Library advocacy 3.0

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Library Advocacy 3.0

NYLA InstituteMonday, February 28, 2011Presented by Libby Post

Who You’re Learning With

• Libby Post, President/CEO of Communication Services– Work with libraries in NY and NJ on branding

to position them for growth– Run branding/marketing campaigns, building

referendums, budget votes and charter changes

– Train library directors and library boards on how to run successful campaigns

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Public Libraries We’ve Worked With• Albany Public Library• Diver Library • Elting Memorial Library• Fairport Public Library • Finkelstein Memorial Library• Gold Coast Public Library• Goshen Public Library• Grinnell Library Association • Highland Public Library• Hudson Association Library• Irondequoit Public Library• Jervis Public Library• Lagrange Library

• Lewisboro Library

• Long Lake Library

• Mahopac Public Library

• Penn Yan Public Library

• Pawling Library

• RCS Community Library

• Saugerties Public Library

• Stone Ridge Public Library

• Wallkill Public Library

• White Plains Public Library

• Wood Library

• Woodstock Public Library

Library System Training

• Division of Library Development, NYSED

• Mid-Hudson Library System• Mohawk Valley Library System • Monroe County Library System• Nassau Library System• New York Library Association• New Jersey Library

Association• Nioga Library System

• North Country Library System• Onondaga County Public

Library System• Palmer Institute for Public

Library Org. and Mgt.• Ramapo Catskill Library

System• Suffolk Cooperative Library

System• Upper Hudson Library System• Westchester Library System

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What We’ll Learn Together Today

• Why Be an Advocate• What Advocacy Is All About• How we can use the Web and Social

Networking to – Reach new people– Organize our supporters– Reinforce your message– Get results

In depth looks at:

• Branding

• Web 2.0– Social Networking/Marketing

– Blogs

– E-mail campaigns

• Web 3.0– Mobile marketing

• Mini sites

• Smartphones

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Giving Credit Where It Is Due

• Wellstone Action

• ALA’s Library Advocate’s Handbook

• E-politics online (www.epolitics.com)

• Experience gathered working as an advocate for over 30 years

Some Advocates We’ve Known

• John Brown– Leading Abolitionist

– Anti-Slavery Advocate

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• Eleanor Roosevelt– First Lady

– Human Rights Advocate


• Cesar Chavez– President, United

Farm Workers

– Migrant Workers Advocate

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• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.– President, Southern

Christian Leadership Council

– Civil Rights Advocate


• Harvey Milk– Martyred San

Francisco Supervisor

– Lesbian and Gay Rights Advocate

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The Online Revolutionaries in Egypt

Some advocates We’ve Yet to Meet

Any of these Any of these people could be people could be

you!you!

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Why Be An Advocate?

• “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?“– Hillel

Why Be An Advocate

• If we don’t stand up for libraries, who will?

• If we do stand up for libraries– Our staff will

– Our trustees will

– Our peers will

– Our patrons will

– Our community leaders will

– Our elected officials possibly will (if we make it politically safe for them)

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Why Be An Advocate?

• Stand up for what you believe in– Frame the debate and determine the message

• Express your passion about libraries

• Become a leader

• Organize supporters– Allow them to express their passion as well

• Develop strategies

• Execute and analyze

What Is Advocacy All About?

• Taking action to impact an issue– Why you want to take action?

– What do you want to accomplish?

– How can you be best prepared?

– What resources will you need?

– Who will lead?

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What Is Advocacy All About?

• Advocacy comes alive as a campaign– Effective message that moves people to

action– Series of tactics based on message and

resources• Online and “on the street”

– Clear attainable goal• Internal goal• External goal

Key Components of an Advocacy Campaign

• Strong leadership

• Clear goals– Written plan

• Strong, clear message

• Determine targets to pressure

• Organize people

• Determine tactics– Online

– “On the Streets”

• Media– Public Relations

• Celebrate

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Strong Leadership

• Essential to have someone in charge– Campaigns require planning, focus, discipline

and organization

• Decisions need to be made quickly and decisively

• Everyone has a role to play• Campaign leadership has control of

campaign decision making

Clear Goals

• Articulate vision– Have a clear understanding of what campaign

is trying to accomplish– Can not be all things to all people– May not be able to talk about other important

issues

• Written plan drives strategy and tactics• Define victory

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Strong, clear message

• Clear, concise

• You define it– Don’t let opposition define your message

• Internal message– What you use to engage and motivate your base

• External message– What you communicate in various ways to your

intended targets—policy makers, elected, etc.

