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How to Build a Better Library Marketing Team (Whether You’re New or Not)

Historic black-and-white photo of a crowded library reading room with patrons reading at tables. Overlaid text reads, "Better Library Marketing Begins with LISTENING," with "LISTENING" emphasized in purple.
Photo courtesy of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

In this post, you’ll learn:

  1. Why listening is often more valuable than launching something new.
  2. How to build the systems, messaging, and processes that make library marketing more effective.
  3. How to see your library with fresh eyes even if you’ve worked there for years.

When I started my current library marketing leadership role at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library this past March, I had a plan.

Actually, that’s not entirely true.

I had a list of things I thought needed attention. I had ideas. I had opinions. I had years of experience.

But I also knew I was walking into an organization that existed long before me, had been through a tumultuous six years, and will face tough challenges in the not-so-distant future.

So I made a decision. For the first few weeks, I just listened.

And looking back, it was probably the most important thing I did.

Start With People, Not Projects

The temptation in a new leadership role is to make your mark immediately. You want to launch something. Reorganize something. Fix something.

Resist the urge.

Before I touched processes or strategy, I sat down with every member of my team and with every member of senior leadership for one-on-one conversations. I asked questions like:

  • What do you spend most of your time doing?
  • What part of your job do you enjoy most?
  • What are you exceptionally good at?
  • What drains your energy?
  • What skills do you wish you had more opportunities to use?
  • What gets in the way of doing great work?

I wasn’t looking for complaints. I was looking for opportunities, gaps, and patterns. And those things started emerging quickly.

Some people were doing work they loved. Others had talents that weren’t being fully utilized. Some responsibilities seemed to belong to multiple people. Other responsibilities didn’t seem to belong to anyone.

That information was incredibly valuable. It became a roadmap to set up a foundation for success.

Build a Team Map

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that organizational charts don’t tell you much.

A job description tells you what someone is supposed to do. A conversation tells you what they actually do.

As I talked with my staff, I started mapping the team. I asked myself:

  • Who are the strongest writers?
  • Who can manage projects?
  • Who understands data?
  • Who has strong design skills?
  • Who is great at relationships and collaboration?

Just as importantly, I looked for gaps. Specifically, I pinpointed the skills that were missing, areas that seemed underdeveloped, and places where work was getting bogged down or stopped altogether.

I wasn’t trying to evaluate people. I was trying to understand the system.

Before you can build a stronger team, you have to understand the team you actually have.

Define the Real Problems

As I observed the department and reviewed existing work, I noticed something that I’ve seen in other organizations too.

People were working incredibly hard. But they were often operating without shared expectations, messaging, or processes.

Projects moved through different review paths depending on who was involved. Marketing requests arrived in different formats. Staff made decisions based on their own understanding of priorities.

Nobody was doing anything wrong. The team simply lacked some foundational systems. That realization shaped my plan for moving forward.

Map Out Your Priorities

Once I had a clear picture of my team and the larger organization they worked in, I worked on identifying and prioritizing what I needed to do. I created what I call my “Post-It Pyramid of Priorities.”

I wrote down the foundational tasks I needed to tackle, one on each Post-It. Then I arranged them in a pyramid, with the tasks I needed to complete at the top. (Groundbreaking, right?)

I put tasks that were interrelated into a line to signal to myself that I needed to work on them simultaneously.

A collection of sticky notes arranged on a wooden wall under the heading "Priorities."
Post-It Pyramid of Priorities

Using Post-Its makes it easy for me to move and change my priorities as conditions change.

Establish Your Messaging Foundation

One of the biggest priorities during those first 90 days was working through messaging.

What exactly were we trying to say about the library? More importantly, were we all saying the same thing?

Libraries are wonderful at promoting programs, events, and services. We are less consistent when it comes to communicating our larger value.

Ask staff members why the library matters and you might get a bunch of different answers.

  • Some will talk about books.
  • Some will talk about literacy.
  • Some will talk about technology.
  • Some will talk about community.

None of those answers are wrong.

But if your organization wants to build trust, recognition, and support, there needs to be some shared understanding of the bigger story you’re telling.

In my next post on July 27, I’ll go more in-depth to show you how our library determined a messaging focus and how we’re executing it.

Create a Strategy People Can Actually Use

The word “strategy” seems to scare people. I think it’s because most strategies are created by senior leadership, who then pass them down to the staff without taking the time to get buy-in. (This happens at for-profit companies too!)

