WOM Basic Training posted my favorite how-to to date: Democratizing Marketing. The post has 5 tips for opening up the marketing process to get the word-of-mouth ball rolling, and they're also excellent pointers for librarians! Here's the list with my comments, but see the original post for all the details:
1. Wow 'em with your product. A great product generates great buzz. There's not a company or library out there that can't use this tip!
2. Meet an unmet need. Good librarians have built-in unmet need detectors. Putting the detectors to work even outside the library is a good way to find niches to fill.
3. Become a resource for information. Ding! Ding! Nailed this one! But, we can always find new and exciting ways to apply our expertise and make it relevant for patrons.
4. Create community. Marketing is all about relationships and making them meaningful. Not only can we serve communities, we can spark them! (I've also written about this topic recently, here and here).
5. Invite them to help create marketing. The days of employing marketing to talk at patrons is over. Marketing is a dialogue that begs for patron involvement.
Categories: must_reads | tips_to_try
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
One heck of a how-to!
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Libraries are more than just collections of books and other materials. Libraries are dynamic forces in their communities with the power to improve lives. Modern marketing demands that librarians look beyond their traditional roles ("outside the book") to find new ways to connect with people and further their success.
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