Marketing the Library
Course
Promoting Programs, Events, and Services [3:48]
Learn specific methods to market programs, events, and services in your library.
When it comes to marketing a program, you will want to understand the objectives of the program so you can market them. Be sure to leverage both traditional and online marketing techniques and connect them to the mission and goals you outlined in your marketing plan.
For example, come up with a slogan and a campaign logo and use this across print and social media outreach. When designing it, think about language and visuals that students will respond positively to. You can even enlist students to help with the design.
Use traditional marketing tactics—posters, announcements over the school broadcast system, newsletter notes—to draw attention to the campaign.
Support this with social media posts that include catchy visuals and the voices of students. As a part of your campaign, don't forget to record data so that you can analyze what was effective and what wasn't and apply that to your next one.
We will define services as ongoing and available to support stakeholders. What goals do you have related to the services you offer? Maybe you want to get more teachers collaborating with you. What about highlighting a past successful collaboration? On social media, you could turn the description into a dramatic story, adding onto it one day at a time for a week and utilizing cliff-hangers. Or, try delivering handwritten notes with a collaboration spark to a teachers' classroom. Again, if you can brand the service—in this case, collaboration—with the library logo, or even a new one developed specifically for collaboration, you'll build awareness of what the library offers.
Marketing events is probably already familiar to you. Events can be recurring or one time. Your library might feature events such as book fairs, author visits, open houses, program walkthroughs, maker faires, and, most likely, much more! Again, you'll want to combine traditional and social media marketing. Create handouts, posters, and announcements. Post details on social media. Create traction by posting questions related to the event, like 'guess what this is' or 'name this character.' Use hashtags liberally. During the event, be sure to gather photos, videos, and quotes that can then be used to promote similar events in the future. Remember to invite library stakeholders to your events, too.
You're now ready to finish your marketing plan and start putting it into action to promote the programs, services, and events in your library.
Now it's time to tie all the elements of your marketing plan together. Read "Ladies and Fairies and Cats, Oh My!: Innovative Library Promotion" by Jessica Thompson in the Resources below, then complete the Reflect & Practice activity.
Spend some time reviewing your entire marketing plan. Are there any additional action steps you want to add now that you've learned more about marketing programs, services, and events? Finally, return to pages 2 and 9 in the Marketing Plan Template and complete the executive summary and budget. You're now ready to share your marketing plan with your colleagues and administrators, incorporate their feedback, and then implement your ideas. Happy marketing!
MLA Citation
Editorial Team, SLC. "Marketing the Library: Complete Your Marketing Plan." School Library Connection, October 2018, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2174923?learningModuleId=2174884&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2174996
Additional Resources
About the Authors
Email: rmorris@schoollibraryconnection.com
Twitter: @rebeccajm87.
MLA Citation
Editorial Team, SLC. "Marketing the Library. Promoting Programs, Events, and Services [3:48]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, October 2018, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2174923?learningModuleId=2174884&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2174923?learningModuleId=2174884&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2174923