The Library Marketing Show, Episode 152: In this episode, I’ll share two major changes coming to Twitter AND two major changes coming to Instagram. These four headlines will have an impact on the way you promote your library.
Kudos in this episode go to the Douglas County Library. Watch the video to see why they’re being recognized.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new weekly video tip for libraries.
Thanks for watching!
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In this episode, I’ve got three big updates for libraries that will affect your ability to post to social media.
Kudos go to the University of North Carolina Libraries for their free racial equity challenge syllabus.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week.
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page.
I’m starting a new segment! On the last Wednesday of every month, I’ll be updating you on three headlines related to social media that pertain to library marketing.
In this episode, I’ll update you on news about Instagram Reels and TikTok, Facebook, and a new Pinterest feature.
Kudos in this episode go to the Bristol and South Gloucestershire libraries in the UK for their involvement in the Collect and Drop Surge Testing Service for COVID 19.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week. Thanks for watching!
Next week on the blog: What to do if your library’s social media accounts are hacked!
Two years ago, I listened to two episodes of the Social Media Examiner podcast that gave me nightmares.
The first episode featured an interview with a fitness instructor who lost control of ALL her accounts in the span of an hour. Her quest to gain control back was a saga I don’t ever want to experience.
The second episode featured an interview with the Social Media Examiner team as they recounted the day they lost control of their own Facebook business account.
If it can happen to Social Media Examiner, it can happen to your library.
Here’s the truth: most of us are too trusting. We probably don’t think a social media security breach will never happen to us. But we couldn’t be more wrong. In the first six months of 2020, the data protection company ZeroFOX reported a 95 percent increase in threat activity on social media accounts, compared to the last six months of 2019.
We may be even more vulnerable right now, with staff members working from home and resources stretched thin. One library I know allows more than three dozen staff members to post on their various social media accounts. I’m happy to say they are taking steps to beef up their social media security. But I fear there are too many libraries who operate in this way.
Anti-virus and malware software are essential, but that’s only half the battle. You need to take steps to protect your library’s social media accounts from compromise. Here’s how to do that.
Limit access to your social media accounts.
If you have a large team of people who post for you, consider trimming to no more than five admins for all social media accounts. Most platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn will let you assign roles to people. Limiting access is a good way to protect your full account’s security.
What should you do if you have a large social media team who currently post on your accounts? Ask your team to send pre-written posts with photos, videos, and graphics to a team leader via email or a shared file system like Google Drive, Trello, or Base Camp. Your social media account admins can pull and post that pre-written content.
Create an email exclusively to manage your library’s social media accounts.
This step will prevent your social media accounts from being compromised if one of your admins accidentally opens a suspicious link or file in their own work or personal email.
Use two-step authentication.
Most platforms will ask you to enter a randomly generated code every time you log in. Take the extra step. It’s better to choose safety over convenience.
Pick strong, unique passwords.
According to the digital risk protection company Idagent, 80 percent of data breaches in 2019 were caused by password compromise. That’s why choosing a strong password is critical.
Strong passwords contain:
At least six characters.
A combination of numbers, symbols, and letters.
Letters in both upper and lowercase characters.
No connection to your library. Don’t use the name of your mascot or the numerical portion of your street address in your password.
The easiest way to create strong passwords is to use a secure password generator like Passwordsgenerator.net. You should also consider a process for storing your passwords in a secure location, like a locked file on your Share drive. You could choose to pay a small fee for a password manager like LastPass.com and 1password.com.
Finally, you must also be sure the password you use for each social media platform is unique. Don’t use the same password across all your accounts.
Change your passwords often.
Don’t get too attached to your passwords. Changing them is an inconvenience, but it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.
A good rule of thumb is to change your passwords at least every quarter, but more often is even better. You should also be sure to change all passwords anytime a staff member who had access to your social media accounts leaves the library’s employment.
Don’t use your library’s public Wi-Fi.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warns that public Wi-Fi is not secure. Cybercriminals easily gain access to passwords and other data on these types of wireless networks. Use your staff Wi-Fi or a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) if available.
If you are posting on a mobile device in a location outside the library with public Wi-Fi, use your cell service instead of the public Wi-Fi. Cell service providers use encryption to ensure safety. You may need to consider the purchase of a library-owned device with cell service so staff aren’t using their personal cell service to post for the library.
Did I miss anything? Did your library experience a social media attack and if so, how did you handle it? Let me know in the comments below.
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on the “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
In this episode, I’ll share the MOST IMPORTANT thing you need to do in library marketing and why you must make time for this step!
Kudos in this episode go to the Madison Library District for their commitment to marketing on Pinterest.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week.
