Tripping Over ReferenceThe importance of link placement

(and other stuff)

Bill Pardue (bpardue@ahml.info)

AskAway Best Practices, July 2010

Placement is promotion!

Press releases, handouts, ads, etc. tend to create brief “spikes” in usage.

Proper placement assures that people will find the link to VR when and where they need it!

(This doesn’t mean not to do handouts, ads, etc.!)

Source: Elaina Norlin, “Creating a Purple Cow, VRD 2005.

Not just a “QuestionPoint thing” Promote multiple avenues for reference:

Chat IM VOIP (If you have it! We don’t.) Phone & in-person

But today, we’re talking about AskAway/QP!

Looking at the statistics

Looked at referrer page info from QP May/June 2010: 659 Sessions 227 sessions from “Contact Us” 74 from “research” pages 104 from Community Directory 201 came from catalog search/no hits pages Remainder came from “other pages” No single point generates majority of

sessions

Placement tips

Get your link: As part of the basic page template “Above the fold” (test it at 800x600)

Link to chat form: use graphic and brief text AskAway branding essential, but make sure

patron understands what it is! E.G., “Ask a Question Live Online” or “Get Live Online Help”

Placement tips, cont’d Consider the qwidget instead of the chat form

A bit less functional, but much more immediate Seems to immediately drive up usage

2007 practices (a quick look)

Looked at 20 libraries Home page link: 19 (why not 20?) Part of site “template”: 8 Link via catalog: 0 Placement (homepage):

Low: 5 lower left; 1 lower right; 2 lower center High: 4 upper left; 5 upper right; 2 upper center 1 Dead center

Think about your vendors

Your catalog Your subscription databases

FirstSearch, Gale, Ebsco, Proquest, Wilson, etc. Many support “branded” links, which can include

VR service. Contact your vendor for details. We’ve had relatively few sessions from these,

but why not catch what you can?

FirstSearch admin module

Interface Display > Your Library Settings > Your Library

How it shows up:

Gale Group admin module

Locations/Select your location (like GRC)/Customer Links

How it shows up:

Do you maintain any other sites? E.G., Community information directories

Market it as local information “Ask a question about Arlington Heights” Don’t necessarily play up the librarian angle as the

main point!

Links on other community sites? Town/village site Chamber of Commerce Social service agencies Be ready to answer questions relevant to

these sites or to arrange referrals! There’s a “turf” element to this. Work on

partnerships!

The Downtown Business Association

Look for social sites/blogs!

Not just your own blog Look for other sites where people might post

comments/questions—post answers and give your URL!

For example: http://tinyurl.com/shasy

Think of anywhere else!

E.G., In the signature of outgoing e-mails to patrons:

--Bill Pardue Ask Us--We Answer!Also contact us via Live Chat or IM!:http://tinyurl.com/toqqb ----------------------Arlington Heights Memorial Library Information Services Dept., Reference Section500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights, IL  60004847-392-0100

Facebook? May need someone with some developers’ skills

Qwidget for iPhone/iPad

Go to any qwidget page. Click on the qwidget to open a special iPhone version

Click on the “+” in the iPhone and select “Add to Home Screen” (name it as you’d like)

Have a look at http://www.oclc.org/services/brochures/213410usf_questionpoint_qwidget.pdf

We’re after the “long tail!”

Most of these won’t contribute large numbers You’re doing this to increase referrals

incrementally. 1 or 2 per month from multiple sources

begins to add up!

Checking your referrals:

Start at the My QuestionPoint page, click on View Service History

Checking referrals, cont’d: Then click Review Transcripts/Form Fields. Select

month and uncheck everything but “referrer”. Select “View Excel file,” then “Submit.”