Transcript Marketing - people.vcu.edu - Virginia Commonwealth University

Marketing the Weblog
Jill S. Stover – Undergraduate Services Librarian
Virginia Commonwealth University
Internet Librarian Conference
Monterey, CA October 26, 2005
Marketing: It’s not what you think
Marketing…
 is important…really
 allows you to serve patrons better
 has 5 parts:
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Target Market
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
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The Marketing Mix (the 4 P’s)
Product
Price
T.M.
Place
Promotion
To learn more, see KnowThis.com
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It’s all about your target market
Questions to ask:
 What do you have to offer? (SWOT)
 Who are your readers and what are
their needs?
 Who’s in the blogosphere anyway?
Market Research
 KnowThis.com
 American Marketing Association
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Find a perfect match
Key concept: Segmentation
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Good segments are:
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Examples: UIUC Blogs, Georgia State
Distinct from others
Homogenous within
“Profitable”
Measurable
Reachable
Lots of ways to segment
Find a friendly segment & learn about it
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Product (content & design)
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Content
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Subject matter
Updates
Uniqueness
Voice/Tone
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Parma Public Library
Blog for Kids
Resources:
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Design
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Example:
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Example:
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Teen blogs
Resources:
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BusinessWeek Online
Writing for the Web
Reflects content &
audience
Gets attention
Reinforces brand image
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Webmonkey
ColorBlender
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Price
=
Yours and your
patrons’. Make your
blog worth it!
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Place
Put your feed to work!
 Where’s the need for your feed?
 Edmonton Public Library (guides)
 Find a place partner.
 Explain the rules.
 McMaster University
Examples
 North Carolina State University Libraries – BIN
 Lansing (Illinois) Public Library – Toolbar
 Ann Arbor District Library – Catalog Blog
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More ideas
 See RSS4Lib blog
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Promotion (do this last!)
Decisions depend on your target audience! (and
your internal one!)
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Don’t reinvent the wheel
Involve your readers: Roselle Library
Involve your staff: Bethel Park
Education: Ohio University blog post
Context & benefits: U. of Minnesota
Integration (brand, logos, etc.)
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Example: VCU Libraries’ Black History Month Blog
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Homework
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What does success mean to
you?
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Review other blogs
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Note: This is tricky!
Talk Digger, FeedBurner
Blogwithoutalibrary.net
Google blog search
Learn from other bloggers
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Bloglines for librarians
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Thanks!
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Presenter: Jill S. Stover | [email protected]
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My blog: Library Marketing – Thinking Outside the
Book: http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com
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Don’t hesitate to contact me!
Includes links to many resources
A brief bib:
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jsstover/internetlibrarian
/ilbib.html.
Presentation URL:
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~jsstover/internetlibrarian
/marketingtheweblog.ppt.
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