I wasn’t interested in creating a document that nobody would read. I wanted a framework that would help people make decisions.

  • Who are we trying to reach?
  • What behavior are we trying to influence?
  • What organizational goals are we supporting?
  • How do our messages connect to those goals?
  • How should different channels work together?

Once you have the answers to those questions, you can create a simple strategic framework that you and your staff can follow for the next year.

Standardize the Review Process

When organizations don’t have a clear review process, everyone creates their own.

One project gets five rounds of edits. Another gets none. One person is included in decisions. Another is surprised at the last minute.

Over time, that creates frustration for everyone!

So we built a standard review structure. It helps me and my marketing manager to, well, manage projects!

We worked together to decide:

  • Who reviews what.
  • When they review it.
  • What kind of feedback they’re responsible for providing.
  • What final approval looks like.

The result is more consistency, fewer surprises, and much less confusion.

Focus on Culture, Not Just Process

The systems matter. The strategy matters. The messaging matters. But the biggest adjustment we need to make is cultural.

Instead of asking, “Can we promote this?” I’m prompting my staff to start asking, “What are we trying to accomplish?”

Instead of thinking about outputs, we are thinking about outcomes. Instead of automatically saying yes to every request, we started discussing priorities. (That is a biggie!)

It definitely is a mindset change. It won’t happen overnight, and you’ll face some bumps and pushback along the way. But getting yourself and your team to work these questions into your daily thought process will lead to better results.

What I Didn’t Do

Here’s what I did not do in my first 90 days!

  • I didn’t reorganize the team.
  • I didn’t launch a huge new campaign.
  • I didn’t overhaul every process.
  • I didn’t try to solve every problem.

New leaders sometimes feel pressure to demonstrate value immediately.

Ironically, one of the most valuable things you can do is slow down. Ask questions. Gather information. Build trust.

What If You’re Not New?

You don’t have to start a new job to use this approach.

In fact, if you’ve been at your library for years and feel like you’re stuck, this mindset can be even more valuable.

One of the advantages of being new is that you notice things everyone else has stopped seeing. You ask questions because you genuinely don’t know the answers. You challenge assumptions because you haven’t inherited them yet.

After you’ve been somewhere for a while, it’s easy to accept the way things are simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

So borrow a trick from your first-day self.

Schedule listening meetings with colleagues you don’t work with regularly. Ask people what gets in the way of doing great work. Map your team’s strengths and gaps again. Follow a marketing request from start to finish as if you’ve never seen the process before.

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from looking at familiar problems with fresh eyes.

Want more help?

The Real Difference Between Marketing and Promotion and Why It Matters for Your Library’s Success

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This Library Left Facebook: Here’s What Happened Next.

**Alt text:** Black-and-white photograph of a spacious library interior with service desks, card catalog cabinets, and hanging directional signs. A dark gray banner overlays the top of the image with the text "This Library LEFT FACEBOOK!" in white and bright green lettering.
Photo courtesy of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

For years, conventional wisdom in library marketing has been clear: you need to be on Facebook because that’s where your community is.

But what if that’s no longer true?

The staff at Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, Massachusetts, asked themselves that question. And then did something many libraries would consider unthinkable.

They stopped using Facebook altogether.

Several months later, Library Director Catherine McDonald says the results have been surprisingly uneventful.

“After all the work that went into the decision, it didn’t have any effect other than how freeing it is to have one less thing on my plate,” says McDonald.

“I realized I had felt a constant responsibility to protect patrons and staff from harsh words and misinformation about the library and its services. People don’t behave face-to-face as they sometimes might on Facebook.”

A Long Time Coming

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library serves Wakefield, Massachusetts, a community of just under 30,000 residents located north of Boston. The library operates from a single historic building on Main Street.

The library wasn’t an early skeptic of Facebook. In fact, McDonald created the library’s first Facebook page around 2010.

At first, the platform helped the library connect with patrons and promote programs and events. Over time, the library expanded its social media presence and experimented with different content strategies.

Some of the library’s most successful posts featured unexpected moments, including a bunny rescue, removal of a hornet’s nest, and staff retirements.

But as the years passed, McDonald began questioning whether the effort was still worthwhile.

” First, we noticed that the number of followers who were Wakefield residents was about only a third of the list,” recalls McDonald.

