Taking Care of Business Joan C. Divor, Business Services Librarian Burlington County Library System Uri Toch, Reference Librarian Schaumburg Twp. Dist. Lib. (IL)

Marketing’s Importance “Community partnerships and marketing are very important. A library is more than a building. It is about relationships within a community. You have to have relationships for your library to thrive.” Michael Madden, Library Director, Schaumburg Township District Library

Objectives 1. EXPLAIN the benefits of business outreach 2. DESCRIBE what your library can offer. 3. CREATE an benefits-based “elevator speech” for communicating your library’s value. 4. LIST local contacts for accessing the business community & marketing strategies. 5. IDENTIFY 3 – 5 things you can do within the next 3-6 months to build visibility.

Who are they? What “segments” of the business community should we focus on? “Traditional” vs “Non-traditional” Understand the fluid nature of business segments.

Our Relationship to the Business Community 1. Win – win 2. You can do this NOW

Business – Good for the Library Enhanced stature / image / testimonials Advocacy Partnering / Support Win - Win Library – Good for Business Free, premium business knowledge Synergy – Resources & staff Comprehensive & objectives Sponsorship makes them look good Unique & Powerful Positioning!

You Can Do This Now - Exercise Resources – start w. what you have now Book resources (directories, circ books) E resources / databases Staff Marketing – build on what you do now Website Brochures, bibliographies Programs

Know & Describe Capabilities and Benefits 1. Know resources; train staff 2. Develop benefits-based talking points: 90 second “elevator”; 10 min ppt

The “Elevator” Speech Answers: What do we do? Whom do we serve? What makes the library unique? How does the library bring value? Targeted to your specific audience.

Elevator Speech - B.A.S.E. B rief A rticulate S incere E nthusiastic Exercise

Marketing in Action: Outreach to community—personal touch Outreach to community—the broad touch Special displays in the library At the reference desk/the ref. interview Via Web 2.0 —e-letters, wikis, building database for special contacts Partnerships with the business community— chamber touch and others

A Cost-Effective Approach: Word of Mouth Marketing Let others do the talking; the same way businesses succeed Multiplier effect “Word of mouth marketing is a key to the library’s future. We need to figure out how to politely get in people’s faces.” Gary Price Examples of word of mouth (buzz) marketing

Sources of other Marketing Ideas Library literature Library Marketing Committee Benchmarking other local libraries (Your ideas here) Benchmarking other nonprofits/for profits Serendipity—other avenues

Barriers to Marketing Success Time $ Training Library staff are often risk averse

Overcoming Barriers: Creating the Marketing Mindset Administration’s support Marketing gives us what we need– statistics and partnerships. Entrepreneurial thinking (civic entrepreneurship, increasing funding options)

NEED: Business Know-How Local contacts, govt agencies, organizations Business trends & market data Business planning guidelines Marketing directories

STRATEGY: A practical toolkit Your website, and/or a program (hands on) Local focus Highlight library resources – especially databases / ebooks Booklist circulating & reference books Screencasts on your website BCLS Biz Gateway:

Community Partnerships: Business Content and Contacts Government agencies offer access to expertise. Colleges and universities have a wealth of business expertise. Not only helps with programs, but helps develop reputation in community among other nonprofit organizations.

Possible Program Partners Small Business Development Centers (or other state agency) Small Business Administration (or other federal agency) Federal Reserve (Money Smart Week) Division of Employment Services (state) Planning Departments (local)

Your Community Touchpoints Exercise: List individuals and/or organizations in your community that serve the business community, that you could approach and possibly partner with. For each organization, list one or more ways you could approach them or create a relationship.

Marketing Scenarios: Applying the Mindset A library that is already very successful A library with a small staff and small business community A random comment at the reference desk Exercise 4 - Worksheet / Discussion 3 – 5 things

Summary - Objectives 1. EXPLAIN the benefits of business outreach 2. DESCRIBE what your library can offer. 3. CREATE an benefits-based “elevator speech” for communicating your library’s value. 4. LIST local contacts for accessing the business community & marketing strategies. 5. IDENTIFY 3 – 5 things you can do within the next 3-6 months to build visibility.

Summary – take-aways Name one thing you learned or idea you got today that you didn’t know before. us ideas/articles We will share to others? Build into a group == maybe become a blog.

For More Information: Reads and Links Inspiring Business Web sites Collection Development For more information

Know Your Library… It’s Good for Business Joan C. Divor, Business Services Librarian Burlington County Library System Uri Toch, Reference Librarian Schaumburg Twp. Dist. Lib. (IL)