Foreword

ix
by Judith Gibbons

Acknowledgments

xi

About the Website

xiii

Introduction

xv

Chapter 1: How and Why People Become Accidental Marketers

1
How Did We Get Here? 1
Where Are We Now? 2
How Accidental Marketers Are Born 3
Just How “Accidental” Are We? 5
The Need for More Marketing Education in Library Schools 9
What to Expect From This Book 11

Chapter 2: Starting With the Basics of Communication

13
What, Really, Is Marketing? 13
The Cycle of True Marketing 14
The Missing Link Revealed 15
Definitions and Differences 16
The Four P’s 17
An Example of How Businesses Use Marketing 19
What’s in a Name? Or in Any Word? 21

Chapter 3: Assessing Your Current Situation

25
Your Physical Spaces 27
Your Online Environment 28
Your Printed Materials 35
Your Customer Service Environment 37
The Attitudes of Customers and Potential Users 40

Chapter 4: Using Demographic, Geographic, and Census Data

67
Tapping Into Demographic and Geographic Data 68
Using Data to Build a SWOT Analysis 73

Chapter 5: What Marketing Experts Think Is Most Important

79
How to Avoid the Five Most Common Marketing Mistakes 80
What Other Experts Think and Teach 85
Words of Wisdom From Others 93
What Surveys and Studies Have Revealed 95

Chapter 6: Getting Administrators, Managers, and Staff to Buy In

103
Basic Rules of Thumb for Achieving Buy-In 103
Getting Staff Buy-In for Extra Work on Marketing and Promo Projects 111
The Keys to Real Buy-In 115

Chapter 7: Making Evidence-Based Decisions With Administrators

117
Examine All of Your Data and Evidence 117
Look at Your Goals, Mission, and Vision 119
Think About Your Logo and Your Brand 122

Chapter 8: Don’t Shy Away From Statistics

129
Start With Stats You’ve Got and Make Them More Powerful 129
Statistics You Might Not Record, But Should 132
The Importance of Cost/Benefit Analysis 135
Examples of Results From ROI Studies Around the United States 140
The Cost of Value Studies 143

Chapter 9: Understanding the Cycle of True Marketing

145
All of the Steps in the True Marketing Process 145
Follow These Vital Steps and You Will Find Success 148

Chapter 10: Writing Your Formal Plans

161
The Proper Hierarchy of Plans 162
All About Marketing Plans 163
Five Steps to a Basic Marketing Plan 164
The Marketing Plan as Part of the Cycle of True Marketing 168
How a Communication Plan Can Help 170
A Word About Technology Plans 172
Sharing Plans Among Friends 173

Chapter 11: Basic Rules for Producing Good Promotional Materials

175
Craft Your Message Carefully 175
Design Rules for Creating Good Promotional Materials 178
Tracking Workflow for Promotional Materials 181
Helpful Tips for Working With Print Shops 184
It All Reflects on Your Library 185

Chapter 12: Getting the Message Out

187
My Recommendations for Communication 187
Working With the Media 190
Spreading the Library’s Message Through Partnerships 203
A Few Words About Word-of-Mouth Marketing 207
The Time Has Come for Mobile Marketing 208

Chapter 13: Using Your Website for Public Relations and Outreach

211
What Do People Expect From Websites? 212
Make Sure Search Engines Can Find Your Site 215
Learning How People Search and See 218
You Need the “Full Monty” Website 220

Chapter 14: Finally, the Fun Stuff

223
Fun Events and Success Stories 224
“Wow Factor” Ideas You Can Try on Your Own 228
Promotion That Doesn’t Feel Like Promotion 237
Snappy Comebacks for That Awful Question, “Now That We Have the Internet, Why Do We Still Need Libraries?” 241
The Final Lesson 247

Appendix A: Improving Our Media Relations via Strategic Communications Planning

249
by Marsha A Iverson

Appendix B: Designing Promo Materials That Are Legible

261
by Pat Wagner

Appendix C: Promotion Is Not the Same as Marketing

271
by Christie Koontz

About the Author

281

Index

283

Copyright 2023