 “Social media was becoming less social and requiring more work to understand how to game the system.” It became complicated to understand who we were reaching with what information.”

McDonald also saw reports on declining reading-for-pleasure rates, online bullying, misinformation, and increasingly hostile online interactions. The platform also made it difficult for the library to control its own narrative.

“On Facebook, often people type, but don’t read,” McDonald says.

Those concerns prompted a deeper internal discussion about whether Facebook still aligned with the library’s mission.

Testing the Assumptions

One of the most common arguments for maintaining a Facebook presence is that libraries need to “meet people where they are.” McDonald wasn’t convinced that statement should go unquestioned.

Rather than relying on assumptions, the library began comparing Facebook’s effectiveness against other communication channels, including its website, newsletters, blog, and local media outlets. The library also experimented with a social media pause during Summer Reading. The response?

“I received a couple of emails thanking me,” McDonald says.

The experience reinforced what library leadership was beginning to suspect: Facebook might not be as essential as many people believed.

Making the Decision

After an influx of bots appeared on the library’s Facebook page, McDonald decided it was time. With support from the assistant director, the library stopped actively using Facebook.

Not everyone was immediately convinced. Two members of the library’s board questioned the decision, and some staff initially worried the library might be giving up an important communication tool.

“Initially, some staff thought we were missing something important,” McDonald says. “But they accepted the decision and moved on to other things.”

Interestingly, she says stakeholders have been more likely to praise the decision privately than criticize it publicly.

What Happened After Leaving Facebook?

The short answer: not much.

  • Program attendance remained steady.
  • Website usage remained strong.
  • The library’s newsletters and blog continued to perform well.
  • Community engagement did not decline.

 The library still maintains an Instagram presence, which McDonald says allows staff to share photos and connect with the community without many of Facebook’s drawbacks.

In fact, one unexpected benefit involved customer service. When the library was active on Facebook, patrons expected staff to monitor comments and answer questions in real time. During weather closures, for example, patrons would ask questions such as, “Are you open tomorrow?” and expect a response.

Without dedicated staff monitoring the platform, those inquiries often went unanswered. Now there is no confusion about where patrons should go for timely information.

“The expectation is that the place to learn immediate information about the library is the website or the Town website,” McDonald says.

The library also works closely with Wakefield’s communications manager to ensure important messages reach the community.

The Real Benefit

While the library didn’t experience dramatic gains after leaving Facebook, McDonald says the biggest benefit was psychological. For years, she felt responsible for moderating misinformation, managing negative comments, and protecting both patrons and staff from hostile online interactions.

That burden disappeared.

“I realized I had felt a constant responsibility to protect patrons and staff from harsh words and misinformation about the library and its services,” she says.

The experience also eliminated ongoing questions about moderation policies, comment removal, and blocking users, areas where McDonald says she often received conflicting legal advice.

Advice for Other Libraries

McDonald acknowledges that many libraries continue to find value in the platform and use it successfully.

But she does encourage library leaders to examine their assumptions.

“I’m sure lots of communities find Facebook effective and fun,” he says. “But don’t be afraid to question your assumptions or prevailing theories.”

For Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, questioning those assumptions led to a surprising discovery: Leaving Facebook changed far less than they expected.

And sometimes, that’s the most revealing result of all.

Want more help?

Library Marketing Case Study: How UVU’s Fulton Library Connects with 47,000 Students

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3

A Simple Fix for Library Instagram Reels That Won’t Post to Facebook

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketingShow, episode 340

One of the biggest advantages of creating Instagram Reels is that you can share them on Facebook, too. But what happens when that connection suddenly stops working?

A viewer of The Library Marketing Show recently ran into this issue, and after some troubleshooting, we found an easy solution.

In this episode, I share the fix and a few tips to help your library get the most out of its short-form video content.

Plus, kudos go to a library with an expansive new plan to reach young children.

Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching! 

P.S.: If you wish, you may download a transcript of this episode.

Miss the last episode? No worries! Watch it now.

Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

2

Your Community Is Treating Your Marketing the Same Way Journalists Treat Bad Pitches. Here’s How to Fix That.

Historic black-and-white library reading room with patrons focused on books at a large table, surrounded by shelves. Text overlay reads: "How to Make Your Library Promotions MORE RELEVANT!" with the words "MORE RELEVANT!" emphasized in yellow.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

In this post, you will learn:

  1. Relevance matters more than frequency. Libraries don’t need to send more messages. They need to send more relevant ones.
  2. Data makes library marketing more newsworthy. Statistics and outcomes can transform promotions into compelling stories.
  3. Trust is a strategic asset. Libraries can stand out by being a reliable source of information and expertise.

