Elisabeth Leonard on Libraries

Fundraising and public libraries

OCLC at ALA presented on the results of their research into why voters support (or don't support) library levvys. I had hoped that their report would be available by now, but until it is, you'll have to make do with my notes.

Among the findings from the report, From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America, (which will be posted eventually at http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding/default.htm):

• The library's most committed funding supporters are not the heaviest library users
• There is no correlation between use of the library and liklihood to support the library
• Voters who see the library as 'transformational' as opposed to 'informational' are more likely to increase taxes in its support
• Transformational messages should be about the individual (ROI for me) AND about the community.  The presentation at ALA used the following quote to illustrate this point: "People who've been exposed to libraries realize that there a lot of other cultures and things out there...The library is literally a window to the world."
• These messages can be about libraries increasing the beauty in life, helping you create who you are, and that libraries help you seek the truth
• Perceptions of librarians are an important predictor of library funding support.  Passionate librarians who are committed to advocacy for their library and the library's role in the community can increase support for the library.
• Increasing support for libraries may not necessarily mean a trade-off with financial support for other public services
• People are aware of traditional library services, but much less aware of newer services like teen and senior programming.  People aren't aware of how much money goes to supporting e-resources.

Later this week, I'll post the demographic breakdowns, but for now, let me just highlight how important it is that support for the library is not tied to use of the library and that means that all our campaigns that are geared to increasing use are not having an impact on support for library.  We may need to hae 2 seperate campaigns: one for increasing use (we do still want that!) an another for increasing awareness of our power to transform a community and its individuals.  I know I have seen videos on YouTube where people talk about what the library has meant to them, that may be the type of campaign we need more of!

Coorientation

There's something in the PR literature called coorientation, which is when an organization looks for similarities and differences between the organizations' opinion about the public AND the publics' opinion about the organization.  Now, this is something I urge libraries to take seriously!  in LibQual, this happens some with gap analysis, but is rarely extended to be combined with a real and open discussion of how we honestly view our public.  Why?  Because there are stereotypes that we know we'll get bashed for sharing or even that we might get heat for voicing an opinion against the stereotype.  But, if you don't look honestly at what you think and compare it to what the public thinks of you, then you are shading all your actions with only your own perceptions.

Some questions to ask when tackling an issue:

1. What's our organizational view of the issue?
2. What do our stakeholders think about the issue?
3. Does our perception of the stakeholders' view match their views on the issues?
4. Do the stakeholders have a peception of the organizational view point on the topic, and does that match reality?

Distinguish yourself from the rest of the market

According to AdAge, Jet Blue is responding to the airline crisis not by pursuing mergers (as the rest of the players in the industry are doing), but instead trying to set a tone.
From AdAge:  The move runs counter to the carrier's rivals, which have been directing their focus internally to investigate merger opportunities, cut costs, deal with spiraling fuel prices and generally avoid bankruptcy. Yet Andrea Spiegel, VP-marketing at JetBlue, said while the airline is dealing with the same problems as its competitors, the "need for optimism and a positive alternative in this negative category is more important than ever....A $15 million campaign is designed to differentiate JetBlue from its competitors by calling what it does "jetting" as opposed to flying."

Their campaign includes subway ads, a national TV spot, a microsite (http://happyjetting.com/), and even a book!  While I am fascinated by their media choices, I am intrigued at their product positioning.  They know what they stand for and how it might appeal to people who are frustrated with being treated like cattle (who have to pay for their feed).  Now that the flying experience has become miserable, will people pay more for JetBlue? 

It seems like they are in the same boat libraries are in, right?  Our threat is the pervasiveness of information in settings that are more comfortable than what we provide.  It is a more tempting competition than what JetBlue is experiencing, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take a hard look at what we have to offer and then package it in a tempting way.  The JetBlue microsite has a cute take on flying -- could we do something similar for surfing the web...something that doesn't sound as preachy as we normally do when we tell our patrons that they should use our services 'cause  we are better for them?  Rather than sound like medication, we need to find a message and a tone that are appealing -- and that builds on our true competitive advantage.

