how to shout so your users will listen

HOW TOSHOUTSO YOUR USERS WILL

LISTENAnd LISTEN so your users will SHOUT( )

Neil Gaiman is great. This quote is great.

But here are the top 10 Google Searches in NZ in 2014. Not many have a ‘right answer’ for us to find.

When it comes down to it, we’re not truly in competition with Google, and we don’t need to make the comparison.

A LIBRARYMARKETINGMANIFESTO

WE WILL BE

ORIENTATEDCOMMUNITY

You hear this a lot. It’s important to realise this isn’t the economic definition of market orientated. We aren’t talking about the free market economy.

MARKET ORIENTATED: THE MARKETING DEFINITION

MARKET ORIENTATED: THE MARKETING DEFINITION

MARKET ORIENTATED: THE MARKETING DEFINITION

TERMINOLOGY MATTERS

TERMINOLOGY MATTERS

When we talk about being the heart of the community, we don’t mean the heart as in the centre. We mean the heart as in the vital organ which allows the other organs to function.

EMILY CLASPER

EMILY CLASPER

THE HEART IS NOT

PASSIVE…

THE HEART IS USEFUL.

Help get your community where they already want to go.

Does the way you’re useful have to be traditional library activity?

Does the way you’re useful take priority over our ethics and values?

Should we try and please everyone?

Does the way you’re useful have to be traditional library activity?

Does the way you’re useful take priority over our ethics and values?

Should we try and please everyone?

NO

NO

NO

We can do whatever our community needs us to do…

…UNLESS it conflicts with our values and ethics, in which case, no way.

Fear-based librarianship never got us anywhere. We shouldn’t be trying to placate everyone. We should be trying to inspire passion.

CHRIS WILD(THE RETRONAUT)

WE WILL DOWHAT PEOPLE NEED

BUT MARKET

WANTwhat they

The three services your library offers

which you think are most

important

The three services your library offers

which youthink are most

important

The three services your library offers which your users value

most

The three services your library offers

which youthink are most

important

The three services your library offers which your users value

most

So where do you go from HERE?

So where do you go from HERE?

Try and win them round to your way of thinking?

So where do you go from HERE?

Continue to do what they

need, but market what they WANT?

Try and win them round to your way of thinking?

So where do you go from HERE?

Continue to do what they

need, but market what they WANT?

Try and win them round to your way of thinking?

Ask yourself: can they get what they

want anywhere else?

So where do you go from HERE?

Continue to do what they

need, but market what they WANT?

Try and win them round to your way of thinking?

If you’re the only source of what

they need, market the heck out of it!

OR IS THERE A

THIRD WAY?

WE WILL CATERFOR LIBRARY NOVICES

ANDFOR

LIBRARY EXPERTS

Digital Natives are:

Digital Natives are:

1) BORN AFTER 19802) INNATELY GOOD WITH

TECHNOLOGY

Digital Natives are:

1) BORN AFTER 19802) INNATELY GOOD WITH

TECHNOLOGY3) NOT ACTUALLY A REAL

THING

The digital native is aMYTHOLOGICAL BEAST

(So too is the digital immigrant.)

“There is no evidence that there is a single new generation of young students entering Higher Education and the terms Net Generation and Digital Native do not capture the processes of change that are taking place.” Jones, Chris and Shao, Binhui (2011). The net generation and digital natives: implications for higher education. Higher Education Academy, York.

SO IF THE DIGITAL NATIVES IDEA DOESN’T HELP US UNDERSTAND PEOPLE’S USE OF THE NET, WHAT DOES?

DAVID WHITE

DAVID WHITE

VISITORS

RESIDENTS

Use the internet like a tool to help them achieve a particular task. They complete the task and move on, usually leaving very little trace of themselves.

Use the internet more socially, to connect with people, and share / obtain information about life and work. There is an identifiable legacy to their online activity.

DAVID WHITE

VISITORS

RESIDENTS

(Perhaps the Library website or YouTube channel)

(Perhaps the Library Twitter or Instagram account)

DAVID WHITE

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS: a way of understanding our users based on how they interact (or not) with the services we offer.

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS

NOVICES

Are new to the library’s services, or perhaps even completely unaware the library is relevant to their interests. They need simple messages to hook them in.

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS

NOVICES

EXPERTS

Are new to the library’s services, or perhaps even completely unaware the library is relevant to their interests. They need simple messages to hook them in.

