In this episode, I answer a question from Jenny of Burlington Public Library: “Can you share some ideas for Library Card Sign-up Month in September? I’m especially looking for video ideas and outreach for youth, but I’ll take any ideas!”
Kudos in this episode go to the Saint Louis County Library for offering enrollment in Headspace with a library card.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments.
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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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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.
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I live with two teenagers. They love their mobile devices. They are avid users of social media. They also check their email often.
You might think that’s a fluke. For a long time, I did! I thought that my nagging insistence that was necessary to check their email accounts was paying off. I was a parenting genius! But over the course of the past year, I’ve discovered that most teens are reading their emails… even the teens who aren’t living in my house. So, I’m not a parenting genius. But I can see a huge opportunity for library marketing.
Research backs up my observation. The Pew Institute 2018 study of teens, social media, and technology found that 95 percent of teenagers have access to a smart phone. About 45 percent report they’re using that phone nearly all the time. Email marketing agency Adestra surveyed teens and found that 78 percent use email, while nearly 53 percent admit they buy things from marketing emails! Adestra’s survey also found that more than 67 percent of teens prefer communications from brands to come in email form, especially from a brand they love.
I’m not surprised by this statistic, because it bears out in my work. Every month for the past year, I’ve sent a librarian-recommended book title to teens in an email. Adults get one too. In 2018, the average click-thru rate for the adult email was five percent. But our teen cardholder email had a consistent click-thru rate average of 35 percent. Even more exciting, the teen title increased in circulation between 300 and 400 percent during most months in 2018. In comparison, the adult title increased in circulation by 150 to 200 percent.
You can make emails work for your teen audience too. I understand it’s intimidating, particularly if you don’t live with teenagers. They can seem like otherworldly creatures. But they are just people, too. Here’s what I’ve learned about emails and teenage cardholders.
Send consistently good content to teens. Your teen cardholders are some of the most dedicated library users in your service population. They love you, and they want to hear from you. Use that to your advantage!
Teen cardholders typically are readers, so send them a monthly email to give them a heads-up about the newest items in your collection. Ask one of your teen librarians to pick out some titles, if you’re not comfortable doing it (I’m certainly not!).
You can also email teens to promote events but be picky. My experience is that teens respond to emails about events like coding classes, free summer camps, and anything involving food. They ignore emails about recurring programs, movie nights, crafting events, or homework or test prep sessions.
Don’t send too many emails. Resist the temptation to send email messages several times a week to your teen audience. I try to only send two or three emails a month to my teen cardholders, no more. So, when they see an email from my library, they know it’s important.
Watch formatting and check every email on a mobile device. Don’t include a bunch of links in your teen emails–to them, it looks like spam. Adestra’s survey of teens and email found that teenagers are more likely to unsubscribe when they see badly formatted text, broken links, or emails that just don’t look clean on their mobile devices. Include no more than three links in each email. Keep the text short. And check every message on your mobile device, because that’s where most teenagers will read their email.
Use emojis, texting language, and puns sparingly–or not at all. This advice feels counter-intuitive. Don’t we want to write in teen’s language? My answer is… no. Teens want to be treated like adults. Frankly, they find it “cringey” when an adult tries to sound like a teenager by using slang or texting language. Resist the urge.
You can appeal to teens by helping to relieve their pain points. For instance, I recently sent an email promoting a new book in our collection that was getting a lot of buzz on the YA reading lists. As I was constructing the email, I overheard one of my daughter’s friends complaining about assigned reading in her English class. So, in my email, I said, “When you’re done reading your assigned book, wouldn’t it be great to finally read something that you actually like?” It was an effective message. It was clear. And it spoke to my teen cardholders by appealing to their emotional frustrations over assigned reading, without using emojis or hashtags or trying to be cool.
Send email later in the evening. In my three years of email marketing experience, I have noticed that messages sent to teens after 9 p.m. get the best engagement. I started sending my emails late in the evening after a conversation with one of my daughter’s friends. He was sharing his daily schedule with me. He told me about his after-school activities and job and mentioned that he doesn’t get to his homework until 9 p.m. or later. So, I started sending email late in the evening. And it worked!
Adestra’s study says teens will randomly check their email throughout the day and will save emails that seem interesting to them. You may want to test sending emails to teens at different times of the day. But in all my testing, late night emails work best… and I suspect they will for you too!
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 