We know that it’s very important to strike the right tone with our library marketing and promotions. But when you’re creating a social media post, a flyer, or an email, how do you ensure your message resonates appropriately with your audience?
I have a little trick I’m going to show you in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus, I’m giving kudos to a library that was mentioned on the Kelly Clarkson show!
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:
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has many implications for library marketing. And now, AI is changing how people search for your library on the internet. But…
There is one, relatively easy thing you can do to ensure people find your library when searching for it on ChatGPT, Google’s Perplexity, and Microsoft’s CoPilot. We’re going to get into it in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus we’ll give kudos to a library that’s cross-posting videos from one social media platform to another. Normally, this is a no-no but there is an exception… and this library is taking advantage of it!
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!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
One of the hardest tasks in library marketing is naming programs and events.
The name of a program can significantly impact attendance. The name must capture attention. It needs to be clear and memorable. And it needs to be discoverable for community members searching online.
In this post, I’ve created a checklist. Under each point on the checklist, I’ll give you an example of how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot, Perplexity, and Gemini to check that your library program name meets the criteria.
If you’ve already come up with a name, you can check your choice against each of these considerations. If you’re beginning from nothing and have no clue what to name your program, use this checklist to find the best name and drive lots of attendance!
Checklist for Naming Your Library Program
✔️Relevance
The name of your library program should accurately reflect the program’s or event’s content and purpose. It should give attendees a clear idea of what to expect.
Example
I asked Google’s Gemini: “I am putting together an early literacy library program. In this program, babies and caregivers can read books together, but the babies are encouraged to move around during the reading time. I want to name the program “Young and Restless”. Is that a relevant program name?”
Gemini’s answer
“Young and Restless” might not be the best fit for an early literacy program.
“Young and Restless” is the title of a soap opera, and the connotation leans more towards drama and adult themes. It doesn’t immediately convey the idea of early literacy. While “restless” could be seen as a playful reference to a baby’s energy, it might also suggest a negative connotation of being unable to focus.
Here are some alternative program names that better capture the essence of your program:
“Wiggle While We Read”
“Rhyme Time & Playtime”
“Storytime on the Move”
“Littlest Learners & Lively Laps”
“Bookworms in Motion”
✔️Appeal
The name must attract your target audience. Consider that people often scroll online and when they read print. Your library program name must stand out from other programs or events in your community.
Example
I asked Perplexity: “I am putting together a library program where crocheters of all skill levels can come to work on their projects, give help to others, and get help building their skills. I want to call it Hooked on Crochet. Does that program name have enough appeal to capture attention?”
Perplexity’s answer
The name “Hooked on Crochet” for your library program has several appealing qualities that could help capture attention:
Pros:
The name plays on the double meaning of the word “hooked,” referring both to the crochet hook used in the craft and the idea of being enthusiastically engaged or “hooked” on crocheting.
The alliteration and rhyming nature of the name make it catchy and easy to remember, which is essential for a program name to stand out.
By not specifying skill levels in the name, it implies that the program is open to crocheters of all abilities, from beginners to experts.
The word “hooked” has a positive connotation, suggesting a passionate interest or enjoyment in crocheting, which could resonate with enthusiasts of the craft.
Potential Cons
While wordplay can be effective, some may find the “hooked” pun a bit overused or clichéd in the context of crocheting.
The name may be too specific to crochet and could potentially exclude other fiber arts or crafts that you might want to incorporate in the future.
✔️Clarity
The name should be easy to understand and remember. You’ll want to avoid complex, obscure, or cutesy names that might confuse people.
Example
I asked ChatGPT: “I am organizing a library program where people can bring a plant to swap and learn about composting, and sustainable gardening. There will also be crafts and games. This program is for all ages. Can you help me come up with a name that clearly states what will happen at my program?”
ChatGPT’s answer
That sounds like a fantastic and engaging program! For a name that captures the essence of your event while being concise and appealing, consider the following options:
“Sustainable Garden Swap & Fun Day”
“Green Thumb Plant Swap and Activities”
“Eco-Friendly Garden Day”
“Plant Swap and Garden Fun”
“Sustainable Gardening Fair”
✔️Length
The name should be short and concise. Long names can be difficult to remember and may be difficult to fit on your marketing materials.
Example
I asked ChatGPT: “I am putting together a library program at an academic library. The program will be interactive and will help students to better understand the databases and research resources available to them at the library. I want to call the program Interactive Workshop on the Integration of Research and Retrieval Skills, but my manager thinks that name is too long. Is it too long?”