It's a process

I love how enthusiastic librarians are about marketing!  Maybe it's because we care so much about our services and want so much for our patrons to find those services, maybe it's just because it's fun.
That said, I want to share that there is a formal process we can go through that makes our efforts more effective.

1. Start by recognizing your library's mission.
2. Then do a SWOT analysis to see what's going on in your library and in your community.
3. Do market research to see how your patrons feel abut your services and to determine exactly who uses (and doesn't use!) your services -- and why.
4. Determine a value proposition for each user group and each service you want to promote.
5. Determine if there are services you need to alter, new services you should provide, and if there are services that are no longer worthwhile.
6. Match the message to venue (as determined by your market research).
7. Honestly assess your efforts. 
8. Be flexible!  You need to recognize what's working and what's not.  See things through the eyes of your patrons!  Are you reaching them?  Are you meeting your objectives?  Don't wait until the next year to make changes.

all things to all people?

Do you ever have it happen that different parts of your life converge?  That happened to me today.  I taught a marketing class and talked about how important it is to know why you are offering a program/service/product.  That libraries need to find out what their patrons want, see what in that listing of desires matches what the library's mission is, and then decide what to pursue.  At that point, if one of your goals is to increase awareness of the library, you still don't want any program that increases awareness, even if it is an idea that the patrons mentioned!  You aren't trying to be all things to all people -- libraries do have a distinct mission!

Then I was sitting in a class about innovation.  A brand manager mentioned that one of the reasons a product idea makes it to market is if it has a strategic fit for the company -- that trying to be all things to all people tears the company apart, damages brand equity, and decreases profit.

So I offer this to you: there are times when you will be tempted by an idea because it is cool, because you are concerned that your patrons aren't coming in the way you want them to, because other libraries are doing it....whatever the reason you are attracted, take the time to think about strategic fit!

Advice for marketing with viral videos

Advice from AdAge on viral marketing:

1. Lesson one: Tap into the video community
   Online-video creators and watchers are a large and active community.
2. Lesson two: Quality of the video is not what determines its popularity
   "Though popular videos tend to be short, funny and shocking, there are other variables that have as much influence on getting the video seen. Many second and third-tier sites will give entertaining sponsored videos preferred placement for relatively small amounts of media spend."
3. Lesson three: A video of a dog skateboarding can get 3 million views, but that doesn't mean your commercial will
   "While some clever advertisements (with surprise endings, humor or sex) do become viral, most ads don't translate online, and it's a rare promotional video that gets millions of views."
   His advice: product placement in a video, rather than the stereotypical ad.
4. Lesson four: Online-video marketing is not just about contests
   "While contests are pervasive tools to engage online video creators and audiences, they're just one tactic of many. Smarter brands are connecting directly with prominent viral video creators."
   By which he means that you work with the video creator...something like, "This video brought to you by..."  Libraries may not be able to pay to sponsor a video, but we might be able to find other ways to persuade someone to partner with us.  Increased exposure?  Good will in the community?
5. Lesson five: "Tagging" your video with keywords doesn't get them seen
   "Keywords may get your video to rank in searches, but there are far more effective ways to get your videos seen, such as title and thumbnail."
   The author doesn't say this, but it makes sense to me...
   Or, a funny or clever video with a lot of hits and people linking to it-- think about how Google moves  items to the top of a list.  If you can  be involved in a viral video  not only will people be linking to it on their pages, they will be forwarding it to their friends.  That's what viral is all about.
6. Lesson six: Consumers might see your video, but that doesn't mean they'll visit your site and buy
   My comment?  This is true for any advertising!  So, before you advertise, decide what your goal is and how you will measure it.  And remember, just because your first effort doesn't work, it doesn't mean the method is ineffective.  You may need to try a different video or find a better way to get people to notice your video.
7. Paying for a well-produced video won't necessarily increase your brand's ROI
   "A $250,000 production cost makes a return on investment difficult. Since fewer than 2% of people will visit a website after a video, a good ROI requires a low production cost and the highest number of views possible."
   The author makes a good point!  Not only do few libraries have that kind of money, I think that a really slick video from a library might actually backfire.  How would the community respond to that kind of spending?  And would it make our community suspicious of the message?
8. Lesson eight: Not all video portals are created equal
   "The vast majority of online viewing occurs on YouTube."
   Nuff said.
9. Lesson nine: You may be a conservative organization, but don't let that keep you from this medium
   "Conservative legal and public-relations policies have prevented many marketers from entering into a dialogue with prominent video creators....Quietly watching from the sidelines is no insurance policy and certainly won't grow revenue."
   My take?  You won't know if it can work for you until you give it a real try.
   