I recently downloaded Cision’s State of the Media Report so that my library could adjust our media strategy to get more positive press. But I found myself looking at the report as a larger lesson for my library marketing.

Cision surveyed nearly 1,900 journalists worldwide about how they work, the challenges they face, and what they need from public relations professionals. At first glance, it might seem like a report intended for public relations agencies and large, well-funded corporate communications teams.

But as I read through the findings, I kept thinking about libraries (of course!) That’s because the challenges journalists face look surprisingly similar to those library marketers face every day when reaching our communities. 

People are overwhelmed with information. They’re short on time. They’re sorting through more content than ever before. And they are constantly trying to determine which messages deserve their attention.

The things that cause a journalist to ignore a pitch are often the same factors that make a community member ignore a library marketing message.

Here are the top five things I learned from the report about making my library’s message stand out.

Takeaway #1: Relevance Beats Volume

The report found that the number one factor that makes journalists respond to a pitch is relevance. Nearly 80 percent said they are most likely to consider a story when it aligns with their audience and coverage area. Likewise, more than 80 percent said they reject pitches that aren’t relevant.

That should sound familiar. Libraries often assume that getting attention is a volume problem.

  • “We need to post more.”
  • “We need to send more emails.”
  • “We need to promote this event harder.” (What does that even mean, really?)

But attention isn’t usually a volume problem. It’s a relevance problem.

The question isn’t whether your community saw your message. The question is whether they immediately understood why it mattered to them.

A generic announcement about a program might get ignored. But a message that clearly connects to a person’s needs, interests, goals, or challenges has a much better chance of breaking through.

Takeaway #2: People Are Drowning in Messages

Most journalists in the survey reported receiving more than 50 pitches every week. Many receive more than 100! Yet most say only a small percentage of those pitches are actually relevant.

That sounds familiar too! Your patrons are also sorting through dozens of emails, social media posts, text messages, videos, advertisements, flyers, signs, and notifications every day. They don’t have time to figure out why something matters. They need clarity and connection.

I recently implemented a new messaging strategy for my team to address this issue. I told them that we are going to stop leading with what we are doing and start leading with why our community should care. We are now going to be focusing less on announcements and more on why our work matters and the problems it solves for our community. 

Here’s a simple way to reframe your library’s message to focus more on the value.

Instead of: “The library is pleased to announce…”

Try: “Parents looking for free summer activities can now register for…”

Or: “The Library is proud to offer resume workshops and mock interviews” becomes “Get the tools and support you need to actually land the job.”

One messaging strategy starts with the organization. The other starts with the audience.

Takeaway #3: Data Makes Stories Stronger

One finding that really stood out to me was that journalists said they want more data and research. Why?

Because data provides context. It helps explain why a story matters.

Libraries have access to more useful data than we often realize.

  • We know what people are reading.
  • We know how technology is being used.
  • We know what programs are growing.
  • We know where community needs are emerging.

Yet many libraries continue to market programs without sharing the larger story behind them.

So, don’t just announce Summer Reading. Show how participation has grown. Don’t just promote your digital resources. Show how community usage has changed over time.

Data transforms promotion into storytelling. And storytelling is more memorable than push promotions because it activates emotions, which makes the story stick in a person’s mind.

These data stories are particularly impactful for messaging aimed at elected officials and donors.

Takeaway #4: Trust Is Becoming More Valuable

One of the biggest concerns journalists identified was accuracy and misinformation. Credibility matters.

This is an area where libraries have a tremendous advantage. Libraries remain among the most trusted public institutions. But trust is only valuable if we actively use it.

That means sharing accurate information, citing sources, providing context, and helping community members make sense of an increasingly complicated information landscape.

Takeaway #5: Make People’s Lives Easier

Perhaps the most important lesson from the report is that journalists want sources who make their jobs easier. They want clear information, quick responses, and they want their subjects to respect their time. So do our community members!  

The best library marketing doesn’t demand attention. It earns attention by being useful.

When your content helps people solve a problem, answer a question, save money, learn a skill, or improve their lives, your library marketing stops feeling like marketing. It becomes a service.

Final Thoughts

The State of the Media Report wasn’t written for library marketers. But it contains an important reminder for all of us.