ChatGPT’s answer
Yes, “Interactive Workshop on the Integration of Research and Retrieval Skills” is quite long for a program name. It might be better to shorten it to make it more concise and easier for students to remember. Here are a few shorter alternatives:
“Research Skills Workshop”
“Interactive Research and Retrieval Workshop”
“Library Research Skills Workshop”
“Research Resources Workshop”
“Effective Research Techniques Workshop”
✔️Accessibility
The name of your library program must not exclude any potential participants.
Example
I came up with a name for a technology program called “Advanced Technological Workshop for Digital Natives.” I asked ChatGPT to evaluate the accessibility of the name.
ChatGPT’s answer
“Advanced Technological Workshop for Digital Natives.” is an inaccessible library program name for several reasons.
Community members might interpret the term “Digital Natives” to mean only younger people who they assume are highly proficient with technology. This excludes older adults or those without regular access to technology. It’s also a very obscure term. Did these people live in the digital world??
The term “Advanced” might also deter people who do not consider themselves advanced in technology from attending, even if they are interested in learning more about it!
And the whole tone of the name is very formal, academic, and intimidating.
✔️Searchability
Many of your community members are looking for help online. You want your program name to come up in search! So be sure to include keywords that people might use in search.
Example
I asked Copilot: “I have a library program named “Opera Appreciation.” Are there any keywords or phrases that I need to add to the program name or description to make this more discoverable in search?”
Copilot’s answer
Certainly! To make your “Opera Appreciation” program more discoverable, consider incorporating relevant keywords and phrases in the program name or description. Here are some suggestions:
Opera: This will directly associate your program with the art form.
Music Appreciation: This can help convey the educational aspect and attract those interested in learning about this genre.
Classical Music: Opera is a subset of classical music, so including “classical music” in your program’s description can broaden its reach.
Arias: Highlight that your program explores opera arias—the beautiful solo pieces performed by singers. Mentioning “arias” can attract opera enthusiasts.
Composer Names: Incorporate the names of renowned opera composers.
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I have a new trick that I use in my own workday for posting across multiple social media platforms. It helps me stay within best practices in terms of post length. And this is one of those instances in which the robots are very helpful!
I will show you exactly how I do this, in this episode.
Plus, kudos go to an academic library that uses Instagram Live to build excitement and engagement.
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!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and HamiltonCounty Public Library
Do you feel like you’re playing a rigged game of hide and seek as you try to figure out how to reach target audiences?
Hide and seek is fun for kids. For adults working in library marketing… not so much.
Loyal library users and fans are likely subscribed to your library’s emails. They follow you on social media. They visit your library either in person or virtually.
But (and I know I’m stating the obvious here) finding community members who have no regular interaction with your library is incredibly difficult and costly.
This is where robots can be helpful. You can use ChatGPT to figure out the channels your target audience uses.
Here’s how this works
Let’s say your library has partnered with a health and wellness center to create a new, monthly program for community members with memory loss. The program will include activities for caregivers as well.
Your job is to make sure the right people know the program is available for free at your library. Specifically, your marketing goal is to ensure at least 10 people attend the program each month.
Who do you target?
Your first step is to figure out who your target audience is.
For this example, you could go to the Alzheimer’s Association website and search for statistics on patients with memory loss and their caregivers.
From this, you can create two focused target audiences.
Memory loss patients: Specifically, women of color over the age of 65, who are most likely to suffer from memory loss.
Caregivers: Women between the ages of 30 and 50 with a household income of $50,000 or less are most likely to be caring for someone with memory loss.
Double-checking your work
ChatGPT can help you check your work. Did you miss anyone who might be interested in the memory loss program?
In the ChatGPT search, you can type “Pretend you work at a library. The library has partnered with a health and wellness center to create a new, monthly program for community members with memory loss. The program will include activities for caregivers of those with memory loss as well. Can you give me the target audience for promotions of this program?”
ChatGPT will weigh in on whether you’re on the right track with your two target audiences. But it will also show you audiences you would have missed. In this instance, ChatGPT says:
With this information, you are ready to move to your next research step.
How do you reach these three audiences?
Of course, you would start by sending an eblast to the members of your subscriber list who match this target. You would also promote the program on your library’s website, through in-library digital signs, and bookmarks.
But outside of your library resources, what other channels can you use to reach these three audiences? ChatGPT can be a starting point for answering that question.
In ChatGPT, you can type, “What online blogs or publications are most popular for women in *your area*?” (For this example, I used Cincinnati because that’s where I work, which allows me to check ChatGPT’s accuracy.)
