7 Page Turning Tips for Marketing Your Library
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Transcript of 7 Page Turning Tips for Marketing Your Library
Page Turning
Tips for Marketing
Your Library
7
“Public perception of what libraries actually do
is about 15 years behind the reality in a lot of cases.” -Ned Potter
Innovative marketing is one way for libraries
to change this perception, but this requires
time, resources, and know-how.
We’re here to help with this part!
DOWNLOAD NOW
For now, we’ll assume your
library is all set up on social
media (Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, etc.) If not, our free
social media guide for libraries
covers all the basics and best
practices you need to get
started.
Think local. 1.
Libraries have a head start on most marketers—you know exactly who your target audience is: your community!
Image by Ian Sane on Flickr.com
Target your audience by thinking local: partner with
local businesses, public services, and media outlets.
During ALA’s Library Card Sign Up Month in September, Escondido Public Library partnered with local restaurants
to provide gift cards and/or discounts to anyone with an EPL library card.
The library promoted the offer through the month by visiting many of the
restaurants and sharing a photo on their Instagram. They also tagged all of
the participating locations so followers could discover them and the local
businesses could share and spread the word!
An excellent use
of Instagram’s
tagging feature!
Be sure to use location tagging features so patrons can find your library and public events!
Nashville Public Library spread the word about their new “Be Well at NPL” program via an article in The Tennessean, a local USA Today affiliate in the Nashville area with a social media following of more than 250,000 locals. The article features a professionally produced video created by The Tennessean videographers—a resource many libraries probably don’t have on staff. Of course, NPL went on to leverage the article on all of their own social media platforms.
Forming relationships with other public services is key! When
Long Beach Public Library celebrated the launch of their
new branch, the local fire department volunteered to serve
hot dogs at the event.
Promote and assist with their events and they will reciprocate.
Leave the library. 2.
Even if your goal is to get more community members coming to the library, sometimes it helps to go to them first.
Image by Matthew Hurst on Flickr.com
Exhibit at local businesses and events, start a pop-up library, host
events outside the library, or help tackle community issues.
Mentor Public Library in Ohio sets up a pop-up library
in busy places throughout the
community, including
schools, parks, concerts, and
the local mall.
Community members can
meet a librarian, discuss
library services, and take
home a book to keep!
They also take suggestions
for where to host their next
pop-up library, a great way to
get patrons involved!
The Seattle Public Library advertises all of their events on Facebook, including events like
this film screening that take place out in town!
Cheshire Library exhibited at the Cheshire Fall Festival and
brought more than just books and pamphlets—they brought dog cookies for lucky pups like
this one!
Be creative and find ways to get people to stop for a minute and
chat with you about library services.
Market the librarians,
not just the library. 3.
Libraries are a service,
not a product. Let your community see the face
of that service.
Libraries often conjure images of dusty
old books and shushing sounds. Show your personality
and remind community members how
fun the modern library can be.
Cyrenius H. Booth Library shared this
funny moment when two librarians
accidentally showed up to work in
matching outfits.
Some libraries let patrons book a
computer or a room—Hooksett Public
Library lets patrons book a librarian!
Dakota County Library librarians demonstrated many of the tools in their new makerspace with their local Fox News station
(remember, partner with local media).
The librarians got in front of the camera to answer interview questions and use some of the new machines, ranging from a 3D printer
to a sewing machine.
Long Beach Public Library staff shared this behind-the-scenes
look as they brainstormed their costumes and decorations for the upcoming Long Beach Comic Con.
Leverage user-generated content. 4.
Your patrons are your biggest advocates and there’s no
better marketing than good word of mouth. Let them do the talking for you with user-generated content.
Image by Republic of Korea on Flickr
This Jacksonville mom used
the Main Branch of the
Jacksonville Public Library
as the background for a
major landmark: her
pregnancy photos!
JPL came across the photos
on social media and had to
get the scoop. They turned
baby Adeline’s story into a
beautiful blog post about
what the library means to
different people.