Determine targets

• Who are you trying to impact– Supporters (folks who don’t know they’re

supporters—yet!)– Policy makers– Decision makers– Elected Officials

• Helps determine where you have or where you need to build supporters

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Determine tactics

• Personal visits with targets– That’s what you’ll be doing tomorrow

• Letters, faxes, e-mails, postcards and phone calls to targets

• Rallies and demonstrations• Direct action strategies

– Book In: Pile up books in front of a legislators’ office to show value of one visit

• Political theater– Bread and Puppet

Determine Your Online Strategy

• Websites • Blogs• Social Media

– Facebook– Twitter– You Tube

• Mobile Media– SmartPhones

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Organize people

• Organize People– Excite your base with your message

– Gain their commitment to act

– Give them specific things to do

– Constantly reach out and bring in new people

Use media

• Has to be coordinated

• Spokesperson determined

• Stay on message

• Media tactics– Press conferences and other earned media

– Letters to the Editor/Op Ed pieces

– Editorial board meetings

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Focus: Developing Your Message

• Can have great goals, innovative tactics, know who to target

• But without clear, compelling message you won’t be able to celebrate!


• Your message is the core argument

• Must be the foundation upon which all organizing is based

• Bold, clear, concise

• People should feel their self-interests are connected to the interests of the campaign

• Talk directly to people in plain language

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• Do not be afraid to speak out forcefully and with conviction– Straightforward and honest

• “People yearn for leaders who are real, who are willing to speak their mind, take a stand and do what they think is right.”– From “Politics the Wellstone Way”

Why Libraries Can Develop Compelling Messages

• Because it can be grounded in the experiences and circumstances of its intended audience(s)

• Because it can easily be based on values shared by both the advocacy effort and its audience(s)

• Because libraries are credible, can back up our assertions with facts and our message can be delivered by trustworthy people

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What Makes a Message Good?

• Connecting a person’s interests and values– Start with what a person already knows and

thinks and then move them to where you want them to be

• Want to inspire people to take action– Depends on whether message leaves people

feeling hopeful, energized and that their contribution will make a difference

Compelling Messages from Patrons

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What Are Our Basic Messages?

• Libraries are an essential service– Jobs and Opportunity

– Life Long Learning

– Quality of Life

– Community Empowerment

• Libraries are more important than ever

Basic Message: Libraries Are Essential

Library

Fire Police

Health Care Schools

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Developing Your Message

• In 1992, when James Carville ran Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign the following phrase was on the white board

KISSKeep It Simple Stupid

Don’t over think.Remember who your audience is.

Laying the Groundwork

• What does your library stand for?

• What is its emotional appeal/tug?

• What is your library’s brand?

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What is Branding?

• Integral part of marketing

• Sets libraries apart from other public institutions

• Sum total of all attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about your library

• Emotional branding: – Love

– Hate

– Hope

– Fear

• Libraries give people hope, a sense of community, a long life of learning

What is Marketing?

• All activities geared to raising the identity and use of the library

• Libraries need to market– Reinforces position as an essential service for the

community

– Reinforces that libraries are very relevant and haven’t been replaced by the internet

– Positions library to garner community support for voter initiatives

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Use Your Annual Report

• Constantly remind the public what you do– How many people came through your doors– How many items were checked out– How many programs were held– How many people used public access computers

• Make the connection between the numbers and your message– We help people in times of economic stress– Free Services– Go back to the beginning of presentation, how does your library

fit the bill?

Marketing Tools

• Logo

• Graphic Standards

• Newsletters

• Bookmarks

• Posters

• Post Cards

• Message on Hold

• T-shirts

• Signage

• Name tags Outstanding Customer Service

• E-mails newsletters

• User friendly, easy to navigate website

• PowerPoint presentations

• Displays

• Public Relations

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Visual Identity is Important

Traditional Marketing Campaigns Are Still Important

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Having a good looking, easy to navigate website is also important

• Highland Public Library

• New York Public Library

• Fayetteville Free Library

• Port Washington Public Library

• Los Angeles Public Library

• San Jose Public Library

NYLA’sOn-Going Advocacy Campaign

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NY’s Libraries: Essential Campaign

• Strong leadership– Mike Borges, NYLA ED

– NYLA Legislative Committee

– Communication Services’ team


• Clear goals– External:

• Position libraries as essential to stave off further state funding cuts

– Internal:• Strengthen NYLA’s advocacy brand and operation

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• Strong, clear message– New York’s libraries are essential to

• Jobs and opportunity

• Lifelong learning

• Quality of Life

• Community Empowerment

• Determine targets to pressure– State legislature


• Organize people– Staff

– Trustees

– Patrons

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• Determine tactics– Website

• Online petition• Why is your library essential?• Drive people to NYLA Advocacy Site• SnapShotNY photo and video gallery

– Facebook page• Constant communication driving folks back to Protect NY

libraries site• Supporters sending e-mails from NYLA site

– Print materials

Time to Take a Break!

Be Back in 10!

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The Next Step in Our Advocacy

Going ViralWith New3.0 Tools!