Now you have a list of publications to start your research. You can go to those websites, see what kinds of articles they publish, and determine if they would be a good place to pitch a story about your new memory loss program.
Radio stations are still popular with people over the age of 50. And your might be wondering if it would make sense to advertise your memory loss program on the radio.
There are 30+ radio stations in Cincinnati! I suspect there are a similar number in the city or town where you live. You’ll want to whittle your list down before you research. You can use ChatGPT for that too.
In the search you can type, “Which radio stations are most popular for people over the age of 65 in *your area*?”
ChatGPT identified four target stations in Cincinnati. That’s so much easier than going through the list of 30 radio stations!
Help from ChatGPT with another idea
There may be neighborhoods in your city or town that consist mainly of people over the age of 65. You can use ChatGPT to help you identify those neighborhoods.
In the search, you can type, “Which neighborhoods in *your area* have a population that is mainly over 65?” Here are the results for Cincinnati.
With that information, you can do some geo-targeting with your message.
For example, you can pull a list of cardholders who have named the branches in those neighborhoods as their home branch. Then, you can send them an email about the memory program.
You might also consider boosting a Facebook post and targeting users living in your target neighborhoods.
Finally, you can ask ChatGPT, “How do I reach an audience of doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals who work with patients with memory loss in *my area*?” ChatGPT will give you a list to use as a starting point.
While you will still need to do some research, ChatGPT is a helpful and free tool to help you get started as you identify ways to reach your target audiences. The results it generates for this task tend to be more focused and helpful than a Google search.
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:
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Terrance is a senior in high school, with a bright future ahead of him.
He’s gregarious, curious, and extroverted. He lives with his dad and two younger siblings. His dad is managing to make ends meet, but there isn’t a lot of money left over for things like vacations or extra-curricular activities.
Terrance doesn’t have a car, but he’s been using public transportation all his life. He really wants to go to college. He’d be the first in this family to go. But the application, the financial aid paperwork, interviewing, and essay writing required for admission feels overwhelming to him.
Terrance isn’t a real kid… not exactly. He was a target persona I built when I worked at a library.
Terrance was based on real teens who used our library. And when I read that description, I could clearly see Terrance in my mind. (I still can–can you?) More importantly, I could find the words I needed to say in library promotions that would reach Terrance.
Terrance helped me figure out how to create effective library promotions.
What is a target persona and why do we need them?
A target persona is a fictional profile of a person who represents one of your key target audience groups, based on the characteristics of your community members.
Target personas help us get granular about our target audience. Getting granular helps us create promotions that let our community members know that we see and hear them.
Simply put, we can use target personas to create marketing that convinces those community members to use the library.
A target persona is not supposed to detail one specific person. It should never be based on one specific individual. It’s a composite sketch, like Terrance, that should reflect most people it is supposed to represent.
How to build target personas for your library
Your community members can be broken down into core segments, or groups, based on their wants, motivations, and the problems they need your library’s help to solve. Those are your target personas.
The number of target personas your library will need will depend entirely on your library’s strategic goals and your marketing goals. Some libraries only need 2 or 3 target personas. Some will need more.
The first thing your library will do is gather demographic information about the community or target group for which you are building a persona. You may do this by researching census data or other data available from your city or town government. Settle on a general answer to these questions:
Age range
Income
Education level
Living situation (Married, single, living with multiple generations in one house, living in an apartment, unhoused, etc.)
Transportation situation (Do they have their own car or do they use public transit?)
Current library usage
Then you want to add depth to your persona. Write down answers to these questions:
Their motivations. Are they career or money-motivated? Are they family-focused?
Their attitudes. Can you identify their perspective on social issues like environmental welfare, human rights, or intellectual freedom?
Their pain points: What problems are they looking to solve?
Their aspirations for the future.
The activities they participate in, both inside and outside of the library.
Their religious and political affiliation.
Using ChatGPT to create target personas
Once you have gathered as much information as you can on your target audience by answering the questions above, it’s time to create your target persona. ChatGPT can help you get started.
Let’s say you want to build a target persona for someone who might use your library’s small business center.
Put all the information you have on your target persona together in a description and feed it into ChatGPT like this:
“Pretend you are a marketer. Build me a target audience persona for a person who is in their mid-50s, who was laid off from the job they held for more than 20 years. This person has always wanted to start their own business, and they figure now is the time. But they do not have a business or marketing degree, and they have very little money. They are single and are living off savings now. They do have a bachelor’s degree in English. They have their own car. They use the library to check out books about once a month. They could use library resources to help them start their small business.”
