Thing #38: Use Things to Market Your Library -- Or All Roads Lead to Facebook

I've spent some time thinking about what my top "Thing" would be if I were in a position to market a library. One thing I believe about libraries using Web 2.0 tools is that each library (and librarian) has to figure out which tools work for them -- not only in terms of their own personal preferences but also in terms of what will connect with their community.

I like to write and am comfortable writing, so if I were a library director, or the person responsible for marketing my library, I could see myself putting a lot of energy in to a blog. I have a co-worker who really hates to write though, so I imagine she would choose a different tool, perhaps Flickr. She'd come up with clever ways to market using Flickr that I'd never think of, and I'd come up with ideas and topics to blog on that she might not.

Ultimately, though, my thoughts always came back to the problem of how to get patrons to take notice of your blog, or go to your Flickr site, or subscribe to your Twitter feed. And at this point I always wind up back at Facebook.

Just last week Facebook announced that they had half a billion active users. Half a billion! And it does seem to me that people are most likely to be on Facebook, even if they don't use other social networking services. And if your patrons are on Facebook, and they find out that the library has a Facebook page, it takes very little effort for them to "friend" you or "like" you. And once that happens, you can push content to them--even content from other services like Flickr or Twitter or your blog.

So even if you are going to put a lot of your marketing effort in to blogging or Flickr or some other tool, I think having a Facebook page for your library is almost essential. If Facebook is where your users are (everyone from grandparents to middle-agers to teens) then that's where you're going to catch their eye in order to redirect it to your blog post, your Flickr pictures, etc.

A PollDaddy Survey with Branching

Okay, in this post I am trying out the option of embedding JavaScript. It appears that it inserts a "View Survey" link. When you click on it your survey will open on a new layer above your website and will disappear when the user is finished. This way your user never has to leave your site!

A PollDaddy Poll

What Do You Think of My New Blog Template?

(This is an example of a PollDaddy Rating Widget!)

Twtpoll

Here is an example of a Twtpoll poll. In this case I have embedded it in my blog post. I could have embedded it in my blog sidebar or on a regular web page. I also had a choice of what to embed: just the question, just the response, or both. I was also given the option of sharing this poll via Twitter, Facebook, or Google Buzz.

Popup Survey

I have embedded code in this post that should cause a window to pop up and invite you to take a survey when you view this page. This was done using SurveyMonkey. Personally, I don't like windows popping up and asking me to take polls -- I'd rather there be a static link on a web page asking me to take a poll -- but I thought I should at least see how this works.

Thing #36: Flickr Revisited

I haven't posted anything to my Flickr account for awhile, so theoretically Option 2 was available to me. I feel like I am pretty comfortable using Flickr though, so I chose Option 1. I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed watching the WebJunction recording of Library Images: Engage, Inspire and Tell your Story.

I was really impressed with the way the Lester Public Library director used photography and Flickr as a way to simultaneously familiarize himself with his new community, contribute to the community, and promote the library. What a win-win situation!

I think one comment he made early on in the presentation is particularly noteworthy. He mentioned the fact that before moving to the community he'd looked online for pictures of it and hadn't found many.

Think about this for a minute. It just makes sense, doesn't? In this day and age, just about everyone is going to go online to see what they can find out about a community before moving to it. As librarians, wouldn't it be great if we could "hook" people before they even move to our community?

If I was getting ready to move to a community and the local library had an active and appealing online presence, it would certainly predispose me to make the library one of the first community resources I plugged into when I arrived! And if the library's online presence made it seem like a vibrant, friendly, helpful place, maybe I'd even call or email with re-location questions before my move!

I think it is also worth noting what the director said at the beginning of his presentation -- that before moving to Two Rivers, his social networking experience was pretty much limited to posting to his former library's blog. Now, just a few years later, because he wasn't afraid to try something new, he is considered a social networking expert in his community! It's a good reminder to all of us that just because we haven't done something in the past, doesn't mean we can't do it in the future.