Whether you’re pitching a reporter or communicating with your community, success doesn’t come from sending more messages. It comes from creating messages that are relevant, trustworthy, useful, and easy to understand. 

Want more help?

How Libraries Can Get Better Press Coverage: Real Tips From Former Journalists

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1

Instagram’s Potential New “Interests Feature” Could Be Great for Libraries!

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketingShow, episode 339

Every once in a while, a social media update comes along that feels like it was built for libraries.

Instagram is currently testing a new feature that could make it easier for users to find content they’re genuinely interested in. And many libraries are already creating the kind of posts that could thrive in this environment.

In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I explain what’s changing and what it could mean for your social media strategy.

Plus, we’ll give kudos to a library that received press coverage for its new bookmobile!

Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching! 

P.S.: If you wish, you may download a transcript of this episode.

Miss the last episode? No worries! Watch it now.

Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

0

Should Libraries Accept Instagram Collaboration Requests?

Watch this video now

#LibraryMarketingShow, episode 338

More libraries are receiving Instagram collaboration requests. But figuring out which partnerships make sense isn’t always easy.

Some collaborations can expand your reach and strengthen community connections. Others may feel off-brand, unclear, or difficult to evaluate.

In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I share four questions to help you decide when your library should accept an Instagram collaboration request, how to protect your brand, and how to recognize opportunities that are genuinely worth pursuing.

Plus, a library marketer receives kudos for their work transforming their library’s connection to the community.

Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching! 

P.S.: If you wish, you may download a transcript of this episode.

Miss the last episode? No worries! Watch it now.

Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:

0

What I’ve Learned in 13 Years of Library Marketing: People Support What Makes Them Feel Something

Black-and-white historical photo of a smiling woman standing in front of a mobile library vehicle filled with books. Overlay text at the top reads: “Why People Support Libraries That MAKE THEM FEEL SOMETHING!” with “MAKE THEM FEEL SOMETHING!” in large purple letters.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

In this post, you will learn:

  1. Emotion drives action. People are more likely to act on your library marketing if it makes them feel something.
  2. Real stories on video don’t need to be polished. Authentic patron and staff experiences are some of the most effective marketing tools libraries have, and all you need is a cell phone!
  3. Emotional marketing is not manipulation. When done ethically, storytelling helps communities understand the real impact of library services.

A few years ago, a library patron accused my library marketing team of “manipulating emotions.”

Honestly? She wasn’t wrong. We absolutely wanted people to feel something!

At the time, my library was building support for a facilities plan. Several of our historic Carnegie branches were not accessible to people with disabilities, and we knew we needed the community to understand why modernization mattered.

So we told a real story. We interviewed a veteran who physically could not enter the branch library in his own neighborhood.

We shared his experience in a short video campaign designed to help our community see the problem through a human lens instead of through budget spreadsheets and building reports.

After we published the video, one viewer messaged us: “How dare you manipulate my emotions and try to make me feel sorry for this guy?”

My response then — and now — is this:

Libraries should never apologize for telling meaningful stories.

Why Emotional Marketing Works for Libraries

One of the biggest mistakes libraries make in marketing is assuming facts alone will persuade people. We think that if we simply explain our services clearly enough, people will understand our value.

But audiences don’t make decisions based purely on logic. They make decisions based on emotion and then use facts to justify those feelings later. That’s especially true on social media, where algorithms reward content that sparks reactions, conversations, shares, and engagement.

People engage with content when it makes them feel:

  • Hopeful
  • Inspired
  • Seen
  • Empathy for someone else
  • Proud of their community
  • Connected to something bigger than themselves

That emotional response is what moves someone from passive scrolling to active engagement. And here is more good news.

Libraries Already Have Powerful Stories

You do not need a massive budget or a professional production crew to create emotional marketing. You already have the raw material.

Every library has:

  • A teen who found belonging through programs
  • A job seeker who got help building a resume
  • A parent who found support during a difficult season
  • A senior who depends on library staff for connection
  • A child who discovered a love of reading
  • A staff member who went above and beyond for someone

These stories are your most effective marketing!

Too often, libraries default to promotional language like:

  • “Register now!”
  • “Check out our new database!”
  • “Join us Tuesday!”

But audiences connect more deeply with:

  • “This program helped me make friends after moving here.”
  • “The library gave me confidence during my job search.”
  • “I didn’t feel alone anymore.”

