your marketing.

We’ll break down the topline results in this episode.

Plus, a whole list of libraries will walk away with our Kudos award in this episode! Watch the video to see what they did that was so incredible.

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!โ€‚


Miss the last episode? No worries!

Will I see you soon?

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

The State of Library Marketing in 2024: Survey Reveals Major Shift in Goals and Struggles for Many Libraries

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

You asked for it and this week, Iโ€™m sharing the results of the latest Super Library Marketing Survey.

Surveys are an effective form of market research. They illuminate the services that are needed to help a target audience. And you, my dear readers, are my target audience.

For the past 8 years, Iโ€™ve asked questions that help me get a better sense of who you are, and how this blog and The Library Marketing Show can be as helpful to you as possible. The Monday posts and Wednesday videos are direct responses to the questions and concerns you share in the survey.

The struggles and goals of libraries shifted in some major ways. As we begin 2024, here is the state of library marketing.โ€‚

Basic methodology

The survey was conducted for two weeks in early September 2023. The survey response rate rose this year by a whopping 32 percent. The survey was a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

Type of library

Respondents to the survey consist mainly of public library workers.

  • 86.6 percent of respondents work in a public library.
  • 7.1 percent work in an academic library.
  • The remaining 6.3 percent of respondents work in school, special, or state libraries.

Marketing experience

Most of the respondents are experienced marketers.

  • 69.3 percent of respondents say theyโ€™ve been managing promotions for 3 years or longer.
  • 19.7 percent have been doing marketing for 1-2 years.
  • The remaining 11 percent said they have been in promotions for less than 12 months.

Time spent on library marketing

The average respondent estimated they spent about 60 percent of their daily work time on marketing and promotions. This means that many of you are also managing other job duties, such as programming and collection development.

Marketing as a priority

Every year, I ask respondents to tell me if their library has a dedicated marketing department. A marketing department can consist of one or more people, whose sole job role is marketing. The presence of a marketing department is a clear indication of whether marketing is a priority for senior leaders.

This year, the results were:

  • 50.4 percent said no.
  • 49.6 percent said yes.

The number of libraries with a dedicated marketing department fell two percentage points this year. Thatโ€™s not enough to call it a trend but I will keep an eye on this.

The most pressing question or concern

Last year, the top concerns of my readers were how to reach new users, storytelling for marketing, email marketing best practices, and budgeting.

This year, the answers can be broken down by five categories.

How to reach new users

Respondents said they struggled to promote to community members through traditional means, like newspapers, as well as on social media. Several named specific target audiences they hope to reach, including young adults, parents and caregivers of young children, and non-English speaking communities.

One respondent said, โ€œHow do we make sure we are effectively reaching patrons and members of the community without overdoing it or over-communicating? I am a one-person marketing team for my library.โ€

Time

Respondents shared frustration over a lack of time to adequately plan, create, and analyze their marketing. They struggle with the coordination of tasks, especially when working with other library staff. Balancing priorities and goals is difficult.

Said one respondent, โ€œWe’re a progressive system that’s constantly adding new things (which is great) but it seems like there’s never enough time or space to share it all and get real awareness out there.โ€

Buy-in and strategy

Many of the respondents said they are struggling to get supervisors and co-workers to understand their jobs: the difficult parts of marketing, the time this work takes, and the value of doing it right.

โ€œThere are not enough marketers for everything Admin wants us to do,โ€ said one respondent. โ€œOthers don’t understand how many priorities we’re trying to balance or how time-consuming our work is. I feel like some coworkers think we’re doing our jobs badly, but they don’t understand our jobs.โ€

Another respondent asked, โ€œHow can I best unify staff? My biggest challenge is encouraging everyone to follow our style guide or at least inform themselves about marketing best practices.โ€

Social media

Respondents shared frustration with changing social media algorithms and the burnout that can happen. โ€œTheyโ€™re showing more Reels, then they are showing still pictures, then they arenโ€™t showing unless there are commentsโ€ฆyou know what I mean?โ€ asked one respondent.