We decided early on that we
would encourage reading and a thirst for knowledge with our daughter – so the library is kind
of like our church,” remarked Adeline’s father, David
Petlansky. “The downtown library is easily at the top our
list of things that make us proud to live in Jacksonville. ”
“
When a father shared a
picture of his kids struggling
to pick just one book,
Kitchener Library used it as an
opportunity to remind their
patrons they don’t have to
make any tough decisions.
Let your patrons tell
your community
how awesome you
are (and share what
they have to say!)
Piggyback on others’ content. 5.
While you’re on the lookout for user-
generated content from your patrons,
you should also look for (or ask for!)
content from your services and piggyback on their resources.
Image by Matt Guffey on Flickr.com
Euless Library offers music, movies, eBooks,
and more on hoopla—but they don’t need to create new marketing materials to advertise this digital
service.
Hoopla is a big company that makes their own marketing materials—perfect for subscribing libraries to leverage!
Follow your services, authors, etc. on social media and share their marketing materials.
Don’t be afraid to ask
for promotional materials, either!
We received so many requests from librarians that we created a
Library Marketing Kit for libraries that subscribe to Transparent
Language Online, complete with digital resources, suggested social
media posts, and printables!
Kitchener Library shared one of our designs with their followers to promote Transparent Language
Online to the wanderlusters in their Ontario community.
Make use of free tools
(and freelancers). 6.
Sometimes, you’ll want to create your own content. You don’t
need a design degree or a big budget to make it happen! Make
the most of free tools and freelancers.
There are dozens of free and affordable
online design tools,our favorite of which is
Canva, which is free for libraries!
This design service provides perfectly-sized
templates for various platforms, sample
designs for you to use or emulate, and
thousands of shapes, images, clipart, and
backgrounds to choose from.
You can see samples of what other libraries
have created using Canva on this design
sharing site.
Image created by Kasia Piasecka of the Falmouth Public Library Image created by Lindsay Davis of the Los Banos Campus Library at Merced College
Need free (and license-free) images to use in your designs? Look no further
than these 22 sites with stunning free stock images*. We love Gratisography
for its whimsical images and Pexels for its easy search feature.
We get to use the above image for free, no need to attribute anyone!
*We always recommend checking image licenses before use, as terms may change!
If you’re lacking in time or inspiration or if
you need something a little more sophisticated, you can hire a pro
without breaking the bank!
On freelancer sites like Fiverr or Upwork,
you can find photographers,
videographers, graphic designers, writers,
and beyond.
Make it eventful. 7.
Get involved in community issues
and social media events—even if it
seemingly has little to do with
libraries—and host some of
your own!
Perhaps the biggest event
of 2016 was the release of
Pokemon Go. Libraries
like Wallingford Public
Library jumped on the
hype and started Poke-
programming.
Nothing compels children
without library cards (and
their chaperoning
parents) to visit the library
than a PokeStop. Who
knows what else they’ll
discover once they walk
through the door.
September 15th kicks off
Hispanic Heritage Month, a
great time for libraries to
encourage diversity and
feature Hispanic authors, like
Lisle Library District did with
their display of
recommended reads.
Cyrenius H. Booth Library
hosts an ongoing event at
their library—a community
puzzle! It’s the little things like
this that make someone
excited to swing by the library
for a book instead of just
checking out an eBook.
When people think libraries, they probably don’t think environmental activism.
But Mentor Public Library is getting involved in their community’s quest to save
the Monarch butterfly by serving as a milkweed pod collection site! This
generosity is likely to win over the project’s participant (and draw people to the
library for drop-offs.)
Need more ideas? The American Library Association has
tons of recommendations for events that you can host in
the library, from scavenger hunts to bookmark contests.
Are you ready to start reaching out to your
community to market your libraries services?
If not, reach out to us first with questions about
your library marketing strategies!
Looking for other ways to reach your diverse community? How about
learning materials in 100+ languages (including English) available on
PCs, tablets, or smartphones?
Learn more about Transparent Language Online for Libraries.