That’s the difference between information and impact.

Emotional Marketing Is Ethical When It’s Honest

There’s an important distinction between emotional storytelling and emotional manipulation.

  • Manipulation relies on exaggeration, fear tactics, or dishonesty.
  • Ethical emotional marketing tells true stories that help audiences better understand real community needs and real library impact.

Libraries are uniquely positioned to do this well because our work genuinely changes lives every day. If your library helped someone succeed, feel safer, feel connected, or solve a problem, sharing that story is not exploitation. It’s advocacy.

The Best Way to Capture Emotion: Video

Video remains one of the most effective formats for emotional storytelling because audiences can hear tone, see facial expressions, and connect with people “face to face.”

But here’s the good news: your videos do not need to look cinematic! Some of the most effective library videos are filmed on a phone. What counts is not the production. It’s the authentic conversations.

If you want to start gathering emotional stories, try interviewing:

  • Loyal patrons
  • Volunteers
  • Staff members
  • Program attendees
  • Community partners

Ask open-ended questions like:

  • What’s your favorite memory involving the library?
  • How has the library impacted your life?
  • What would your community lose if the library disappeared tomorrow?
  • Tell me about a moment when the library helped you unexpectedly.
  • Why does this library matter to you personally?

Then stop talking and let them tell the story.

Don’t Forget Your Staff Stories

Library staff are often an untapped source of emotional content.

Staff members witness transformation every day:

  • helping someone apply for benefits,
  • finding the perfect book for a struggling reader,
  • assisting someone through a difficult life transition,
  • or creating a welcoming space for people who need connection.

Those stories matter.

Some of the best questions to ask staff include:

  • Tell me about a patron interaction you’ll never forget.
  • What moment made you proud to work at the library?
  • What keeps you motivated in this work?
  • What’s something the public doesn’t always see about library service?

These interviews can become:

  • Short social videos
  • Newsletter features
  • Website testimonials
  • Annual report stories
  • Posters and digital signage
  • Advocacy campaign content

One good story can fuel months of marketing content.

The Hidden Benefit of Emotional Marketing

Something interesting happens when libraries start telling emotional stories consistently: More stories start showing up.

When we launched our own customer impact video series years ago, staff and patrons immediately began sharing additional experiences with us.

People wanted to participate because they felt recognized and connected.

That’s one of the most powerful outcomes of storytelling: It builds community identity. People stop seeing the library as just a building or service provider and start seeing it as something deeply personal and valuable.

Final Thoughts

Libraries are emotional spaces. They represent hope, opportunity, safety, curiosity, nostalgia, belonging, education, and community.

Trying to market libraries without emotion is like trying to market music without sound.

So no, libraries should not feel guilty for creating marketing that makes people “feel all the feels.”

That emotional connection is often exactly what inspires people to support, advocate for, fund, and engage with the library in the first place.

Want more help?

How Libraries Can Use Storytelling to Build Community Support (4 Practical Tips)

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:

 

1

What Branding Really Means in a Library (And Why Most Libraries Get It Wrong)

A black-and-white photo of a historic library reading room with long wooden tables, chairs, and bookshelves lining the walls. Desk lamps sit along the tables, and a few people are visible in the background. Overlaid on the image is a translucent box with the text: “What Is LIBRARY BRANDING?” with “Library Branding” highlighted in yellow.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

When most libraries talk about branding, they’re really talking about logos, colors, and templates.

But branding isn’t only what your materials look like.

It’s how your library feels to the people you serve.

And that experience doesn’t center only on the work that your communications staff does. It comes from every single staff member. This is especially true for small or rural libraries and for large metro libraries. 

A solid library brand will define your library in a crowded world. It’s the thing that makes people say, “I love my library.”

But many libraries struggle with branding. When I asked, “What do you need help with?” in the State of Library Marketing survey, one of the most common answers was “branding.”

So, we’re going to tackle that! This is the first in a three-part series all about library branding. 

Branding Is Not a Logo 

We’ll begin with this concept, because it’s the root of the problem.

Branding is often confused with:

  • Your logo
  • Your color palette
  • Your graphic templates

Those things matter. But they are expressions of your brand, not the brand itself.

In fact,  research into library branding shows that a library’s brand encompasses multiple dimensions tied to user experience, perception, and emotional connection — not just visuals.