Now, it’s important to take the next step(s)

• Take advantage of some of the most cost-effective and easy marketing available– Web 2.0

• Social Networks/Media

– Web 3.0• Mobile Marketing

Not utilizing social media in the 21st

Century is like not having a website in

the 1990s. It screams—the library is out of

touch, out of synch, not technologically

with it!

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Do We Have 2.0 Supporters?

The only place to go is up!

NY’s Libraries: EssentialFacebook Page grew toover 4,400 in just afew weeks!


• 80-89% age 18-33• 60-69% of 34-45• 50-59% of 46-55• 40-49% of 56-64• 30-39% of 65-74• 10-19% of 74+

– The fastest growth in internet use are people 74 and older

• Blogging for all online adults rose slightly overall from 11% in late 2008 to 14% in 2010.

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• Fasted growing cohorts for social networking activity is 46-64


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Do We Have 3.0 Supporters?Smartphone Penetration in the U.S.


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Let’s Get Started on Web 2.0:The Social Media Landscape

Does My Library Haveto Use Them All?

• NO!• Focus on Social Networking, Social Media and a

bit of Social Sharing– Blogs– Facebook– Twitter– You Tube– E-mail campaigns

• Drive supporters back to a dynamic website

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Libraries and Social Networks

• Interactive e-playgrounds

• Web based tools that allows the library to to meet, interact, collaborate, share info and media with your audiences—including your supporters

• Platforms for communication, empowerment and advocacy!


Opportunity to engage your supporters/patrons and build an interactive online community for the library Create a Community Get Engaged Share Information Generate Calls to Action Advocate

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• Enables us to go beyond the “library advocates are as quiet as libraries”

• Establishes and reinforces our role as leaders in library advocacy, freedom of expression, and the last bastion of democracy

Blogs

• Not as much dynamic growth but still an important factor (youth are moving away blogs)

• Library blog– Use to get your word out

– Create conversations

• Bloggers that are followed impact public opinion– Can help spread the library’s message

– Consider having “blogger events” to lay out your issues

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Advocacy Websites

• We walk a fine line between using taxpayer money for advocacy and not

• OK to ask folks to contact their legislators for funding

• Not OK to ask folks to Vote Yes• Set up separate Vote Yes sites

– Plugs ins for Facebook– Have a presence on Twitter as well

• New site: www.stoptrashingmylibrary.org

Facebook

• Is extremely relevant—today and tomorrow!

• Is cost-effective—FREE unless you take out ads

• Enables you to build your advocacy audience and keep them in the loop

• They can help you build even more

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Facebook

• Easy to set up

• Create a page for the library– Now people “like” your library (very 5th grade)

– No longer Fan Pages

• RCS Community Library

• Fayetteville Free Library

• Seattle Public Library

Facebook

• Enables you to – Promote your issues

– Build audiences

– Keep folks up to date

– Drive supporters to take action

– Post links and videos

– Connect through Twitter

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Facebook

• Social Plugins that you can put on your library’s website– Like Button and Like Box

– Activity Feed

– Life Stream

– Comments• And more

Twitter

• Reinforce Facebook postings– Facebook reinforces Twitter

• Short messages (140 characters), convert website addresses to “tiny urls”

• Create a community followers– Build on Facebook community

• They can retweet your postings• Create greater presence and increase your

followers

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Twitter

• New York Public Library

Tweetdeck

• Gives you the ability to post on multiple social networks at once

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So does Ping.fm

You Tube

• Post videos of testimonials from supporters and patrons– Lots of potential

– Videos are short, concise ways to convey information and even have some fun!

• Queens Library

• Queens Library #2

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E-mail Campaigns

• You have the e-mails list

• You have the information

• Use them!

• Drive people to Facebook, Websites to take action

Making It All Work Together

• Promote Facebook and Twitter on your advocacy and/or library websites, blogs, print materials, individual e-mails and e-mail newsletters

• Drive people to your website postings, You Tube videos and blog entries on Facebook and Twitter

• Social Network logos are free to use

• Promote sharing

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So When Did We Get to Web 3.0?

• When we got our Smart Phones!

Web 3.0—It’s All About The Phone!

• Users always have them and are quickly accessed– Not so with lap tops, iPads or desk tops

• We have the ability to take outreach and advocacy to the next level

• Mobile-sites• Targeted ads• Text messaging

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Do We Have 3.0 Supporters?Smartphone Penetration in the U.S.

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Mobile-Sites

• Academic Libraries have been on the cutting edge– Creating mobile-sites that have the same

interactive capabilities as regular sites• Search catalogs

• Reserve books

• Explore calendar

Take Out Your Smart Phones!

