Kudos in this episode go to Richmond Public Library for their Binge Bundles Bags. They were nominated by Chris Boivin of the Jacksonville Public Library.
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.
One of the hardest and most rewarding things I ever did while working for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County was to start a blog. It took me five years to get it off the ground. I wrote about that experience in this blog post.
I worked hard to get a library blog because I knew it would be a transformative and powerful communication asset.
A blog allows your library to tell your own story, create brand awareness, and promote your library to your own audience for free, without having to deal with the rules of someone else’s platform.
If your library has a blog, you will want to make sure you are doing everything in your power to grow your audience. In this post, I want to share the best practices I’ve learned from years of blogging.
A calendar will let you see all the promotions your library is doing in one glance. It will help you schedule posts that amplify your other marketing messages.
You can use your calendar to formulate due dates and publication dates for blog posts. You can also plan the promotion of your library blog posts on other channels, like your email newsletters and social media platforms.
The three main genres of library blog posts
The best blogs are a mix of these three types of blog posts.
Promotional posts: Most library blog posts are promotional. They focus on telling readers about an event, service, or collection item available at the library.
Promotional posts tend to be shorter. They also need to be frequently updated as services and collection items change.
Example: Jacksonville Public Library uses their blog to help their community find information on their website without having to create special landing pages for events and services.
Opinion posts: These posts demonstrate what the library stands for. They center on questions people have about libraries but are afraid to ask. Opinion posts also celebrate the strengths of libraries and the opportunities for improvement.
Opinion posts are compelling and allow your library to cement your voice and your position in a way that your readers and cardholders will remember. It’s great when a library takes a stand. People will respect you for it.
Example: The Stark Library CEO and Executive Director took a clear stand against racism in this recent blog post.
Authoritative posts: These posts demonstrate your library’s expertise in a subject. For instance, a post that highlights your library’s award-winning family history department is an authoritative post.
If you’ve been asked to write a post on your library’s blog, your journey begins with what my favorite marketer Ann Handley calls The Ugly First Draft (UFD).
Your first job is to get all your ideas down in whatever format they escape from your brain. Write your draft without worrying about spelling, grammar, punctuation, or phrasing.
Open a Word document and try to keep typing until you can’t think of anything else to say on a subject. If you are a skilled typist, look away from the screen so you’re not tempted to focus on spelling or grammatical errors.
Revise to create the perfect library blog post
Write short paragraphs, not short posts. It’s a myth that short blog posts will attract more readers. If your blog post is long but compelling, you’ll have no problem holding the attention of your readers. A longer post that is well written and contains keywords will do better in Google search than a shorter post.
However, you should break up your blog post into shorter paragraphs. Short paragraphs are easier to read and understand. They open white space on your blog, which makes your post more inviting.
Writing experts recommend paragraphs of no more than 150 words. I started writing shorter paragraphs about two years ago and saw a big boost in my metrics.
Be deliberate with your keywords. In the blog text, you need to include keywords for search.
You’ll notice I use the phrase “library marketing” and “library promotion” frequently in this blog. That’s because people searching for help with library marketing use those two phrases most often. Try Keywordtool.io. It does an amazing job of helping you to narrow your target phrase.
Put your keyword phrase in title, header, and body of blog post at least two times but more often if it makes sense.
Include images. Images can help you craft your message and tell your story. They also help to break up the text of your blog posts.
Use images to explain concepts or enforce the emotion you are trying to create.
Link to other content from your library. Your blog post can funnel your readers into engaging with your library. If you are talking about a specific service or a part of your library’s collection, include links embedded in your text to help readers find more information.
Make sure your links open in a new tab. There’s nothing more annoying that clicking on an embedded blog post link in the middle of a post and then having to tab backwards to read the rest of a blog post.
Create engagement opportunities for your reader. Use your blog posts to start a conversation with your readers. Ask a question and invite readers to post their answers in the comment.
Your library can also embed a social media post in your blog so readers can post a key point to their social media. This gives your post the potential to reach new readers.
Spend a lot of time on your headline. A good headline should give your readers a hint at the copy that lies ahead without giving away the whole story. It should trigger an emotional response that includes an irresistible urge to read more.
Incorporate several rounds of edits for spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Run your blog posts through an online editor to catch errors. Ask your co-workers to edit your blog as well.
