Facebook always tries to make life difficult for library marketers, and their security options are no exception. A viewer wrote in to ask if staff can use their work email address to create a profile, separate from their personal Facebook page, to manage the library’s Facebook page.
The answer, and tips on how to keep your library’s Facebook account safe without burdening your staff, are in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus, we’ll give kudos to a library that entices readers and builds book FOMO (fear of missing out!) with a straightforward and strategic column in their local newspaper.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. Thanks for watching!
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If your library is having trouble getting new cardholders and you want to attract more people but don’t have any money, what do you do? In this episode of the Library Marketing Show, I’ve got four tips for you!
Plus, we’ll do kudos but with a twist. This shout-out goes to a podcast and all the librarians who have appeared on it.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you 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, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
When Siobhan Egan was a teenager, she kept a big secret in the trunk of her car.
“After I got my driver’s license, I used to drive around to all the local libraries and hit up their Friends book sales,” explains Siobhan. “I would buy tons of books and store them in the trunk of my car because I didn’t want my parents to know I was spending all my money on books.”
“I got away with it for many months until my dad took my car for an oil change and found my trunk stuffed with books. Unsurprisingly, my parents just laughed and told me they weren’t surprised.”
Nowadays, Siobhan is the Community Engagement Librarian at Barrington Public Library. She does all the marketing for this library, which serves a population of about 17,000 people. She also runs programs. She’s busy but not too busy to play pranks on her patrons.
“I’ve always been a big fan of April Fools’ but only when the pranks are fun and lighthearted,” says Siobhan. “I wanted to do some sort of library April Fools’ prank that would make people laugh and also help bring attention to the library. My goal with our April Fools’ pranks has always been to show the library as a fun and innovative place and to get attention on social media.”
And so, in 2022, an idea formed. The library had just recently created a Library of Things as well as completed a reorganization of our collection and the creation of a space called the “Library Lounge” with tables and cozy reading chairs as well as a newspaper and magazine collection. Siobhan realized she could be creative, get attention on April Fools’ Day, and promote the space by… filling it with cats!
“The boisterous laugh I received when I presented the idea at our Department Heads meeting was all the approval I needed,” exclaims Siobhan. “I am very lucky to work at a library and under a Director who trusts us enough to go along with whatever crazy idea we have. And when I told her that I thought Library of Cats would be a great way to boost engagement, she loved it.”
That’s when the planning began.
“Because I am primarily a programming librarian, I am constantly thinking and working at least three months out,” explains Siobhan. “I usually start thinking about next year’s April Fools’ Prank on April 2. I write down a bunch of ideas, sit on them, come back, and see if I think they are still funny, sit on them some more, and then start testing them out on my family and colleagues. I usually start with my husband because I know if I can make him laugh, I can make anyone laugh.”
“Then I slowly start floating the idea around to my colleagues and gauge their reaction. If they don’t instantly burst out laughing and instead ask clarifying questions, I know it’s not the right idea, and back to the drawing board I go. I’m happy to say that most years, I’ve gotten it on the first try.”
“On social media, you have about three seconds to make an impact on someone and stop people from scrolling onto the next thing. If you can get them in those three seconds, the likelihood of them engaging with your post (liking, commenting, sharing) skyrockets. So, I work to create graphics or photos that are eye-catching and make people pause or do a double take. A cat sitting under a sign that says ‘Library of Cats’ is incredibly eye-catching if you ask me.”
“At the same time, I am writing down phrases and ideas that come to me; ‘Do NOT leave cats in the book drop!’, ‘Be sure to check the cat-alog to see what breeds and ages are available for check-out,’ and ‘Please note: the library is not responsible for damage to household items or bodily injury caused by cats during the duration of your check-out.’”
“The copy is what really sells the prank. You’ve caught their eye with the pictures, now you need to take it home with copy that is outlandish enough that they keep reading.”
-Siobhan Egan
Siobhan has also done an April Fools’ Day prank featuring Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
“That was actually my favorite prank so far,” confesses Siobhan. “Right after the success of Library of Cats, I had the idea to pretend we had renamed our library, and thus, the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Memorial Library was born.”
