promoting libraries

The challenge of promoting libraries

Nick Poole, Chief Executive, CILIPNorth West Member Network18/04/2016

Thinking about ‘libraries’

Everybody else

Public Libraries

The risk...

Everything’s GREAT!!!

265 million visits per year, Code Green, loved and

trusted, Read on Get On, new libraries opening, wifi....

The ‘positive narrative’

We’re all DOOMED!!!

Cuts & closures, loss of professional staff, volunteers,

amateurisation, Open+, privatisation, £0 book funds,

no plan, no vision, no direction

The ‘negative narrative’

If you want to change the narrative, you have to change the reality. We can’t spin our way out of the real challenges facing libraries (and public and school libraries in particular) – we have to confront the underlying issues & take control of our own destiny

Our scope (12,500 members, UK-wide)

Consulting/independent information professionals Prison Further Education/Colleges PublicGovernment and Armed Forces ResearchHealth Care SchoolSocial Care Special CollectionsHigher Education (including LIS teaching staff) Industry (Extraction)*Law Industry (Manufacturing)**Museums, Archives, Galleries and Heritage Industry (Commercial Services)***National Libraries Not working****Not for profit/3rd sector/Charity Other

* Any extraction industries, for example: Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying** Any Manufacturing industries, for example: Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, Automotive *** Any commercial service industries: Business, Finance, Communications, Hospitality, Retail**** Unemployed/Retired/Full-time Student/Career Break

We need to create a national agenda that celebrates & promotes all libraries, wherever they are, whichever community, company or organisation they support

Strengths

• Strong, trusted brand• UK-wide, inclusive offer• A universal need (literacy, skills)• Positive sentiment• Physical locations• Good connectivity• Customer service ethos

Weaknesses

• ‘Libraries’ = ‘public libraries’• Complex value proposition• ‘Scope creep’ away from books• Lack of a unique digital role• Fragmentation• ‘Hovis’ nostalgia

Opportunities

• Embrace the diversity of the sector• Build influence• Create compelling (+ve) evidence• Learn to show off• Embrace ‘economic’ as well as ‘social’• Carve out a new space in the market

Threats

• A ‘single story’ (that’s all bad)• Politically ‘toxic’ agenda• Lack of buy-in from decision makers• We don’t own our destiny• Separation between national/local• ‘Virtue signalling’

SWOT Analysis for libraries...

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

“I don’t use the library myself, but it’s important that they’re

there for other people”

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged



“I haven’t been to the library in years. It’s just not

interesting/relevant to me”

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged





“I use the library all the time. It’s a great place to

learn/work/study/spend time with the kids”

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged





“I use the library all the time. It’s a great place to

learn/work/study/spend time with the kids”

“Libraries have had their day. They were great when we

were kids, but we’ve got the Internet & Kindle now”

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

Change the public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’ activity so that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments about them

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

Invest in marketing, outreach & keeping the product fresh to move people from being ‘disengaged’ to ‘engaged’ (to repeat customers)

Change the national public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’ activity so that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments

about them

Positive

Negative

Disengaged Engaged

Invest in marketing, outreach & keeping the product fresh to move people from being ‘disengaged’ to ‘engaged’ (to repeat customers)

Change the national public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’ activity so that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments

about them

Challenge the critics through influence, evidence and delivery – nothing is as convincing as delivery!

Opportunities and challenges

Profile by age (29,856 responses)

<25 25 - 34 35 - 49 50 - 64 >650

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Options

• I never visit the library and don’t think it's the best use of public money• I never visit the library but think it’s crucial it’s protected for others• I visit the library occasionally, but wouldn’t care much if it went• I visit the library occasionally, and think it’s crucial it remains• I often visit the library, though could live without it• I often visit the library, it's crucial that it’s protected• There's no library anywhere near me but I'm not bothered by that• There's no library anywhere near me but I wish there was

Breakdown of responses

Never visit

/don't s

upport

Never visit

/support

Visit occa

sionally

/don't s

upport

Visit occa

sionally

/support

Often visit

/don't s

upport

Often visit

/support

No library/don't s

upport

No library, su

pport0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

<2525 - 3435 - 4950 - 64>65

Findings

• 89% support their (public) library, whether they visit or not

• 23% never visit their local public library

• Only 1% say they don’t have access to a local library

• Support proportionately higher amongst 50-64 and 65+

Promotion...

• Individual libraries

• Clustered in towns/cities/regions

• UK-wide

Promoting your library through brand loyalty

Potential customer

Customer Repeat customer

Supporter Brand champion

Building brand loyalty in libraries

Potential customer




MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Potential customer





TRIGGER

• EVENTS• OFFERS• ACTIVITIES

Potential customer





TRIGGER EXPERIENCE

• ONLINE• LOCATION• DESIGN• WELCOME


Potential customer





TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP



• PERSONALISATION• TIMELINESS• RELEVANCE• CONTENT

Potential customer





TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION




• ‘SNACKABLE’ ACTIONS• CLICKTIVISM• FOLLOW-UP

Potential customer





TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION RECOGNITION




• ‘SNACKABLE’ ACTIONS• CLICKTIVISM• FOLLOW-UP

• THANKS• OUTCOMES• FUTURE

ACTION

Potential customer






CUSTOMER DATA & INSIGHT

Potential customer






CUSTOMER DATA & INSIGHT

CUSTOMER-FOCUSED CULTURE

Home

School

College

Work

Leisure

Our customer’s expectations and attitudes toward libraries aren’t just the product of interacting with one library...

People move between different kinds of library service at different points in their lives. How can we ‘hand our customers on’ to the next stage...?

Libraries are strongly situated in a specific place/community/company or ‘quarter’ – how can you make use of this to encourage more people to use your services?

At a UK-wide level, there is a huge amount we can do to harness the public goodwill toward and support for libraries (and to help people be better-informed about the different types of library)

Media relations...

UK-wide Partnerships...

National Libraries Day...

Political advocacy...

Celebrity endorsement...

We need to sustain a steady supply of fresh, interesting stories from and about libraries, to keep the media, politicians & the public engaged.

But can we go further...?

Libraries are a great product with fantastic brand recognition. The challenge is to use every medium at our disposal to enthuse people with the knowledge of what libraries deliver today and inspire them to pay us a visit.

Don’t forget!

The CILIP Publicity & Public Relations Group’sMarketing Excellence Awards are open for nominations until May 6th

See http://www.cilip.org.uk/publicity-public-relations-group/marketing-excellence-awards for details!

http://www.cilip.org.uk/publicity-public-relations-group/marketing-excellence-awards



promoting libraries

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