Julia GammonHead, Acquisitions Dept.

Marketing ManagerUniversity of Akron Press

Bull’s-eye: Hitting Technical Services’ Target Audience

How to Write a Marketing Plan

Thinking Beyond the Book

What is Marketing?

• “the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service”

• Webster’s

What is Marketing?

• The application of common sense to the business of proving a product or service for your customers

• “For” customers vs. “To” customers

• Marketing anticipates and meets customer demand

Writing a Marketing Plan for a Book

• Print Run• Budget• Potential Audience• Author’s Fame & Interest• Topic• Endorsements• Interviews• Press release• Publicity

• Review Copies• Ads• Brochures• Book Signings• Events• Conference Exhibits• Prizes• Organization sales

What is a Marketing Plan?

• Road map for what you are going to do.

• Details the actions necessary to achieve marketing objectives.

• Can be product or service

What Marketing Is Not

• Marketing is not selling because you have identified a need

• Marketing is not advertising—it can be a method used in marketing

• Marketing is not just for Marketing Departments—it is everyone’s job to help the organization adapt to the needs

• Marketing is not about making money (unless you want it to)

Marketing Plan

• Prepare a Mission Statement.• Conduct Market Analysis.• Identify Goals & Objectives• Spell out Marketing & Promotional Strategies.• Identify & Understand the Competition.• Establish Marketing Goals that are Quantifiable.• Monitor your Results Carefully & Evaluate.

Do you have a mission statement?

• Does it communicate the most important thing you want people to know?

• Does it convey the unique benefits you offer?

• Does it inspire enthusiasm?

• Simple? Memorable? Would it pass the tee-shirt test?

• Does the tone match your image?

Technical Services Mission Statement

• Information with a Smile!

• Information Before you Need it!

• We put the “Service” in Tech Services!

• We Aim to Please!

Linda K. Wallace “Libraries, Mission, & Marketing:

Writing Mission Statements that Work”. ALA, 2004

Market Analysis: Who are your Potential Customers?

• Market segmentation—what market are you trying to reach

• Critical success factors (CSFs)

• Identifying non-customers is important

• Satisfying your customer’s needs is not enough: you must help them solve their problems.

Goals and Objectives: What are they?

• What do you want to accomplish?

• Are there new services you want to add?

• Are there problems that need fixing?

• Do you want more staff or $$$?

• Do people know what you do?

Brainstorming Your Plan

• What are aims and objectives?

• Which are you currently meeting and how?

• Assuming you are not meeting them, how do you propose to do so?

Marketing & Promotional Strategies

• What will you do?• How will you do it?• Action Plan• Memo?• Meetings?• Workshop?• Ads?• Newsletter?• Website?

The Publicity Message: What to Say & How to Say It

• Branding• Language—direct, no jargon, everyday

vocabulary• KISS• Use Power Words• 15 second test• What do they do next?• Try before you fly!

Power Words

• New• Professional• Reliable• Proven • Free• Safe

• Service• Convenient• Cost effective • Special• Flexible• Valuable

What’s the Competition Doing?

• Talk to other libraries

• Check the literature

• Search the web

Measurement & Evaluation: Should you do it?

• If you don’t someone else will!• Build in measurements• Is there an error in your plan?• Mistakes = Corrective action = Improvements

Objections to Planning

• “There’s not enough time”

• “There’s no money”

• “It might not work”

• “It might work”

• “It will only show up our weaknesses”

• “We’re so busy so we must be doing the right things”

OhioLINK’s Marketing Toolkit6 Reasons to Write a Plan

• Sets priorities• Saves time• Prevents missed

opportunities• Promotes consistency• Illustrates the big

picture• Makes evaluation

easier

OhioLINK Marketing Toolkit

http://www.ohiolink.edu/ostaff/marketing/

Assignments; Write a Marketing Plan For Technical Services

• Three Groups:

– Marketing TS to --Public Services – Marketing TS to -- Director– Marketing TS to -- Faculty