Print your blog post out and read through it, word for word, out loud. Doing this will force your brain to pay attention to the extra attention to what you’ve written. Your brain will often fill in or gloss over errors when you silently read. But if you read your post out loud, those errors become obvious and can be fixed before publication.
Four more tips for library blog success
Use your blog as a networking tool. Ask community leaders to write guest posts. Reach out to school administrators, policy makers, influencers, and other nonprofit organizations. Or use your blog to interview someone.
Once you publish, send a link to the contributors or interviewees. Ask them to share your post with their audience. This will amplify your message and expose your blog to a new audience of readers.
Example: The National Library of Australia interviewed fashion designer Nicky Zimmermann in this blog post that led to lots of media exposure for the library.
Post consistently. The best way to maintain web traffic to your blog is to make sure people are always waiting for an article to go live.
Decide how many posts you can create a week and which days you’ll post on. Then stick to your schedule.
Promote your blog posts on other platforms. Most of your readers will not just stumble upon your post by accident. You need to make sure they know that your library has published a post.
Promote your posts on your social media platforms, in your emails, and in patron interactions.
Your blog can also be used instead of a press release to pitch a story to a member of the media.
Evaluate your post metrics. Check in once a month and enter your metrics on a spreadsheet so you can track results over time.
Compare views, watch time, and bounce rate for your posts. You can also compare post length.
Your metrics will help you to continue to improve and update your blog based on your audience’s needs and wants.
Does your library have a blog? I’d love to see it!Share a link in the comments!
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It’s time for our social media updates for Library Marketing! In this episode, find out about updates to Instagram Stories, YouTube shorts, and Facebook.
Kudos in this episode go to Illinois Prairie District Library for their purchase of a Short Story Cube.
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.
In just a few weeks, the annual summer reading program will kick off at libraries in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. And for the second year in a row, libraries are struggling to create a program that engages the community without risking their safety.
Last year’s pandemic Summer Reading program was a challenge (boy, that’s the understatement of the decade). Many libraries were physically closed. We were still learning about how the virus spread and trying to figure out how to mitigate the risk with physical materials. Staff members were doing virtual programming for the first time. We counted any participation as a success.
I think 2021 is going to be the first rebuilding year for summer reading. Attendance and participation numbers are not going to return to pre-pandemic levels this year. Many libraries are still dealing with limited service. Zoom fatigue is real. Vaccines are not widely available. It’s going to take us a couple years to get back to “normal.”
It’s okay. Do the best you can. Celebrate any growth you see this year. And use these ten tips to make your summer reading program as successful as possible.
Drop the library card requirement.
Let anyone in your community participate in summer reading, not just library cardholders.
Dropping the requirement to get a library card sounds counterintuitive. But it opens your program up to a whole population of people who don’t regularly use the library, particularly those in under-served communities. It makes your program more inclusive. It’s a goodwill gesture.
Of course, at registration and check-in, your front-line library staff should still suggest participants get a card. Doing so will grow your cardholder numbers. But don’t make it a requirement to register or get prizes.
Make participation super easy.
Don’t ask your participants to jump through complicated steps to earn a prize. Summer reading should be three-step maximum– read, log your reading, claim a prize.
If you want to push participation in programs, I suggest making that a bonus: let people earn extra prizes or points toward prizes by attending virtual programs or in-person events, if that can be done safely in your area. You can also reward people for watching a streaming video or listening to free streaming music.
Let adults participate.
It still surprises me when I see a library that limits their summer reading program to only teens and kids. Children who see the adults in their lives reading are more likely to read themselves. So why not entice parents to participate?
This year is an opportunity to get more adults engaged with your library. Plus, the adults in your community deserve to have some fun! If you can provide that for them, they will be grateful and supportive of your library.
Add experiences to your participation elements.
Create themes for each week of your summer program, like DIY, arts, nature, and sports. Make suggestions for activities people can complete to earn participation credit, like cooking a recipe from a cookbook they got at the library, going on a nature walk, visiting the zoo or a park, painting a picture or making sidewalk art, building something with LEGOs, writing a story… the possibilities are endless.
If a participant doesn’t read 20 minutes a day but still completes an experience activity, they should get credit. This is another way to make your program more inclusive and enticing to people.
Offer both print and digital tracking options.
Many libraries have an app or an online software platform that participants use to track their reading. But your under-served community members don’t have access to a computer or Wi-Fi at home. They can’t log in to track their reading and they can’t download or use an app.
