Marketing & Promoting the Library Website

Marketing & promoting the library website

David Lee King

Topeka Shawnee Public Library

davidleeking.com

David Lee King is a library website guru of sorts. I've heard several of his webinars and online workshops. Overall, he did not disappoint.

A very recent PEW research study on libraries indicates that:

-a large majority of Americans think libraries provide them with resources they need. Most think we’re awesome.

-only 27% have ever visited our websites in the last 12 months. This number is down from previous years!

Obviously, we need to do better job of getting our message out.

9 ways to promote and market the library:

1. Content
1. We’re in the content business. We need to create good content that our customers want/need. Written well. Conversational and relevant to our customers. Casual, readable, scannable, bullet points, clickable.
2. Re-use the content as much as possible - link everything. Make a video about it. Enewsletter.  
3. Be consistent with content. Consistency is hard! Use a content calendar - staff suggestions for social media posts. Schedule your content. eg. Motivational Mondays.
2. Share your URL everywhere!
1. Share on all promotional materials, posters, etc.
2. Find ways to advertise digital branch within the library
3. URL on business cards
3. Signage
1. Show social media logos on all promotional info
   
   
   
   
2. Promote FB and Instagram in the library
3. Virtual Library promos inside; eg., Overdrive promo by Fiction books
4. “Visit Disneystore.com for additional selection”.  Do similar signage with our website.
4. Public PCs
1. Advertise website on Tech Center computers
2. Website screensavers
3. Set web browsers to library website
4. Create a special landing page on the public PCs such as this:

5. Social Media
1. Include URL in social media profile
2. When posting, if possible include a link to webpage
3. Include photo for more engagement
4. Use bitly for tracking use
5. Give a call to action to get people to click and act.
6. Lead people to website through quick social media references
6. Partnerships
1. Share URL when at meetings out of the library.
2. Point to partner’s websites, they point to ours
7. Traditional media
1. Get in the local news - print, tv, etc.
2. Articles/ads for local magazines
3. Anytime you’re doing media stuff, share the URL!!
8. Training
1. Teach staff to us FB to maximize impact
2. Get staff engaged in using website and social media
3. Train staff to tell stories via website and social media
4. Train journalism concepts to content writers
5. Train patons - eg. FB for beginners
9. Tell your story
1. Good stories make people click
2. Makes them read and watch
3. Draws them into the library
4. Youtube is easy way to tell the story - show off what you do
5. FB staff stories series
6. Put URL on video or photo