That means your library’s brand is shaped just as much by a storytime experience, a conversation at the circulation desk, the tone of a Facebook post, or signage in your building as it is by your logo.

Here’s the truth: Your library already has a brand! People in your community have an existing impression of your library. This is true even if you’ve never written a brand guide, your graphics are inconsistent, and your co-workers all seem to do their own thing when it comes to library promotion.

So, you’re not starting this journey from scratch.

Real Library Examples: When Branding Becomes Part of the Library Experience

One of the best examples of true library branding is the transformation of Rangeview Library District into Anythink Libraries.

Here’s what happened: The Rangeview Library District was considered by its community to be old-fashioned, small, and unappealing. In 2009, as part of its renewed branding efforts, the District changed the names of its libraries to Anythink libraries.

But the library did more than a name and logo change. They renamed every branch. The changed staff job titles to include “Concierge” and “Guide.” They reframed the entire library experience around creativity and curiosity.

It was a complete alignment of experience, language, and culture. And it worked.

The rebranding led to higher circulation and visitor numbers. The system was able to connect with users and pass a levy, which helped them build or renovate libraries. And they were awarded a national Medal for Museum and Library Service.   

My own library, the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, also went through a rebrand in the last five years. While our name change is not as significant (previously, we were The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County), we are transforming our connection to the community.

Yes, we created a completely new visual palette. But the core of our new branding is focused on our beliefs, which every library staff member is committed to living out through their work. Our beliefs are:

  • Empathy: We believe in everyone’s innate value and potential.
  • Enjoyment: We believe there is no prescribed path to knowledge, so why not make the journey fun?
  • Connection: We believe we got farther, together.
  • Community: We believe libraries are incubators of community.

That defined focus on those four beliefs is strengthening the connection our library has to the community, elected officials, and donors. That’s the power of branding.

Many libraries have also leaned into branding through physical experience and design. In fact, studies show that libraries are increasingly positioned as community hubs and cultural spaces, with branding tied to how people use and feel in the space, not just what they see.

Branding encompasses everything. The building, the programming, the atmosphere — all of it contributes to the brand.

Where Most Libraries Go Wrong

Most libraries don’t have a branding problem. They have a disconnect problem.

It usually looks like this:

  • Marketing creates one type of message
  • Youth services create another
  • Branches design their own flyers
  • Social media has a completely different tone

This creates a fragmented experience. And from a patron’s perspective, it feels like interacting with multiple different organizations instead of one library system.

So What Is Library Branding?

Here’s the simplest, most useful definition I can give you:

Your library’s brand is the consistent experience people have every time they interact with you.

Branding is not owned by the marketing department. Branding is created by the entire staff.

That means every flyer, every conversation, every program description, every social media post is either strengthening your brand or weakening it.

Coming Next

In the next post on April 27, we’re going to tackle the biggest challenge libraries face when it comes to branding: 

How do you actually get an entire library system to act like one brand?

Meanwhile, if your library has worked on branding, I’d love to hear what worked, what didn’t, and where your staff struggled. You can let me know by commenting below or by emailing me.

Want more help?

Boost Your Biggest Supporters: Branding and Marketing Advice for Your Friends of the Library Group

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Big Gains, Bigger Lessons: Why One Library is Rebuilding Its Social Media Incentive Program After Huge Early Growth

A black‑and‑white photograph of an ornate, multi‑level library filled with towering bookshelves and balconies. In the upper left corner, a translucent teal box contains the text “Social Media Incentive:” and below it, in white, “Lessons Learned.”
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Key Takeaways:

1. Hyper‑local social media works but only with empowered staff. By giving staff autonomy to create content tailored to each branch’s unique audience, the library sees more meaningful engagement than a one‑size‑fits‑all strategy could ever provide.

2. Incentives can spark huge engagement if the program is simple. Josh’s initial point‑based contest led to dramatic increases in reach, interactions, and followers at participating branches. But it also revealed the importance of designing challenges that align with staff capacity.

3. Start small, collaborate early, and refine as you go. Josh’s biggest lesson: don’t skip the research stage. Understanding staff time, motivations, and manager buy‑in is essential.

Josh Mosey lives in the same town where he grew up: Middleville, Michigan.

“My older brother and I used to ride our bikes to the library in the summer when we were kids and take part in the summer reading program,” remembers Josh. “I wasn’t as big a reader then, but I did enjoy the books on cassette tape that came with the physical books attached. When nothing new was available in that form, I’d pick a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ book, which I would read until one or two endings and call it good.”