In addition, many of your connected participants may find the process of downloading the app, putting in their information, and then using it to log their reading to be cumbersome. Add a paper tracking option to ensure everyone can participate.
Print copies of your tracking log and add them to your curbside pickup bags or slip them into holds. Let participants bring it back to your drive-thru or curbside window for credit.
Ask partner organizations to help you promote summer reading.
Now is the time to “call in favors” with your partner organizations. Ask them to show support and help rebuild your summer reading program.
If you don’t have partners, you can use summer reading to build partnerships! Ask local realtors and rental agencies if they can hand out a summer reading promotional piece to prospective homeowners or new renters. Give information and promotional pieces to day care providers, teachers, summer camps, recreational centers, your local zoo, your local park board, and other civic organizations. You can even ask restaurants to include a summer reading promotional piece in their takeout bags!
Use your email list to its full potential.
If your summer goal is to increase the number of readers and the amount of materials they read, then keep suggesting things for them to read! This is a great time to promote parts of your collection that don’t get a lot of use, like online graphic novels, as well as your backlist titles.
Build a template with whatever email service you use and fill in the blanks. Send two to three suggestions to your cardholders every two weeks during your summer program. It’s a great way to re-engage cardholders. You can also use email to remind your cardholders to participate in summer reading and boost your circulation numbers for the year.
Spend money on targeted social media ads.
This is the most efficient and cost-effective way to reach people and summer is the perfect time to buy social media ads. You barely need a budget to get started. $25 is all you need to get started.
Summer reading is also a great opportunity to buy ads on several platforms and compare results. The platforms will guide you through the process of picking your target audience. If you see success on one platform, you can use that data to create other small budget campaigns for your library during the year.
Incentivize user-generated content.
Hold contests to encourage people to post photos and videos of themselves using your library and participating in summer reading. Offer a chance to win a prize drawing for submitting reviews and testimonials about your library. You can use that content to further promote summer reading.
You may discover someone who is a super-fan of your library. That person could be an “influencer” for a future library promotional campaign!
Put good customer service on display.
Even with the pandemic, you’ll likely see a boost in visits to your library for curbside or holds pickup during the summer. You’ll definitely get more visitors to your website. Make sure everything is in tip-top shape, attractive, and easy-to-use.
Stress the importance of good customer service to staff, including those who work on responding to comments and questions via email, chat, and social media. Give them talking points to help them promote a few year-round services and challenge them to pick one to mention during every customer interaction.
Put your expertise on display front and center on the website. Is your staff great at readers’ advisory? Do you have an amazing e-newsletter? Are your virtual programs fun and innovative? Use summer reading to promote the best of your year-round services and collection items.
Is your library doing anything innovative this year for summer reading? What concerns do you have about the program this year? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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In this episode, I’ll answer a question from Jennifer from Lexington County Public Libraries. She writes, “Keeping in mind fair use guidelines, would it be better to post our virtual pre-recorded story times to our Facebook story rather than to our timeline. My understanding is that stories only appear for 24 hours and can be tailored somehow to only reach certain audiences. Do you have any suggestions?”
Kudos in this episode go to Pottsboro Area Library for hosting telehealth appointments at their library.
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.
In this episode, I’ll share some ideas for promoting the work of your library during National Library Week (April 4-10). These are suggestions you can use even though we’re in the middle of a pandemic.
Kudos in this episode go to the Jackson County Library System for their new animated series, “Lost in a Book.”
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.
Once you have taken a look inside the minds and lives of Gen Z, you can focus energy on teens as a target promotional audience. Here are seven tips to create effective promotions that reach your teen audience.
Create personas that reflect your diverse teen audience.
Teens have widely different tastes in just about everything-music, movies, clothes… the list goes on and on. That makes it hard for a library to market to them. But, if you can pinpoint exactly what kind of teen will be interested in the program or service you want to promote, you can do a better job of marketing.
Before you write any copy or create any graphics, build a persona to help you imagine the exact teen you wish to reach. How old is the teen you’re targeting? What kind of student are they? What do they like to do in their free time? Are they a regular library user or do they barely ever interact with the library?
These questions will help you decide what to write, what graphics to use, and where to put your promotions. For example, a poster is not effective for reaching an older teen who is an ambitious and college-focused student, who has very little free time, and who mainly interacts with the library online. For that teen, you’ll want to create digital promotions with photos or graphics that accurately reflect that specific population.
Build relationships with people who can help you.