Other concerns

Content creation, audience segmentation, reaching volunteers, burnout, budgeting, metrics, competing with nearby libraries for attention, and AI all round out the list of concerns this year for library marketers.

These topics will all be addressed this year.

Social media use

Here is the percentage of libraries using specific social media platforms, according to the survey respondents. Of note was the jump in Facebook and Instagram use this year, as many libraries moved away from Twitter/X.

  • Facebook: 97 percent
  • Instagram: 92 percent
  • YouTube: 54 percent
  • Twitter/X: 38 percent
  • LinkedIn: 21 percent
  • TikTok: 16 percent
  • Pinterest: 9 percent
  • Threads: 6 percent

In the open-ended questions, many of you said you rely on this blog for social media news and analysis. And I will continue to provide that this year.

However, I have made the decision not to promote the blog on Twitter/X anymore and will not cover any best practices for that platform this year, unless something drastic changes.

Email marketing

I asked my respondents how often their library sends promotional emails.

The big takeaway: more of you are sending emails. Only 9 percent of respondents said their library doesnโ€™t send any email at all. Thatโ€™s down ten percentage points from 2022!

Here is how the rest of the sending breaks down:

  • Once a month: 38 percent
  • Once a week: 36 percent
  • Several times a week: 12 percent

The most important library goals

Last year, I asked respondents if they set goals. This year, I got more specific. I asked respondents to check all that applied. Here is how the results break down.

  • Driving visitors to your physical location, website, or catalog: 76 percent.
  • Increasing program attendance: 67 percent.
  • Reaching non-patrons: 63 percent.
  • Getting current cardholders to use the library more often: 60 percent.
  • Driving the use of services like databases, Makerspace, Library of Things, etc.: 57 percent.
  • Advocating for the freedom to read: 18 percent.

Facing book challenges

This year, I added a question asking respondents if theyโ€™d faced a book challenge in the past 12 months.

  • 55 percent said no.
  • 30 percent said yes.
  • 15 percent were not certain.

And though most readers said they hadnโ€™t been targeted; this issue does loom large over the work you are doing for promotions.

โ€œOur library is choosing to keep our head down on the book-banning issue, hoping no one will notice or bring it up,โ€ reports one respondent.

Says another, โ€œWeโ€™ve had to be careful about how we promote everything. For example, we used to hand out these fun rainbow-colored pens to kids but stopped because we were called groomers during the book challenges. We have also been having a rash of bomb threats to the libraries in our area which has also affected the feeling of security with our staff. I feel like my job is less about promoting programs and services and more about crisis management these days and how to communicate feelings of safety etc. This is not something I was really trained to do so it can feel overwhelming.โ€

More changes for Super Library Marketing this year

Readers asked for posts about how to create interactive and impactful community presentations to outside groups and tips for print promotions. Iโ€™ll cover these in the next year.

Some want the videos to be released as podcasts on Spotify. I will consider that if time and money allow.

Many of you requested more advanced subject matter in the blog posts and videos. I will try to do more of that this year.

Iโ€™m also hoping to more profile school libraries and special libraries this year. Do you work at a school or special library and have a library marketing success story to share? Contact me here.

I always try to share tips and strategies for library marketers who wear multiple hats, and that will continue in 2024.

Finally, someone asked for subtitles for the videos. This year, I started providing captions for all my videos on YouTube and LinkedIn. Click the โ€œCCโ€ icon on the screen to see the captions.

The CC button circled in white is where you click for captions on YouTube.

PS Want more help?

How to Create an Effective Library Survey to Pinpoint the Needs of Your Community

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Library Marketing Show Blooper Edition: Behind the Scenes Look at the Messy Process of Recording

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketing Show, episode 221

Recording The Library Marketing Show does not always go as smoothly as planned. In fact, sometimes it’s downright messy.

So, today I’m showing you some of the biggest bloopers from recording sessions in 2023. Thank you for sticking with me, even when I’m not entirely polished. ๐Ÿคช Small warning: There are a few curse words in here. Sorry!

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!โ€‚


Miss the last episode? No worries!

Will I see you soon?

Subscribe to this blog and youโ€™ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the โ€œFollowโ€ button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

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