Word-of-Mouth Marketing

At the 2006 ALA Conference in New Orleans this past June the key to marketing success, sometimes referred to as "the best kept secret in marketing," was revealed - Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM).

Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace of Library Communication Strategies, Inc. shared the difference between regular word of mouth and WOMM: "Word of mouth is just mentioning things to people, but word-of-mouth marketing is intentional. It's where you consciously deliver messages to others in an organized and consistent manner."

Characteristics of WOMM:
· It still happens in elevators and food stores.
· You have a message in mind and a plan to get the word out.
· Everyone in your group is aware of the core message and knows the talking points.
· Then, as in "viral marketing," they each tell several people, who then tell their friends, etc.
[From Marketing Library Services, July/August 2006, http://www.infotoday.com/mls/default.shtml]

According to Barber and Wallace, advertising experts now say that WOMM is the most powerful tool.

The best part about this marketing strategy? We can all afford it!

How will you get the word out? Some libraries have created a "Friends & Allies" email list to get staff, trustees and Friends on the same talking point for the month. Make your message simple and easy to repeat.

So what kind of messages could you get out in your community about your library?

[Resources from Barber and Wallace's presentation, "Marketing is Everyone's Job @ your library," which focused on word-of-mouth-marketing, are available at http://www.ala.org/pio. Click on "PR FORUM."]


MHLS Libraries
Pirates of the Librarian (Philmont): "Two pirate crews in search of buried treasure were marooned in Philmont for the summer. They were spotted recently walking through town, hornswaggling local merchants. Arrr! The reading program at the Philmont Public Library had a pirate theme this year, and the young book-aneers were taking a rest from their reading to pillage the land. Merchants participating in the Treasure Hunt included the Philmont Post Office, Key Bank, Lagonia's, Local 111, the Village Office and Scoops. A total of 52 swashbucklers signed up for the program that continues until August 11. "
[From: http://philmont.org/news0607_pirate.html]

Professional Development
Nylink is offering four-five week online, in-depth classes beginning September 18th:
· Accounting Fundamentals for Librarians: Understanding Credits, Debits, and Basic Budgeting Principles
· Information Technology & Society
· Introduction to Networking for Librarians
· Excel Fundamentals for Beginners
· Understanding PCs and Operating Systems
· Implementing Virtual Reference
Visit Nylink's distance education page at http://nylink.org/training/disted.htm for additional information; see http://nylink.org/training/classes.htm for a listing of all Nylink classes and to register online.

Library Camp East 2006: September 25th at the Darien Public Library, Darien CT. This is an "open spaces" event devoted to Library 2.0 issues. It is open and free to any who would like to attend. "An unconference focuses on who is going to be at the event and what they're interested in. The organizers provide space, transportation information, enough blank surfaces to write on so that people can self-organize, and a general theme for the day. Everything else is up to you, the participants." Sign-up through the Library 2.0 Wiki: http://wiki.library2.net/index.php/Library_Camp_East%2C_2006_Sign-up_Page. Find out more at http://www.blyberg.net/2006/07/20/library-camp-east-2006/.

Learn more about Library 2.0 by checking out the article "Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries" by Jack M. Maness, MLS, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries: http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html

 

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
"The New York Times has long been committed to fostering literacy and building awareness of issues important to our local and national communities. Our work with libraries is an essential part of this commitment. The New York Times Librarian Awards were created to support and recognize public librarians, who do so much to nurture a better-informed society. This year, the sixth year of this national awards program, we will honor 21 public librarians from across the country. The Times Librarian Award recognizes those librarians in public libraries whose exemplary performance and outstanding community service have made their libraries friendlier and more accessible institutions." http://www.nytco.com/community/librarianawards06.html

Youth Services
How HIP Can Help You Connect Teens with Good Summer Reads: Teen patrons looking for a good summer read or for helpful information on a wide variety of issues can be pointed to the Health Information Project at http://hip.midhudson.org. There, they will find summaries of high-interest fiction titles, teen book reviews, and listings of nonfiction titles, and peer-reviewed videos and websites.
· Newly posted are the teen intern book reviews that have been submitted thus far from the 2006 Health Information Project summer Teen Intern Program*. Check out the new look with the addition of the book jackets: http://hip.midhudson.org/hip_bookreviews.htm.
· All materials are linked to the online catalog and teens can easily order them through Request-a-Title.
Directing teens to this page or, better yet, providing a link to this page, would be a great way to feature relevant and popular titles for your teen patrons.
*Thirty-three teen reviewers are currently hard at work through the Teen Intern Program at six MHLS libraries (Beacon, Coxsackie, Kent, Kinderhook, Kingston and Milton). Trained in media literacy and web and video evaluation, the teen interns are working to evaluate and recommend videos and books to circulate System-wide and websites that will be posted on the Project site.

Trustee Resources
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all libraries must have a written plan for how the library will serve people with all kinds of disabilities. Samples of this type of policy are available on the MHLS Sample Public Library Policies & Policy Development Tips page. Access this resources through the Trustee Resources section of the MHLS web site: http://midhudson.org -->Trustee Resources or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/trustee/main.htm.

 

Administration & Management
TechAtlas for Libraries was recently upgraded, tailored to better meet the technology management and planning needs of libraries [http://webjunction.techatlas.org/tools/]:
· TechAtlas for Libraries is more closely aligned with the "five-part" model of technology planning used for E-Rate applications.
· New inventory tools* for tracking telecommunications services and equipment, as well as leased database subscriptions (in addition to the computer hardware and software inventory tools in the initial version of TechAtlas) have been added.
· The new "Budget" area within TechAtlas for Libraries allows the user to plan for and justify the acquisition of new technologies by aligning the costs with established objectives and activities in the technology plan.
· The new "Evaluate" area within TechAtlas for Libraries allows the user to build an evaluation and approval process for the technology plan, ensuring that the feedback needed from other stakeholders is received.
*A recent communication from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and WebJunction indicates that the TechAtlas inventory tool is being used to help make future decisions about the funding of the US Library Program - another reason to look consider using this free tool for your library.

Member Libraries are welcome to submit items of interest and job openings to the MHLS Bulletin: bulletin@midhudson.org. The MHLS Bulletin is available on line at http://midhudson.org/bulletins/main.htm.