Adults who regularly interact with teens, including teachers and teen librarians, will be your library’s secret promotional weapon. These adults can give you insight on your specific teen audience, including their interests, transportation situation, and struggles in school. Use these insights to build those targeted personas.
Of course, you’ll want to keep your teen librarians and the teachers in your local school district informed about new programs and services. You can also ask them to recruit teen influencers to help spread the word. Kids put more trust into recommendations from other teens as well as from adults they trust.
Ask teens what they want.
In my former library job, I was asked to promote our homework help service. I created a target persona and wrote some marketing messages.
Then, I went to a group of teens I know and I asked them for feedback. That led to a fascinating and enlightening conversation. Not only did they share their thoughts on my proposed marketing, they also provided feedback on the homework help service itself.
They thought it would be even more helpful to have homework help late at night. They also suggested that libraries schedule teen programs later to accommodate their schedule. And the teens all said that they prefer to do things in groups with other teens, so they wanted us to do more group-oriented programming.
That conversation left a lasting impression on me. I came to understand that teens are not often asked for their opinions by adults. Doing so makes them feel engaged and connected to the library. The conversation itself was a form of marketing! I also gained some insight that helped my library improve it’s services to teens.
If you don’t have access to a group of teens yourself, ask your teen librarians and teacher friends to run ideas by their patrons and students to get preliminary feedback on your services and your marketing.
Let teens market to other teens.
Teen Read Week happens every year here in the U.S. For the first few years in my former job at a library, I was very general with my marketing message. “Hey teens, it’s Teen Read Week. You should… read.” You won’t be surprised when I tell you that never worked very well.
One year, I decided to create a specific reading recommendation list for teens created by other teens. I recruited the help of our teen librarians. They asked teens to write down their favorite book along with a one-sentence explanation of why they would recommend that book to other kids their age.
We compiled the responses into a book list which was our main promotional focus during Teen Read Week. We did social media posts. Then, we created an email that we sent to our teen cardholders with a direct link to the list.
The results were fantastic. We saw a 29 percent increase in circulation for the books on that list during Teen Read Week. And we had more teens than normal who shared the social media posts about the booklist because they had helped to create it.
This list worked because teens love to be asked for their opinions about books. And they’re more likely to read something suggested to them by another teenager.
You can recreate this success for all kinds of promotions. Ask your teen librarians to recruit teens who love the library and who are willing to talk about it with other teens. Let them create TikTok videos, Instagram Stories, and Instagram Reels talking about your library. Encourage them to tag your library when they’re at the library, posting selfies on social media. Teen influencers are the most effective marketing tactic for other teens.
Market to teens’ parents and adult caregivers.
In my former job, my library received a grant for a financial literacy program. During the first year of this two-year program, we tried targeting our message directly at teens. That tactic was only marginally successful. Attendance was never at the level we wanted.
So, when it came time to plan for year two of the program, we changed course. We started targeting our message to the teens’ parents and teachers. We used the same promotional tactics-fliers, posters, emails, social media posts, and a paid ads. But we changed the message to appeal to adults who are worried about the financial literacy of their teens. We encouraged teachers to offer extra credit to students who attended.
And it worked–attendance rose significantly during that second year. You can replicate that success by taking the same approach at your library.
Emphasize the social value of your library.
Research shows teens appreciate companies and products that support good causes. They want to be involved in organizations that help to transform the world. Your library can tap into teen activism by emphasizing the social value of your library.
Create content marketing for teens to educate them about the work you do. If you have programs and services for underserved populations, let your teens know. If your library is actively involved in social justice causes, let your teens know that too. Then, make sure there are ways for the teens in your community to volunteer their time to help you!
Don’t forget the collection!
Kids still love to read. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently. They want reading suggestions. They want to know when new books are added to your collection.
Ask teens if they want to sign up for an e-newsletter so you can send them reading suggestions directly to their inbox. (Yes, teens read email!) Market your readers’ advisory service to teens. And ask teens to help you compile reading lists to send to other Gen Z patrons.
Did I miss anything? Has your library had success marketing to teens? Share your ideas in the comment section.
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In this episode, I’ll talk about why it’s sometimes okay to send out marketing emails and e-newsletters that are *NOT* perfect.
Kudos in this episode go to the Clearwater Public Library System.
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There is one question I get every time I work with a library or speak at a conference. Library staff always want to know, “How do we reach teenagers?”