10. Lesson 10: This medium will become measurable
    "As it matures, it will become as measurable as search. But for the time being, the most controllable variables are cost of production and total views."
    I say again, figure out why you are doing it and once you know that, decide on the appropriate metrics.

Marketing mistakes

Top 13 Marketing Budget Wastes—and How to Avoid Them by Eran Livneh was posted at MarketingProfs.com December 12, 2006.  It got me thinking about mistakes libraries make that are similar to those companies make.  So, here's the beginning of my adaptation of the MarketingProfs list!

• Spending money to reach the wrong people
  Why do we spend money promoting services to people who already use them?  If the service hasn't changed, you aren't providing something new, reaching people already in the know is a waste.  We should be trying to reach people who don't know or who know, but don't use a service we know they want/need.
• Generating leads that the library doesn't want
  Think about the outreach librarians and library liaisons do.  Librarians and staff go out, ask our communities for feedback and then take back to the library ideas for new services.  But, if the library has no intention of providing new services or of changing service based on community feedback, why are we asking the question?  It frustrates the outreach person and the community. 
• Failing to follow up on leads
  Our users are never shy about telling us what they think.  They email, tell us at our service desks, fill out comment cards, respond to surveys -- essentially, they use every method we give them.  So, then what do we do with all that feedback?  I think that we sometimes follow up on the leads that we also believe in, rather than look very seriously at the unexpected feedback.  We must take them seriously when they take the time to inform us.  We may decide that we shouldn't (or cant) respond to everything, but we MUST follow up on it.  If nothing else, responding when we can, builds the relationship.  And that's important.
  

Marketing Philosophies

And now for some history.
The main philosophies or approaches for marketing goods and services are: Production, Sales, Marketing, and Societal Marketing.

Production focuses on internal capabilities of firm.  It has been called the Field of Dreams strategy --  "If we build it, they will come."  Companies make products and market these products, believing that they know what the market needs.  In this philosophy, the consumer is not consulted, leading to a lack of understanding of the wants and needs of the consumer.

Sales focuses on the belief that aggressive sales drives a market, where a hard sell makes the consumer buy.  Currently, this is seen most with less desirable products (think bad used car or all the products that telemarketers try to sell you).  Again, the needs and wants of the consumer are not really being considered.  Consumers often only buy these products and services just once because of the technique used, which often matches products and consumers with consumers who don't really want what they have purchased.

Marketing is the belief that an organization can satisfy consumer needs and wants while meeting the organizations objectives.  Companies with a marketing orientation look for ways to distinguish their products from their competitors from the lens of what their customers sat they want.  In this approach, companies think of marketing as integral to strategic planning and the long term goals of the organization.  This approach works best when top management believes in it completely and organizes the company with cross team coordination.  It also requires a focus on the customer.

More recently, there is an interest in Societal Marketing.   

… the organization's task is to determine the needs, wants, and interests of target markets and to deliver the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors, in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer's and the society's well-being. (Kotler, Philip. Marketing management: analysis, planning, implementation and control. 8th ed. Prentice-Hall, 1994).
Yes, you read that correctly!  Marketing that looks to preserve or enhance the well being of the society and the consumer!  It seems contrary to what many believe of business and of marketers.  That can hardly be a surprise after years of companies using the sales approach and the production approach, which often consumers to feel dissapointed in (or misled by) companies.