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Taking Care of Business
Joan C. Divor, Business Services Librarian
Burlington County Library System
Uri Toch, Reference Librarian
Schaumburg Twp. Dist. Lib. (IL)
Marketing’s Importance
“Community partnerships and marketing are very important. A library is more than a building. It is about relationships within a community. You have to have relationships for your library to thrive.”
Michael Madden, Library Director, Schaumburg Township District Library
Objectives
1. EXPLAIN the benefits of business outreach
2. DESCRIBE what your library can offer.
3. CREATE an benefits-based “elevator speech” for communicating your library’s value.
4. LIST local contacts for accessing the business community & marketing strategies.
5. IDENTIFY 3 – 5 things you can do within the next 3-6 months to build visibility.
Who are they?
What “segments” of the business community should we focus on? “Traditional” vs “Non-traditional”
Understand the fluid nature of business segments.
Our Relationship to the Business Community
1. Win – win
2. You can do this NOW
Business – Good for the LibraryEnhanced stature / image / testimonialsAdvocacy Partnering / Support
Win - Win
Library – Good for BusinessFree, premium business knowledgeSynergy – Resources & staffComprehensive & objectivesSponsorship makes them look good
Unique & PowerfulPositioning!
You Can Do This Now - Exercise
Resources – start w. what you have nowBook resources (directories, circ books)E resources / databasesStaff
Marketing – build on what you do nowWebsiteBrochures, bibliographiesPrograms
Know & Describe Capabilities and Benefits
1. Know resources; train staff
2. Develop benefits-based talking points: 90 second “elevator”; 10 min ppt
The “Elevator” Speech Answers:
What do we do?Whom do we serve?What makes the library unique?How does the library bring value?
Targeted to your specific audience.
Elevator Speech - B.A.S.E.
Brief Articulate Sincere Enthusiastic
Exercise
Marketing in Action:
Outreach to community—personal touch Outreach to community—the broad touch Special displays in the library At the reference desk/the ref. interview Via Web 2.0 —e-letters, wikis, building
database for special contacts Partnerships with the business community—
chamber touch and others
A Cost-Effective Approach: Word of Mouth Marketing
Let others do the talking; the same way businesses succeed
Multiplier effect “Word of mouth marketing is a key to
the library’s future. We need to figure out how to politely get in people’s faces.” Gary Price
Examples of word of mouth (buzz) marketing
Sources of other Marketing Ideas
Library literatureLibrary Marketing CommitteeBenchmarking other local libraries (Your
ideas here)Benchmarking other nonprofits/for profitsSerendipity—other avenues
Barriers to Marketing Success
Time$TrainingLibrary staff are often risk averse
Overcoming Barriers: Creating the Marketing Mindset
Administration’s supportMarketing gives us what we need–
statistics and partnerships.Entrepreneurial thinking (civic
entrepreneurship, increasing funding options)
NEED: Business Know-How
Local contacts, govt agencies, organizations
Business trends & market data Business planning guidelines Marketing directories
STRATEGY: A practical toolkit
Your website, and/or a program (hands on)Local focusHighlight library resources – especially
databases / ebooksBooklist circulating & reference booksScreencasts on your website
BCLS Biz Gateway:
http://explore.bcls.lib.nj.us/business
Community Partnerships: Business Content and Contacts
Government agencies offer access to expertise.
Colleges and universities have a wealth of business expertise.
Not only helps with programs, but helps develop reputation in community among other nonprofit organizations.
Possible Program Partners
Small Business Development Centers (or other state agency)
Small Business Administration (or other federal agency)
Federal Reserve (Money Smart Week)Division of Employment Services (state)Planning Departments (local)
Your Community Touchpoints
Exercise: List individuals and/or organizations in your community that serve the business community, that you could approach and possibly partner with.
For each organization, list one or more ways you could approach them or create a relationship.
Marketing Scenarios: Applying the Mindset
A library that is already very successful A library with a small staff and small business
community A random comment at the reference desk
Exercise 4 - Worksheet / Discussion
3 – 5 things
Summary - Objectives
1. EXPLAIN the benefits of business outreach
2. DESCRIBE what your library can offer.
3. CREATE an benefits-based “elevator speech” for communicating your library’s value.
4. LIST local contacts for accessing the business community & marketing strategies.
5. IDENTIFY 3 – 5 things you can do within the next 3-6 months to build visibility.
Summary – take-aways
Name one thing you learned or idea you got today that you didn’t know before.
Email us ideas/articles We will share to others?
Build into a group == maybe become a blog.
For More Information: Reads and Links
Inspiring Business Web sitesCollection DevelopmentFor more information
Know Your Library…It’s Good for Business
Joan C. Divor, Business Services LibrarianBurlington County Library System
Uri Toch, Reference LibrarianSchaumburg Twp. Dist. Lib. (IL)