Teenagers are not alien beings. They’re just another target demographic with specific needs, wants, and pain points. And libraries can reach them with intentional promotional tactics. But first, we need to understand who they are, what they like, and what challenges they face.
Generation Z: what do we know about teens right now?
Teens are part of the generational label known as Gen Z. This generation encompasses anyone born between 1997 and 2015.
There are nearly 68 million Americans in Gen Z, according to the Pew Research Center. Teens make up one-fifth of the population in the UK and about 13 percent of the population in Australia. That’s a lot of people! It’s why this work is so important.
Here is some key demographic information to keep in mind as you develop library programming and marketing for this group of users.
They are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation.
Gen Z are digital natives. They can’t remember a world without smartphones and computers.
When it comes to social and political issues, Gen Z mirrors the values and beliefs of Millennials.
If you aren’t lucky enough to have a teen in your household, you may be wondering what they like and dislike. Google did a trend study to find out what teens think is cool. Gen Z defines “cool” as something that is unique, interesting, or brings them happiness. Here are the findings that directly relate to libraries.
Male teens are more likely to be persuaded that something is cool by their friends, where female teens will determine whether something is cool based on how it makes them feel.
The top three social media platforms by usage for male teens are Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. For female teens, the top three social media platforms are Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.
However, the study also finds Facebook is considered “uncool” by teens. Teens connect with friends on Snapchat but are not consuming content on that platform from brands, including libraries. Instagram appears to be the place where teens both consume and interact with library content.
Gen Z loves on-demand entertainment options, like streaming music and video.
And here’s the best finding: reading is among the coolest activities for teenagers! It’s almost as popular with teens as video games.
What we learned from marketing to Millennial teens may apply to Gen Z
Whatever you did to market to Millennial teens a decade ago, it worked. The Pew Research Center’s study of millennials shows that they are the most active library users of any generation.
The study draws a connection between that increase in engagement and the changes libraries made to their service model in the last decade. Increased computer access, as well as extra services like meeting spaces, makerspaces, and collaborative workspaces changed the public’s perception of libraries and specifically appealed to young adults.
The impact of the pandemic on Gen Z
The COVID-19 crisis may have impacted teens more than any other generation. We won’t know the full extent of that impact for years. But there is some research done in 2020 about the pandemic and teens to use as a starting point.
A Bank of America report shows the pandemic will impact Gen Z’s financial and professional future in the same way that the Great Recession did for millennials. They’re less likely to be employed, because of the financial crisis brought on by the pandemic. One in four Americans in Gen Z lost their job between February and May of 2020.
Because of the pandemic, some teens are more cost-conscious. The State of Gen Z report shows 54 percent of teens are saving more money now than they did before the crisis. 39 percent have opened an online bank account.
Before the pandemic, Gen Z was on track to be the most well-educated generation. But the move to remote learning has cost many teens a great deal educationally. Half of high schoolers will lack minimum levels of proficiency to enter college by the time they graduate (up from 40 percent before the pandemic). Many teens have put off applying for college altogether.
Social isolation during the pandemic created a mental health crisis for Gen Z. A survey by StuDocu showed about 62 percent of teens reported worsening mental health during the pandemic.
Library programming and service ideas for Gen Z
How can libraries help teens and turn them into lifelong library users? There are some specific programs and services that libraries could create to address the challenges facing Gen Z right now.
Your collection is an escape for teens. Your library’s books, streaming music, and movies can help kids deal with the emotional stress of the pandemic and of being a teenager in general! The collection is the gateway to introduce teen library users to other services. It should be regularly marketed to your teen community members.
We can minimize the educational losses for teens by offering personalized online tutoring services in a safe, judgement-free environment. Libraries spend a lot of time and energy on early literacy programs. I would argue that right now, we need to devote just as many resources to help Gen Z get back on track educationally as we do teaching little ones basic literacy skills.
We should create financial literacy programs for teens that include the basics like budgeting, how to open and manage a bank account, and realistic tips to help them save for post-secondary education.
Libraries can specifically target teens with job creation programs. Your staff can help Gen Z community members create their first resume, search for jobs online, and successfully navigate interviews.
Libraries should offer unstructured programs that let teens socialize in a safe space, even if it’s online.
The programs and services you provide during this critical time will build the foundation for a life-long library relationship between libraries and teens.
Next week: Specific tips for marketing your library’s collection, services, and programming to teens.
Do you have thoughts on this research? Is your library succeeding in marketing to teens? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on the “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and LinkedIn.
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 