Marketing Libraries – Is it good for your health? Professor Alan Wilson University of Strathclyde...
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Transcript of Marketing Libraries – Is it good for your health? Professor Alan Wilson University of Strathclyde...
Marketing Libraries – Is it good for your health?
Professor Alan Wilson
University of Strathclyde
Business School
Key Marketing Themes
Developing a Marketing Oriented Service
Identifying and Targeting your Key User Groups
Delivering a User Oriented Service Communicating and Promoting
Your Services
Developing a Marketing Oriented Service
The Concept of Marketing in the Commercial World
The whole of the organisation should be driven by a constant concern for its customers
Firms usually enter a business by creating products/services but stay in business only by creating and retaining customers at a profit
The whole business seen from the point of view of its end result, that is from the point of view of the customer
The Concept of Marketing in Libraries/ Information Services involves:
Define who users / potential users are
Focus on their needs
Co-ordinate all activities that affect the users
Meet Budget Requirements
User Satisfaction
Difficulties in Adoption
Library and Information Service Managers may lose the emphasis on the user as they get involved in the complex and demanding process of managing the organisation as the central purpose of their activities.
Financial Management
Personnel Management
Production Management
Promotional Management
The User
Production Orientation
The focus and emphasis is on having the latest service, technology and database
Little attention is given to marketing research and service planning
If users are unhappy, it’s because they don’t use the service properly
Sales Orientation
The focus is on volume of users, not on cost effective service provision.
The prevailing point of view is that all users should be given whatever he wants.
There tends to be weak linkage between true user needs and wants and the planning of the services to be offered
Financial Orientation
The emphasis tends to be on short range cost savings at the expense of the future sustainability of the service.
Cost reduction efforts may sacrifice service quality
The focus is not on user requirements but on internal considerations and reporting mechanisms
For the Marketing Concept to Work:
All decisions must be preceded by the question:
WILL OUR DECISION AFFECT OUR USERS?
When in doubt, ask the user. Image is as important to the user as
actuality: as long as the user thinks the decision will affect them, it does!!
For the Marketing Concept to Work:
Opinions about users’ views will no longer do, we must have facts. With marketing research data, the
number of bad decisions is reduced, as well as the number of arguments.
For the Marketing Concept to Work:
Loyalty to the organisation and the service is not as important as loyalty to the user. When a wise organisation creates a successful new
service it should immediately plan the next successful version which will destroy the first one: if you don’t users may seek that service elsewhere.
If the user thinks the service is good, it’s good. If the user thinks the service is poor, it’s poor. Educating the user to think differently is an expensive and time-consuming business.
Identifying and Targeting your Key User Groups
Squares
User Segments
Users have different preferences and requirements when seeking information
The priority they put on each of these will vary
The different priorities will determine the user segments
Need to determine the different ways of delivering information to meet these different needs and priorities
Example of Benefit Segmentation in the Toothpaste Market
Benefits Sought CategoryDecay Prevention Large families
Age:25-40Educated parents
Brightness of Teeth Teens and YoungSmokers
Flavour / ProductAppearance
ChildrenLess educated
Low Price MalesAge: 35-50
Example: Cabinet Towels
Hand Drying
In PublicWashrooms In Staff
Washrooms
In Kitchens
1. Vandal proof
2. Reliable Servicing
3. Inexpensive
4. Appearance
quality popular
1. Inexpensive
2. Low Maintenance
1. Hygiene
2. Multi-use
3. Space saving
So what do your user segments require?
24 hour access Info comes to user Help to access
correct information Self help Immediate
availability Updating service
Very technical information
Ability to browse Somebody to gather
the information On-site resources Free information Most recent
information
Prioritise the Segments
Determine the key target segments for your service
Who are the secondary or tertiary user segments?
Is this reflected in the way you run the service?
Remember, it is unlikely you can satisfy all of the people, all of the time.
Delivering a User Oriented Service
The Service Encounter
Moment of Truth Perceived quality is realised when the
service provider and the user meets Interaction impacts on service
differentiation and service quality Interactions need to be managed A service is an experience
The Service Encounter Cascade
Hotel Visit Check in Porter takes to room Restaurant Meal Wake up Call Checkout
A failure at one point results in greater risk for dissatisfaction at each ensuing level
Same for a physical or virtual library visit
Questions that should be asked
Which phases of the user service sequence provided by your service most concern?
What goes wrong, why, and what might be done to improve it?
The User Service Sequence
Finding out about the Service
Requesting the Service
Delivery of the
Service
Packaging / Presentation
of the Service
Invoicing/ Charging for the Service
Providing Feedback
Market Research
Evaluation of the Service
Asking Users User surveys ( various formats) User groups / group discussions Monitoring Complaints/ Feedback Observation Mystery Shoppers
Communicating and Promoting Your Services
What do we want to say about our Service?
The Virgin Brand
Quality Innovation Value for Money Fun Sense of Challenge
An Integrated Service Brand
The ServiceStaff
Behaviour
Communication Environment
Brand
Values
Communication Decisions
1. What are the communication objectives
2. Who are the target audience
3. How much can be spent
4. What message should be sent
5. What method should be used
6. How should the result be evaluated
Communicating with Users
Personal Contact Telephone
Contact Advertising Public Relations Direct Mail Newsletters
Exhibitions Posters Leaflets Signage Brochures Directories Internet
Assessing Communication Activities Does it address our objectives? Will it reach the Correct Audience? Is the Message Clear? From the users’ perspective, is it jargon-
free? Does it have initial impact? Does it attract attention by addressing
potential user needs and suggesting how we can satisfy them?
Is it clear what the potential user should do next?
Is the style consistent with our other services and communications?
In summary:
Develop a Marketing Oriented Service
Identify and Target your Key User Groups
Deliver a User Oriented Service Communicate and Promote Your
Services