• Adelphi University: http://m.adelphi.edu/au2go/

• Cornell: http://www.library.cornell.edu/mobile

• University at Binghamton/SUNY: http://library.binghamton.edu/m/#_home

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Take Out Your Smart Phones!

• New York Public Library: http://m.nypl.org/

• Orange County Public Library: http://m.ocls.info/

Advocacy Mobile Sites

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Advocacy Mobile Sites

Setting Up a Mobile Site

• www.winksite.com– Free utility to set up a quick and easy mobile

site

• Register a domain name– .mobi

– Design the site using XML/XHTML and CSS

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Some Tips from ioninteractive.com(and Re-Fashioned for Advocacy)

• Give your supporters the finger– Should be able to access using just one finger

• Keep it Simple– Short, concise copy– Not a carbon copy of your website– Use key messages

• Be Bold– Keep it interesting, focused


• Keep it on Purpose– Mobile supporters have a specific reason

– Direct your message to take action• Drive them to a website and send an e-mail

• Drive to Facebook

• Drive them to make a phone

• Drove the to take action!

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• Be Advanced– Not your website, not constrained by website

design– Can go from vertical to horizontal– Mobile site=your campaign’s look and feel

• Be Compatible– No Flash– Yes Video

SMS or as we know it, Texting!

• SMS=Short Messaging Service

• Enables you to send text messages to your supporters– Opt-in

– Market your common short code

– Drive supporters to library/advocacy website, to get them to take action, to build your base

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Text Messages

• 95%-100% open rate

• Short and to the point

• Usually read in full

• Target your message to build your base– Build your cell lists

Short Code NOT Short Bread!

• Short Code is the 5 or 6 digit code your Supporters will use to – Sign up for your text messages

– Respond to your text messages• Vote for Jennifer Grey on Dancing With the Stars,

text Jennifer to 123456

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Can Get Expensive, But

• Buzz411.org– Free

• Clubtexting.com– Pay as you go

MMS or Multi-Media Messaging Service

• Kick your text messages up a notch with – Color

– Sound

– Video

– Animation

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Mobile Ads

• Not as expensive as you think

• You can set the budget

• You define your demographic

• You control the whole thing

Mobile Ads

• AdMob.com– acquired by Google

• Explore other providers

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Making It All Work Together

• Promote 3.0 on 2.0 and traditional media

• Use SMS or MMS to drive supporters to your– Mobile Ads

– Mobile Site

– Facebook, Twitters other social networking

Online Advocacy Wrap Up

• Organize your supporters

• Communicate with them quickly and effectively

• Spur them to action

• Mold policy

• Shift the direction of public discourseSpecial thanks for Colin Delany of e.politics.com for writing a paper this part of the presentation is based upon

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• Ease– All you need is an internet connection– Little guys can look and fight like the big guys

• Speed– Can learn about an issue in the a.m.– Formulate response by noon– Generate online response from supporters by

3 p.m.


• Reach– Your supporters– Media– Bloggers

• Interconnection beyond e-mail– Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, other social

networking sites– Blogs

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5 Simple Rules

• What do you want to accomplish?– What are the best tools?

• Be persistent, leave brilliance to the genius next door– Be relentless

– Use different tactics

– Repeat your message, over and over

5 Simple Rules

• Connect All Your Online and Offline Advocacy Approaches Together– E-mails should reinforce your message

– Don’t forget old fashioned methods• Letters

• Postcards

• Tried and true grassroots efforts

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5 Simple Rules

• Make it Compelling– Content and tone is key

– Action Alerts shouldn’t sound like policy papers

– Write like a human being not a policy wonk

• Remember you’re selling an idea to get people to act

Build Your Lists

• Collect e-mails

• Send action alerts that link to page

• Can be done in Outlook but the larger the list the more cumbersome– Mail Dog

– Constant Contact

– Vertical Response

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Building Your Lists

• Have a sign-up button, for your e-newsletter/action alerts, on every page of your site

• Encourage your supporters to pass Action Alerts on, have a sign up at the bottom

• Collect cell numbers for text messaging

How Often?

• Too many = burn out

• Too few = Who is this from?

• Two to four messages per month is just about right– Exception is when you’re in the thick of a

battle

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Tip for Websites(Not just advocacy)

• Make sure your site is – Findable (easy website name)

– Navigable (easy to get around, intuitive)

– Relevant (useful information)

– Current (up to date info)

• Special Tip—always link your logo on each page to the home page

Tips on Being Current

• Constant job

• Try to distinguish between time-sensitive and evergreen content

• Avoid works like “tomorrow,” “yesterday” or “next week” unless its in an action alert or press release

• Keep a spreadsheet to track pages, their messages and relevant dates so you can update

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It’s a Brave New World

It’s Your Turn.Make Your LibraryStand Out!

Library advocacy 3.0

Education

Transcript of Library advocacy 3.0