Transcript ppt - South Central Library System

Developing a Library
Marketing Plan, Part 2
Implementing the Plan
Mark E. Ibach
Marketing & PR Coordinator
South Central Library System
The Plan is Key
The most important aspect of the marketing plan is
that it’s a plan. It’s not a step-by-step instruction book.
Don’t focus on individual elements, but rather on your goal.
Take advantage of every opportunity to emphasize the
benefits your library provides to patrons.
Audience Participation
How many of you have used a marketing plan in
the past?
Was it effective?
Why?
What didn’t work?
If you haven’t done a marketing plan, why not?
Why are you interested in the idea of a marketing
plan
Core messages
Identify benefits you believe are desirable.
Promote these benefits throughout the year.
Message repetition is vital.
Emphasize library’s value to the community.
Clearly communicate your mission and vision
statements.
Using personal anecdotes
and statistics
Patrons stories are powerful tools. Use them
often.
Instill in staff the importance of collecting these
stories.
Be diligent about collecting negative comments
so they can be addressed in meaningful ways.
Compile and use statistics to help tell your story
with charts and graphs.
Know your marketing vehicles
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To be successful, you should:
Explore newspaper archives to see what types of
articles and photos they run, and where.
Talk to the newspaper, radio and TV reporters to
learn what kinds of stories they may be interested in.
They may have a particular interest in a given year
that you can tie into.
Your message must be frequent, and connect with
patrons in personal and meaningful ways.
Evaluation is critical
A priority of the planning process is to measure
your effectiveness so you can build on
successes in subsequent years.
You can use a formal or informal survey method,
but collecting feedback is important.
You want to measure whether your efforts are
having the desired effect.
Specific & General
Measure effectiveness of both specific and
general efforts
Specific: timeline for publicizing a series of
genealogy workshops and related
resources.
General: Your plan to increase awareness
of the important role the library plays in the
community, and the benefits it provides to
various audiences.
No Right or Wrong
Remember that there are no right or wrong elements
to a marketing plan!
Some are more effective than others, but the
important thing is following a process to help identify
how you will use limited resources.
Be prepared to make a multi-year commitment to the
marketing plan. You efforts will evolve over time, so
give them a chance to develop.
Specific examples of marketing ideas
Remember that why you are doing things is actually
more important than what you’re doing.
•The list I’m sharing is available online at:
•
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www.scls.info/pr/presentations/nwls/
Commit to your plan
To be effective, you must make a commitment to
follow through with your plan.
You can’t just randomly eliminate aspects of the
plan and expect to achieve your overall goals.
Your plan provides a process for making sound
decisions that keep you on track.
Purpose is critical
Purpose should drive everything you do in
relation to your marketing plan.
Acting randomly outside of your plan can be a
significant waste of resources.
Conclusion
Your ultimate goal should be to build support
for your library and expand your patron base.
Be flexible. Deviating from the plan is not
failure.
Questions?
www.scls.info/pr/presentations/nwls/
Mark E. Ibach
(608) 246-5612or [email protected]