Two weeks ago, I led a library marketing workshop with a group of Tennessee library staff. Most of them are doing promotions all by themselves for their whole library system… including one staff member who also happens to be the library’s director! (When does she sleep?)
A section of the workshop was dedicated to metrics: What should we measure, and what are good numbers to shoot for? For most of the folks in that room, the goal was to measure quickly. They don’t have time to sit and mull over spreadsheets and contemplate numbers the way they might like to do.
On the way home, I thought about how you, dear readers, are likely in the same position. You want to measure your promotions so you know what is working and what isn’t working. But you may only have a few minutes once a month to dedicate to this task.
That’s how this post was born. I narrowed down all the metrics you could track, so the task will take you about 30 minutes or less once a month. Think of this check as your “mini performance review” for your library marketing. Checking these numbers will guide your weekly or monthly promotional planning, so your marketing becomes more effective overall.
Metric #1: Check your most and least engaging posts on each social media platform.
Time spent: 10 minutes.
This is one of the quickest and most effective ways to assess your social media performance. By identifying the most and least engaging posts, based on likes, comments, shares, saves, and clicks, you get a fast snapshot of what’s resonating with your audience and what’s falling flat.
This metric helps you:
- Spot trends fast: If all your top-performing posts are all Instagram Reels or have a certain topic focus (like humorous behind-the-scenes library content or book recommendations), you’ve instantly got a direction for future posts.
- Get platform-specific insights: What works on Instagram might flop on Facebook. This check helps you tailor your content for each social media audience.
- Stay focused on effective posts: You may love producing certain types of posts. But if they consistently underperform, it’s a sign to let them go. Use your energy and time on the content your audience is most interested in.
Metric #2: Check the top clicks on your emails.
Time spent: 5-10 minutes, depending on your email volume.
This metric gives you direct insight into what your email subscribers find most compelling.
This metric helps you:
- Determine what your community of readers cares about: A high open rate is a good start to email success. But clicks show true interest. If everyone’s clicking on your booklists and skipping your storytime registration link, you know where to focus your energy… on the books!
- Inform content placement: If most of the clicks happen in the top half of your email, you’ll want to make sure your most important content is placed there. Or, if something buried at the bottom gets lots of clicks, consider bumping it up in your next email.
- Spark ideas for future email content: Your most-clicked items can inspire follow-up content, like expanding a popular booklist into a blog post or writing a promotional piece for your local newspaper about an upcoming event.
- Refine your messaging: The wording or format of your most-clicked items might be more effective than the rest of your email. Did you use a strong call to action? A particularly eye-catching image? These clues can improve your future emails.
Metric #3: Check your website traffic.
Time spent: 10 minutes.
A quick glance at your website analytics can uncover a goldmine of insights. Focus on four key things:
- Top traffic sources (from email, Facebook, organic search, etc.)
- Top-performing pages
- Lowest-performing pages
- Search queries (from Google Search Console or internal site search)
This metric helps you:
- See what’s driving people to your website: If your library is getting most of its web traffic from email or from a specific social media platform, then you know to concentrate your efforts there.
- Highlight content worth your time: Pages that get strong traffic and engagement could be promoted again on social media or email, or repurposed into new formats (like a short video or carousel post). For example, if your passport services page gets a lot of hits, you’ll know this service is in demand in your community. You can promote it via email and social media to reach even more people.
- Weed your website: Low-performing pages might need to be archived. This will improve the search ranking of your website.
- Decide on content placement: Search queries can spark blog posts, social media content, FAQs, or updated landing pages. If users keep typing “summer reading start date” into their search engine of choice in May, make sure that info is front and center.
Metric #4: Check QR code scans or trackable URLs on print pieces.
Time spent: 5 minutes
If you’re adding QR codes or trackable URLs (like Bit.ly links or UTM-tagged links) to posters, bookmarks, newsletters, or flyers, check the data on scans. Most QR code generators and short link tools like Bit.ly include basic scan and click tracking data. This is the best way to figure out if your print marketing is working.
This metric helps you:
- Prove the value of print: Libraries often wonder if anyone scans those QR codes or types in those custom URLs. This data gives you the answer!
- Decide what to repeat: If your “storytime sign-up” flyer gets tons of scans but the “download the library app” one doesn’t, you know to double down on the storytime flyers and go back to the drawing board to drive awareness of your app.
- Track placement: You can use different QR codes or URLs for separate locations (e.g., one for the front desk, one in the teen room, one in community centers) to see where your print pieces are most effective.
Need more inspiration?
Time Well Spent: How One Library Marketing Team Analyzes Metrics and Uses That Data To Prove Their Value
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 