No, this blog hasn’t suddenly turned into a philosophical self-help website. But I do think it’s important to make learning and research a part of your work schedule.
You need to know the latest research on customer experience. You need to be alerted when social media algorithms change. You need to be inspired by creative, encouraging, thoughtful people who know the struggles, hurdles, and frustrations of marketing.
Boy, have I got a list for you!
I’ve followed a lot of marketers over the years. I’ve read a lot of blogs, subscribed (and then unsubscribed) to a lot of email newsletters. I’ve watched videos and listened to podcasts about marketing, in the never-ending search to find the people who could offer the most help to me and my library marketing friends.
Here are the seven best places for library marketers to get advice!
Next, sign up for her newsletter, Total Annarchy. It’s the gold standard for e-newsletters and one of my favorite pieces of email to receive!
Mark Schaefer: Marketing strategist, author, and podcaster.
Mark is a human being. I mean, that’s obvious. But what I’ve always loved about him is that he gives advice like he’s your best friend. He’s not afraid to talk about the hard truths of promotional work.
Back in 2014, he started warning marketers about content overload (sometimes also referred to as content shock). This is the idea that people don’t pay attention to marketing because there is just too much stuff bombarding them from all angles.
This was pretty revolutionary for the time, and as I recall, there were a lot of people who thought Mark was nuts.
But he was right. And that’s why he’s written seven best-selling marketing books, launched a podcast, and is a popular speaker.
Jay Baer: NY Times best-selling author, marketing consultant, keynote speaker.
Jay is an expert in the content marketing and social media space.
He has two podcasts that contain tips that relate to libraries. Social Pros focuses on real people doing real work in social media. Talk Triggersshares inspirational case studies about businesses succeeding with word of mouth marketing.
What do Ann Handley, Jay Baer, and Mark Schaefer all have in common? They’ve all been guests at the Library Marketing Book Club on Facebook!
Chris Boivin of the Jacksonville Public Library founded the group in the fall of 2020. We meet once a month to discuss a marketing book and to share tips and strategies for library marketing. Chris is usually able to get the author of the books we discuss to come to our meetings!
This is the go-to organization for everything related to content marketing. I came to know of the existence of Ann Handley, Jay Baer, and Mark Schaefer because of this organization.
Sign up for Chief Content Officer magazine (its free) and for their email newsletter. You’ll get the heads-up on upcoming seminars, free webinars, eBooks, and white papers.
Follow their Twitter for great advice and alerts when they post new blog articles. CMI also hosts #CMWorld chat on Tuesdays at noon EST on a host of relevant marketing topics.
This is my go-to website to check for the latest information on changing social media algorithms, new features, and tips on how to get the best organic reach.
The easiest way to consume their plethora of tips is to sign up for their daily newsletter. They also host #SMTLive chats on Twitter on a variety of social media topics. You can find recaps of their past Twitter chats on their website.
This website makes a good companion for Social Media Today. It provides a deeper dive into social media marketing, with expert advice from some of the leading marketers in the space.
They have a variety of ways for you to receive updates. They post articles and have a robust YouTube channel full of tutorials and shows about social media marketing. They also have two podcasts chock full of information about social media and more expert interviews.
Do you have an expert that should be added to this list? Let me know in the comments!
Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on the “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
In this episode, I’ll give my suggestions for programming your social media posts so you can get some time back in your schedule for all of the other stuff you do!
Do you have a system for scheduling social media posts ahead of time? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Kudos in this episode go to the Adrian District Library for their “Lit in a Minute” book reviews on YouTube.
Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week! Thanks for watching.
Angela answers a question from a viewer, who wishes to remain anonymous, about whether their library should have one social media account per platform for the entire library system.
It’s a good question, and one that Angela gets all the time. Watch the video to find out what she advises.
Kudos this week to the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for unveiling a new website and branding in the midst of a pandemic!
What did you think of this episode? Are you struggling with marketing and promotion right now? Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week! Thanks for watching.
Angela is back in her outdoor work space. She answers a question from a viewer who said: “We have gotten a lot of criticism recently for posting too much on social media. We’ve even had people reach out to us and tell us to ‘calm down!’ How do I approach this? I have decreased the amount of posting (1-2/day on FB, 2-3/ week on Insta and Twitter), but I have noticed a plateau in our engagement on social media. Help!!!”
Angela talks about what to do!
Kudos this week to Mandel Public Library for an amazing post, which you can share if you give them credit.
What did you think of this episode? Are you struggling with marketing and promotion right now? Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know in the comments. And subscribe to this series to get a new video tip for libraries each week!
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 