Mark Aaron Polger - Library Marketing Basics

Library Marketing Basics

Library Marketing Basics

Mark Aaron Polger

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

6 Tinworth Street, London, SE11 5AL, United Kingdom

Copyright 2019 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc.

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Polger, Mark Aaron, author.

Title: Library marketing basics / Mark Aaron Polger.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018049996 (print) | LCCN 2018060095 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538125816 (electronic) | ISBN 9781442239623 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442239630 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: LibrariesMarketing.

Classification: LCC Z716.3 (ebook) | LCC Z716.3 .P65 2019 (print) | DDC 021.7dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018049996

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to my mum Leona Polger, who has always been supportive, an amazing confidant, and my best friend. Your guidance and great advice is always appreciated, even if I dont always take it.

Foreword

Mark Aaron Polger is one of the most enthusiastic library marketers I know, so I was excited to learn he was writing a book on the topic. When he invited me to contribute the Foreword, I was honored. I wasnt sure what Id discover in the manuscript, and for months, I eagerly awaited my sneak peek.

I was not disappointed.

Enthusiasm certainly helps with marketing, but its far from being the most important thing. Theres a lot of background knowledge and strategy behind great marketing initiatives. And while its true that librarians can do some effective marketing and promotional work without being experts in that field, I can tell the difference between projects done by people whove put in some study time and projects done by people whove decided to wing it.

This book, Library Marketing Basics , is one of the tools you can study to help you achieve marketing greatness. Its different from many of the library marketing books that have come out in the past five years or so. Those books have been filled with case studies, which share ideas and tactics for implementing projects. But they seldom explain where the ideas came from or why particular tactics were chosen.

This tome, however, explains how to start at the proper beginning, with market research. Polger has long been involved in many local and national marketing organizations, and he drew on his vast experience to pen this new title. Studying Library Marketing Basics will enable readers to understand the what, why, and how of the craft. I think thats incredibly important. Its vital to realize what marketing really is (and is not), and to grasp the tenets behind it. People whove done that are more likely to implement projects that are successful.

Right from the get-go, Polger comes out and says that librarians have the best of intentions, but their [marketing] efforts are very often misguided, sporadic, random, uninformed, and not user-centered (p. 15). While this might be hard to hear, its true. Polger has seen that during his wide-ranging activities in this field (chairing LLAMAs PR Xchange Committee and co-chairing the Annual PR Xchange Awards Competition; co-chairing meetings for ACRLs Library Marketing and Outreach Interest Group, and working on the Planning Committee for the Library Marketing and Communications Conference), and he aims to help change those misguided actions with this book.

I like that the author begins with definitions. That might seem pedantic, but please, dont skip these. In my 15 years as a library marketing consultant, Ive spoken with hundreds of librarians who dont understand the difference between marketing, promotion, advocacy, outreach, and other related words. In fact, Polger includes some differentiations between words that even I sometimes overlook (i.e., market research and marketing research). Realizing what the terms really mean will help you get the most out of the rest of this book, and every other thing you read over time on the topic.

Polger carries this logical, helpful approach throughout his book. He explains concepts thoroughly and includes a plethora of citations to guide you to more details about every topic he touches on. And hes included all the concepts you need to know about, from advertising to generation Z. Library Marketing Basics gives you a broad look at the field, which includes campaigns, plans, brands, analytics, social media, search engine optimization, etc. But those are just the A-level topics youd expect from a marketing book in 2019, right? In its quest to be complete, this one also mentions measuring return on investment, understanding eye-tracking studies, using perceptual maps, listing elements that should be part of a marketing plan, identifying touchpoints, and more. If it relates to marketing, its probably in this tome. And Polger considers, and offers examples from, all types of libraries.

Two points that Polger makes throughout this work are obvious to marketing pros, but still, unfortunately, important lessons for marketing learners:

1. Always start any initiative with market research. That provides the evidence-based information youll need to complete all of the steps in the marketing cycle.
2. Program and event ideas should spring from the market research, rather than coming from what program planners feel like doing. If they are simply asking for marketing support just before their events, then the process is upside-down.

So as you read Library Marketing Basics , let Polgers process recommendations sink in and truly affect the way you work. And if you also catch his infectious enthusiasm, youll be in an even better position to do great marketing.

Kathy Dempsey

Editor, Marketing Library Services

Author, The Accidental Library Marketer

Marketing Consultant and Founder, Libraries Are Essential

Founding Chair, Library Marketing and Communications Conference

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Heath Sledge for being such a supportive editor and for helping me throughout the process of this book project. Thanks to Charles Harmon and everyone at Rowman & Littlefield for believing in this project (and for your patience). Thanks to Sandy Wood for inviting me to write this book and for working with me at the beginning of this project.

Thanks to my parents Leona and David Polger, who have been so supportive throughout my life.

Thanks to Janice Rosen, archives director of the Canadian Jewish Archives in Montreal, Canada. I worked for Janice from 19931999 before attending library school and she has always been a wonderful mentor and friend.

Thanks to Kathy Dempsey, my library marketing mentor and friend. Your advice has been invaluable and I am so glad youre only an email away!

Thanks to my small groups of supportive family and dear friends in Montreal, Toronto, and New York City; Keith Saks, Karen Okamoto, Antonio DSouza, Wendy Furtenbacher, Don Madonna, Vivian Bejerman, Kinga Breining, Peter Kiss, Scott Sheidlower, Elizabeth (Lisa) Palov, Mason Cooper, Julie Miller, Maxine DAlfonso, Tony DAlfonso, Beth Hurley, Ryan Hurley, Aaron Boros, Daniel Malen, Marlin Roy, Dimitry Epelbaum, Andrew Grudek, Faline Bobier, Susanne Marcus Solomkin, David Solomkin, Jennie Solomkin, Shari Kopla, Raffi Kopla, Lynn Marcus, Susan Yegendorf, Simon Abecassis, David Abecassis, Jana Stuart, Christy Sich, Dan Sich, Joel Moses, Heidi Furtenbacher, Pamela Pollack, Christine Oakes, and Naomi Gold.