They already use the library’s services regularly and are familiar with most of what we have to offer. They can handle more complex ‘next-level’ information about what we do.

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS: A CONTINUUM

NOVICE EXPERT

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS: A CONTINUUM

NOVICE EXPERT

Simple message Entry level More detailed Complex / niche

FREE WIFI!

LIBRARY NOVICES AND EXPERTS: A CONTINUUM

NOVICE EXPERT

Simple message Entry level More detailed Complex / niche

FREE WIFI!

The 14 different ebook

Licencetypes!

Everyone can identify with free wifi, so that’s a useful thing to market to the library novices. But telling people right away about the many different ebook types will create ambiguity and get in the way of the message. First hook them in, THEN once they’re more informed you can move onto the next level of marketing.

NOVICE EXPERT

AIM TO TURN YOUR NOVICES INTO EXPERTS…

BUT CELEBRATE BOTH!

WE WILL

SIMPLEKEEP THINGS

AMBIGUITY IS THE

ENEMYof good communication!

We all know that

JARGONis bad – that unexplained

ACRONYMSare bad, and we know that overtly

COMPLICATEDlanguage is to be avoided.

But so is

OVER-SHARING!

This feels like it should be good marketing. The Library does so much good stuff!

This feels like it should be good marketing. The Library does so much good stuff!

But actually there’s too much information –people can’t grasp on to what is most relevant to them. It’s trying to shout to everyone, but not actually being heard by anyone.

ANDY PRIESTNER

Market one thing at a time.

WE WILL

CAMPAIGNS

COORDINATEOUR MARKETING INTO

PROMOTION ON ITS OWN

ISN’T MARKETING

THE PROCESS STARTS

WITH LISTENING

JUSTIN HOENKE

THEN GROUPING YOUR AUDIENCE INTO SMALLER SEGMENTS

IT ENDS WITH MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

AND IN THE MIDDLE THERE’S THE CAMPAIGN

What is a campaign?The same message, tailored across different platforms, for a concerted period of time.

Campaigns aim high.You should aim to CHANGE BEHAVIOUR -and be able to measure that change!

CAMPAIGNSPROVIDE THE

HOOK

ALISON CIRCLE

If your campaign is about library spaces, measure the difference in the use of the space.

If your campaign is around an electronic resource, measure the difference in the use of the resource.

It’s not about how many followers you have on social media, it’s about the ACTIONS they take.

It’s not about how many followers you have on social media, it’s about the ACTIONS they take.

WHAT DO YOUR USERS DO THAT THEY WOULDN’T DO IF THEY DIDN’T FOLLOW YOU?

So you have to aim high. Reach for the stars!

REMEMBER, YOUR MARKETING NEEDS TO GET A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO DO SOMETHING THEY WEREN’T PREVIOUSLY GOING TO DO…

CALLS TO ACTION

So how do you SHOUT so your audience will listen?

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL BE COMMUNITY ORIENTATED

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL BE COMMUNITY ORIENTATED

We’ll go where the people areWe will converse rather than broadcastWe’ll be the vital organ that empowers our community We will listen, and we will act swiftly on what we hear

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL DO WHAT PEOPLE NEEDBUT MARKET WHAT THEY WANT

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL DO WHAT PEOPLE NEEDBUT MARKET WHAT THEY WANT

We will not dumb down, or try to ape the practices of corporate business. We’ll continue to provide what people need.But we’ll focus on the commson what they’re most passionate about

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL CATER FOR LIBRARY NOVICES AND LIBRARY EXPERTS

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL CATER FOR LIBRARY NOVICES AND LIBRARY EXPERTS

We’ll focus on the introductory messages to get people through the door (physical or virtual) THEN give them the wider array of our services once they’re here

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL KEEP THINGS SIMPLE

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL KEEP THINGS SIMPLE

We’ll market one thing at a time, using the most relatable and clear language and imagery possible.

We’ll get rid of anything that isn’t vital to telling our story.

CALLS TO ACTION

WE WILL COORDINATE OUR MARKETING INTO CAMPAIGNS

We’ll give people a number of hooks, and spread the same message across multiple platforms, subtly tailored for each audience.

We’ll measure what we do, and tweak it for next time.

Thanks for listening to me

SHOUT!Find me online at

Talk to me!

WATCHIf you’d like to watch this talk as it

actually happened in the room, you can do so by clicking anywhere in this box.

#SHOUT15

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