ChatGPT generated a target persona for “John Anderson, a resilient midlife entrepreneur on a mission!” ChatGPT assigned characteristics that I hadn’t considered, like tech savviness and media consumption.
Here’s the rest of the ChatGPT-generated target persona for John Anderson.
Goals and Motivations
Fulfilling a lifelong dream of starting his own business.
Achieving financial stability and independence.
Creating a legacy and finding personal fulfillment through his work.
Challenges
Limited budget and financial resources.
Lack of formal education in business and marketing.
Navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship later in life.
Hobbies and Interests
Enjoys reading, especially classic literature and business-related books.
Values community engagement and local events.
Appreciates the arts and cultural activities.
Media Consumption
Relies on traditional media like newspapers and local community bulletins.
Limited online presence and social media usage.
Listens to podcasts or watches videos for learning and entertainment.
Tech Savviness
Basic computer skills but may need assistance with advanced online tools.
Open to learning and adapting to technology for business purposes.
Values
Values hard work, perseverance, and integrity.
Desires to make a positive impact on the local community.
Values practical and actionable advice.
How the Library Can Help
Access to beginner-friendly business books and resources to guide him through the basics of entrepreneurship.
Workshops and one-on-one assistance on creating a business plan, marketing on a budget, and utilizing digital tools.
Free or low-cost online courses for building essential business skills.
Networking events to connect with local entrepreneurs and mentors.
ChatGPT also said, “Understanding John’s unique situation and tailoring library resources to cater to his specific needs will be crucial. Marketing messages should focus on the practicality, accessibility, and community support the library provides for someone like John as he takes the leap into entrepreneurship.”
If I worked at a library, I qould take this ChatGPT generated persona and add or subtract the things that apply to my community.
Are personas too generalized?
There is nothing that replaces a personal conversation with a community member. But it is physically impossible to talk to everyone who lives in your service area.
Personas allow us to find the commonalities of the different segments of our audience. This exercise will lead you to create promotional items that connect with your target audience.
Your target personas will likely change over time. They may be different for different programs or goals that your library is trying to reach. That’s okay! Your target personas should be like your library: adaptable, flexible, and able to change to meet the needs of your community.
But by having defined target personas, you are better equipped with the insights needed to build an experience that consistently and efficiently speaks to your patrons as individuals – with content that’s super relevant to them.
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:
Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) a threat to your job as a library marketer? It’s a serious question I’ve been pondering for a while. I turned to someone I truly admired for advice and we’ll unpack what she has to say about AI and promoting your library in this episode.
Plus we’ll give kudos to someone doing great work in library marketing. And this week, it’s a surprising choice!
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter youremail address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
When I was a kid, I always wanted a robot.
I blame The Jetsons. They made robots look fun and practical. I imagined my robot would do my chores for me and leave me more time to read.
It’s not exactly the same thing, but I must admit I am having some fun playing with ChatGPT. It can’t clean my house or weed my flower bed. But it does make the work of library promotion easier, as you saw in last week’s post.
How to use ChatGPT
ChatGPT isn’t going to do all the work for you. And it’s not perfect. But it can save you time. It can also help when you just aren’t feeling very creative.
Here are some basic tips that I gained from playing around with the tool.
Be as clear and specific as possible about what you want it to generate. For example, if you want the text to be a certain length, tell the tool.
Use conversational language like how you would speak or write.
Before giving it a prompt, ask the tool to take on a specific role. “Act like a social media specialist.”
If you have examples of the type of content you want ChatGPT to generate, provide them as part of your prompt.
If you aren’t satisfied with what the tool generates, you can ask it to try again. If it appears to get stuck, you can type in “Keep going” and it will continue. You can train it to generate more accurate responses by providing feedback.
ChatGPT for Library Promotions Spreadsheet
Libraries love to share resources with each other. And I love that about libraries.
So, as I was writing this series, I thought it would be a good idea to start a spreadsheet where any library using ChatGPT could record their prompts. Then, if you ever want to use ChatGPT but don’t know what to ask it, you can refer to this shared spreadsheet!
I’ve divided the spreadsheet into categories: social media, website, blog posts, videos, emails, print materials, ads, annual reports, and other promotions.
I asked a group of library marketers to share how they’re using ChatGPT. When they didn’t provide a direct example, I tested the application to see what results I would get for each task. As you’ll see, the results were varied.
To write letters and blog posts
The director of the Bibliotech Library used ChatGPT to write a letter to her patrons. She called the results “…a little generic—but also shocking and a little creepy.”
