1. Promotional Activities That Work 1 Promotional Activities That Work Richard Comley, Outreach Librarian OBMH Athens Promotion at OBMH Library and Training promotion at OBMH The work of SCOL

2. Promotional Activities That Work 2 General Principles… Relevancy Give them something they need Catch the eye - Title encapsulates content Promote via a number of different avenues Exploit Context and Contacts Exploit links between things, and bundle Provide incentives Keep at it!

3. Promotional Activities That Work 3 A Bit More Detail… Relevancy  Make the Most of Athens grew out of a request at Ridgeway – others saw the adverts and asked  Ridgeway needing access to wider resources  Came at a time of change – Dialog to Search 2.0/HDAS  Knowledge Officer (Hill Report) becoming embedded  CKO/TKO  Inductions necessary/compulsory  Library resources & Athens underpinning CPD

4. Promotional Activities That Work 4 Further General Principles… Give them something they need – they may not know they need it!  Ridgeway Current Contents has improved awareness of Library (but only start something you are able to maintain)  Nurses on a ward did not appreciate the usefulness of e-books before seeing a demonstration – (done at a Team Meeting)

5. Promotional Activities That Work 5 Catch the Eye! Title encapsulates content Make the Most of Athens does what it says on the tin! Title courses or sessions so that the essentials come to the front  Finding the evidence – using the literature databases and Search 2.0: poor response Worthy but unhelpful!  Athens Saved My Life (and Got Me a Free Pen Drive!) Communications Dept changed this - impact lost

6. Promotional Activities That Work 6 Promote via Different Avenues Posters and handouts in the Library  But they become part of the wallpaper Announcements on the Intranet  But people only read the first page, if that… Emails to key people  Follow them up  Have a rolling programme (Forth Bridge!) Take a stand in the canteen!  Then at least they know who you are!  Catch the eye – giveaways

7. Promotional Activities That Work 7 Why This Marketing Approach? Fighting inertia… What’s Athens? (OR Just something I used at college) What’s NHS Evidence? (So please don’t keep changing the name!) I always use Pubmed (but how well do they know it?) I just use Google (so show them Advanced Search) We don’t need background info – we know our job (but show them easy access stuff & they are interested) I don’t have time for training (but get what you do on to CPD and they get a benefit)

8. Promotional Activities That Work 8 Context and Contacts Exploit where you are placed in the organisation  At OBMH, within Learning & Development  Library Courses certificated, part of CPD  L & D manage inductions – Library slot Situation different for every organisation

9. Promotional Activities That Work 9 Context and Contacts Exploit existing structures & cycles  Team meetings: time already diaried, whole team together; often looking for activities; quick promo  Inductions  Courses  Rotations Exploit the way things are linked together  Athens resources within SWIMS: promote together – enhances awareness of each

10. Promotional Activities That Work 10 Provide Incentives! Giveaways  Have a promotional budget (however small)  Gives you the freedom to be creative!  Use free stuff (less about at present)  Envelopes as publicity Catching the Eye

11. Promotion is… A Forth Bridge job!

12. Promotional Activities That Work 12 Rolling Programme Contact with Teams  Devise a schedule Calendar of Events  AGM  Research & Development Days  Rotations Expect the Unexpected!  Flexibility – Be Prepared  Conferences suddenly “happening” on your site

13. Promotional Activities That Work 13 Resources to help you… SCOL website  Shamelessly plunder this!  http://www.nesc.nhs.uk/ and follow links http://www.nesc.nhs.uk/

14. Promotional Activities That Work 14 Resources to help you… SCOL website  Presentation on technicalities of effective promotional literature  Example leaflets  E-books, NHS Evidence, etc.  Evaluation material  SCOL minutes

15. Promotional Activities That Work 15 And finally… Have fun with it! It won’t work unless you enjoy doing it!