Marketing Analysis and Advertising Allison Andrews Kathy Grimenstein April 25, 2006

Focus of Presentation Marketing overview American Case Study Community/Culture Profile Recommendations for other librarians Lessons learned

Goals of Project Determine successful uses of marketing tools. Share those tools with librarians around the globe. Incorporate multi-cultural aspects of results in library services.

Storyboard Example Stress to students the importance of specific, measurable marketing tools, as in the following examples: Newsletters Surveys Local media coverage Community involvement Feedback from other librarians and patrons Cultural Activities – Multi-cultural author book talks – Spanish story time – Book clubs for teens or ‘tweens' Digitization or automation – Computer classes – Electronic resources or database subscriptions – Library OPAC

Examples of Library Marketing – Teen page with links to suggested books from varied genres and subjects; not updated recently, some links not since the late 1990’s; boring-no graphics. – Gives examples of public libraries that received the support of the community through outreach and effective marketing techniques to build new libraries or to purchase expensive scholarly periodicals. – Used the example of a few Latino patrons who were loyal to the library because of Hispanic story time activities and who caused many more Latinos to support the efforts of the library.

Other examples – The Public Library Helper by Edward J. Elsner, an online tutorial. – Public Library Director and Library Consultant in Michigan who specializes in small and rural libraries, marketing and collection development. – An example of an online survey on evaluating library instruction programs, with specific questions for patrons to answer.

American Case Study Fairview Public Library, Branch of the Williamson County System in middle Tennessee: Friendly staff Media connections New materials near front door Outreach to community Reader’s Advisory binder Effective reference interviews Programs – Preschool story time – Focus Day activities – Free guitar lessons – Income Tax help – Monthly Book Club – Professional entertainers

Community / Culture Profile Data collection tools (surveys / questionnaires) help libraries to better understand community needs or makeup. Marketing and advertising are essential for libraries to reach their community of users. Funding, technology, and demographic changes exist in local communities.

Survey Questions: Small Libraries What kind of marketing plan or advertising methods does your small library currently use? Do you use flyers, press releases, local media, or radio announcements to reach the community?

Survey Questions: Culture- Specific Materials What type of new marketing campaign would attract a wider diversity of users? What groups within your community does the public library target in its advertising?

Survey Questions: Digitization How many public access computers are available in your public library? Do you have a library website? Does your library offer and advertise computer or technology classes?

Recommendations Get to know community leaders and members of local organizations. Meet the needs of a diverse community in creative ways. Be prepared to convince the governing body of the library’s importance to the community. Deliver high quality services.

More Recommendations Have a marketing plan, idea, or a set of goals to achieve. Outline ways to achieve the marketing objectives. Make sure to involve the community and library staff.

Lessons Learned Even when a goal is not reached, an effective project is possible. A small public library must approach marketing from many angles. All segments of the population can be reached with the correct techniques.

Lessons Learned…cont. Evaluate marketing and advertising efforts. Identify areas that require improvements. Determine the success of new programs or marketing techniques. – Increases in services, usage, funding, or new patrons? Measure community response.

Questions ? Any questions or comments? Thanks for listening !