To improve video scripts
To test this, I took the transcript of my intro from the May 10th episode of The Library Marketing Show and asked ChatGPT to make it “more interesting and succinct.” Here are the results:
Are you making a big mistake with your library’s email marketing? It’s not too late to fix it! In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, we’ll explore a tweet from marketing expert Jay Acunzo, who suggests that we focus more on making our email content valuable rather than just growing our subscriber list. Let’s take a closer look at how we can ensure that the emails we send are truly worth sending.
I’m curious about which intro is more interesting to you! Let me know in the comments.
Social media posts
One library staffer said, “It gives me a starting place, and then I make it my own. I view it as a beginner writer and then I’m the final content creator and editor.”
I did my own experiment, asking ChatGPT to write a LinkedIn post promoting a webinar on the fantasy genre of books. Here’s what it came up with.
This post ended up getting the least number of impressions, likes, and comments of any of my LinkedIn posts in the past two weeks. I think that’s because it didn’t sound like me. Also, I’ve noticed ChatGPT is a little obsessed with emojis. I love emojis, but it likes to insert them in every sentence.
Ideas for blog posts
I asked ChatGPT to give me an idea for a blog post that would convince someone to donate to the library. It gave me a title and an entire outline!
Title: “Why Your Donation to Our Library Matters: Supporting the Heart of Our Community”
Introduction: Our library is a cornerstone of our community, providing access to books, educational resources, and community events. However, like many libraries, we rely on donations from our patrons and supporters to continue offering these vital services. In this blog post, we’ll explore why your donation to our library matters, and how it can help support the heart of our community.
Body:
1. Supporting literacy and education – Donating to our library means supporting literacy and education in our community. Your donation helps us to purchase new books, e-books, and audiobooks that educate and inspire people of all ages. Additionally, your donation can help us offer programs that support early literacy, such as storytimes, summer reading programs, and after-school homework help.
2. Creating a community hub – Our library is more than just a place to check out books. It’s a community hub that offers a range of services and resources, from free Wi-Fi and computer access to community events and meeting spaces. Your donation helps us to maintain and improve these services, ensuring that our library remains a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone.
3. Fostering lifelong learning – Our library is a place where people of all ages can learn new skills and discover new interests. From book clubs and writing workshops to coding classes and maker spaces, your donation helps us offer a wide variety of programs that foster lifelong learning and personal growth.
Conclusion: Donating to our library isn’t just about supporting a building or an institution. It’s about supporting the heart of our community – a place that provides access to knowledge, resources, and community events that bring us all together. Your donation helps us to continue offering these vital services, ensuring that our library remains a vibrant and vital part of our community for generations to come. Thank you for your support!
I found this answer to be pretty great. The only thing it’s missing is a patron-as-hero story, which would give the reader the chance a real-world example and build empathy. But this answer would be very helpful as a starting point.
Tag lines for book displays
I asked ChatGPT to create a tagline for a book display about the coronation of King Charles. Here are the results:
1. “The dawn of a new era: Explore the history of King Charles’ coronation.”
2. “Long live the king: Discover the story behind Charles’ ascension to the throne.”
3. “A royal affair: Step back in time to witness the coronation of King Charles.”
4. “From ceremony to history: Uncover the significance of King Charles’ coronation.”
5. “Crowning glory: Explore the pomp and circumstance of King Charles’ coronation ceremony.“
This is a good example of the time limitations of ChatGPT. Because its data feed only extends to 2021, it assumed I was referring to King Charles I or King Charles II.
Training announcements
A library staffer told me that she asked ChatGPT to give her an announcement like the Star Wars opening scrawl. Here is the result:
Subject lines for email
I asked ChatGPT to write a subject line for an email about how to use ChatGPT for library promotions. Here is the result:
Revolutionize Your Library Promotion Efforts with ChatGPT: Here’s How.
I ran this subject line through Sharethrough’s Headline Analyzer. It got an average score. But it would be a good starting point if you were looking for ideas.
Data analysis
I entered this prompt into ChatGPT: “I sent an email to 2,516 people. It had a 56% open rate and a 13% click rate. 10 people checked out books they saw in the email and 14 signed up for programs. Is that good?” The application said:
Based on the information provided, it looks like your email campaign had a successful engagement rate.
– The 56% open rate indicates that more than half of the people who received your email were interested enough to open it and see what it contained.
– The 13% click rate means that of those who opened the email, a good portion clicked on a link within the email to learn more or take some sort of action.
– With 10 people checking out books and 14 signing up for programs, it appears that your email had a direct impact on some people’s engagement with your library.
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:
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 