“I was a notorious cheater when it came to counting books for the summer reading challenge back then. I’m making up for it now by reading voraciously as a grownup.”

Josh can get plenty of books, thanks to his current job as part of the six-person Library Marketing and Communications team and the Kent District Library. KDL serves 440,000 residents in Kent County, MI, excluding the city of Grand Rapids and a couple of smaller municipalities on the north end of the county. The library consists of twenty branches, one express library, and a bookmobile.

Josh is responsible for email and social media marketing for KDL. And the social media part of his job involves working with 20 “social media branch champions”. These are staff members appointed to create content and list events on their branch’s Facebook page.

“The social media branch champions have been around for as long as each branch has had its own Facebook page,” explains Josh. “They are chosen by that location’s manager as someone who either has time, interest, or expertise in that area. While I oversee the group, give tips, and create content they can use, the social media branch champions don’t take orders from me.”

Josh says the goal of our social media branch champions is to engage with their community, cultivate relationships with community members who might come to their events in person, and reflect the things that make their communities unique.

“Since the patrons at each branch can vary widely in interests and socioeconomic makeup, a one-size-fits-all mentality doesn’t work for our branch pages,” he says.

But this system has its challenges.

“Skills and interests vary widely from branch to branch,” explains Josh. “My graphic design background is borne out of the fact that my roommate in college was a graphic design major, and he let me play around on his computer with Photoshop. I’ve been able to do a lot with that over the years, but I’m a rarity among library staff members. Most folks have backgrounds in library science, literature, or education.”

“And while we have a comprehensive brand guideline and I’ve given the team examples of what a well-designed image should look like, some folks just don’t have the time, interest, or expertise to create on-brand, engaging content.”

And because this job likely falls under the “other duties as assigned” for many of the social media branch champions, they may not want to take on the frustrating job of posting to social media. So, Josh decided to incentivize social media work for this library.

“The incentives are based on best practices like consistent posting, interacting with local groups, sharing posts from the main KDL page, promoting branch events, and so on,” explains Josh. “Each of those activities is awarded a specific point value, and the points are calculated quarterly. At the end of each quarter, the branch with the most points wins a pizza party for their branch, a bookstore gift card for themselves, and temporary ownership of a goat trophy that says, ‘You’re the G.O.A.T.’”

Josh says the incentives worked well… at first.

“While some branches simply didn’t have time to put their numbers in (or participate, really), the branches that took the competition seriously saw massive increases in followers, interaction, and post views and likes.”

For example, Josh says the first branch to win was the Alto Branch of KDL. The results were as follows:

  • Views increased by more than 356 percent.
  • Reach increased by 811 percent.
  • Content interactions increased 334 percent.
  • Link clicks increased by 1,400 percent.
  • Visits to the Alto Facebook page increased 51 percent.
  • Follows increased by nearly 191 percent.

That sounds like a great leap. But when Josh solicited feedback from the branch champions on the incentive program, he discovered that most felt participation was just one more thing they needed to squeeze into their already busy routines, especially in the summer and fall. So Josh is making some changes.

“The program is going to change from a cumbersome Excel spreadsheet into a simple, physical Bingo sheet with twenty-five challenges that a branch can do monthly,” says Josh. “The more bingos a champion earns, the more chances they’ll have to win a prize. This should still get at the heart of what motivated the ones who participated while addressing the complexity of the previous version of the challenge for those who didn’t do much with it.”

Josh has some candid advice for anyone considering a similar incentive program for staff.

“I was too quick to go from the ideation phase into implementation,” confesses Josh. “I should have done a little more research into what my champions had time for and what exactly would motivate them.”

“I would encourage libraries that want to do this to sit down with the folks who manage their library’s social media presences, along with those folks’ managers, to increase the level of buy-in at the beginning.”

“Also, simpler is better. I was trying to get my people to do all the right things from the beginning, but I probably should have started smaller by focusing on two or three things each month until everyone had some momentum going for a bigger training and competition event.”

And Josh has one more, unrelated piece of social media advice for libraries.

“Don’t give up on social media posts that use words,” advises Josh. “Photos and videos are great, but it’s okay to make basic, nice-looking posts with nothing but words on them. It’s been working for us since I started in my role four years ago, across all our platforms.”

Want more help?

When Should Libraries Jump on Social Media Trends?

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