“I created a new logo for our library, photoshopped him into a bunch of photos around the library, including standing outside the library with our Director, and got to work on the copy for the prank. I even went as far as to create a new sign to put above our front door and down by the street as people drove by.”
“I purchased a cardboard cutout of The Rock (which to this day, lives in my office) as well as bought rocks and wrote Dwayne on all of them to give out. We had many confused people come into the library wondering if The Rock made a huge donation or if we had lost our marbles.”
As you can imagine, community members and patrons of the library LOVE the April Fools’ pranks. The social media posts garner a lot of comments.
“I do love reading all the comments and seeing people share it,” says Siobhan. “I think the best part about the Library of Cats prank was that my dad, who lives in Tennessee, had one of his friends share it with him on Facebook, not knowing that his daughter had been the mastermind. Seeing that kind of reach, across many states, was really cool. It’s also funny reading some of the comments of people who don’t get that it’s a prank and thought we were actually lending cats!”
“99 percent of the feedback we get every year is overwhelmingly positive. And it does amazing things to bring attention to the library. Our Library of Cats prank reached over 100,000 people on Facebook in less than 24 hours.”
-Siobhan Egan
Of course, with April Fools’ Day just two weeks away, I asked for a preview of this year’s prank. Siobhan was a bit tight-lipped about what she had planned.
“All I will say is that I was inspired by the question of how the library could leverage current inflation and skyrocketing prices at the grocery store to increase circulation and help people out,” reveals Siobhan. “It is probably one of the more topical and current ideas I’ve had yet, and I hope something that brings a smile to people’s faces. And I’m sure will also make some people mad…which is part of the fun!”
For libraries considering how to replicate Siobhan’s success, she has some advice.
“I would stress the importance of trusting your gut when you are working on marketing or programming campaigns like April Fools or anything else,” Siobhan says. “If you think something is funny or you have that feeling that something will resonate with people, it probably will. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries a little bit and challenge people’s preconceived notions of what a library is.”
“Also, be prepared for angry patrons and make sure your staff is prepared as well,” says Siobhan. “With Library of Cats, we had people accusing us of torturing animals and wondering how we could ever consider lending cats. We also had people stop by the check out a cat and then be mad at us that we didn’t actually have them!”
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Every time I upload one of these videos to YouTube, there are two major things that I am sure to do. Both of them helped me build my channel. One of them annoys some of my viewers!
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I will explain why I will keep doing these things and why you should follow my lead.
Plus, we’ll give kudos to a library with a spooky service that allows people to explore the library looking for ghosts!
And I have a favor to ask!
NoveList is doing a market survey on how libraries handle professional development training. Would you be willing to take the survey? It should take five minutes or less. Thank you!!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you 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, enter your email address. Then click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
I have a warning about how artificial intelligence may impact the performance of your social media platform metrics. We will get into it and what you should do to prepare for this disruption in this The Library Marketing Show episode.
Plus kudos go to a library with a staff member who is appearing on a popular Netflix show!
And I have a favor to ask: NoveList is doing a market survey on how libraries handle professional development training. Would you be willing to take the survey? It should take five minutes or less. Thank you!!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you 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, enter your email address. Then click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
This holiday week, I wanted to ensure you are set up for success in promoting your library in 2025. These are the most popular Super Library Marketing posts from the past year that you may have missed. (We’re all so busy!)
Most Popular Super Library Marketing Articles of 2024
I hope you are looking forward to 2025 as much as I am. We’ll be tackling new library marketing and promotion subjects. Plus I have lots of library profiles on the calendar. You’ll be hearing advice from libraries just like yours. As always, I welcome your suggestions about topics you want to cover. Happy New Year!!
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:
What do you do if you log on to your social media metrics and suddenly notice that your stats are dropping?
Your first instinct is probably to panic, but don’t! We will talk through 4 steps to take when this happens in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus we’ll give kudos to a library that managed to receive press coverage for a very important event.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you 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, enter your email address. Then click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
We have breaking news on the social media front. Instagram is making a huge feature change. This is so big that I upended my entire Library Marketing Show editorial calendar to record this episode.
We will discuss what will happen and how it might impact your library marketing.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Do you 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, enter your email address. Then click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 