Download Marketing for health libraries and information organizations

Marketing Strategies for the
Use of Research4Life Resources
This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Overview
• Discussion of the concept of marketing
• Strategies for the implementation of a marketing
plan
• Development of a Research4Life (R4L)
resources marketing plan for your institution
note: this module includes material from the
Publicizing e-Resources at Institutions
presentation of ITOCA (www.itoca.org)
Why market R4L resources?
• Many information options for users are on the
Internet; we want R4L resources to be key option
• Marketing can be specific or broad – for one,
several or all programs (depending on users)
• To educate users about full potential of these
resources
• To enrich curricula, research, policy and, for
HINARI, clinical practice
• To increase the use and justify the support by the
publishers (currently committed through 2020)
Definition of Marketing in Libraries
“Marketing is a way of thinking which has
to pervade the whole approach of the
library staff. It has to do with predicting
and providing services that people need
and with providing services of the best
quality.”
Wakeham M Marketing and health libraries Health
Information and Libraries Journal: December
2004:21(4)237-46
Marketing R4L Resources is
• a whole process centered around the needs of
the institution’s users
• to identify what users want and communicate
with them (or)
• To supply R4L and other electronic resources
to the various user groups
• teach users skills to be self-sufficient
• encourage the use of these resources over a
long period of time
• a strategic tool of management
Overview - Marketing Plan
1. Examine the library's mission or purpose
2. Assess library capabilities with an internal
assessment – a marketing audit
3. Find out what products (services) your users
want through market research
4. Develop goals and objectives based on your
mission and the results of your internal audit and
external research
Overview - Marketing Plan continued
5. Select strategies to promote your
products that will work best and reach your
user groups
6. Create a plan of action that describes all
the steps needed to carry out the
strategies for meeting goals
7. Evaluate the outcome of the plan
Ohio Library Council Marketing the Library (accessed 18 Aug 2015)
www.olc.org/marketing/
Marketing Audit
Goal is to examine products offered and assess
the value of the products to the users by
assessing:
• Product - library services, resources,
instruction, etc. available to users particularly R4L & other electronic resources
• Price of Service - includes direct and indirect
costs to produce and deliver the product
Marketing Audit continued
• Place - considers delivery and distribution
of the products and services, location of
services, availability, and accessibility
particularly to the R4L & other electronic
resource
• Promotion - how libraries let users know
what products are available
Ohio Library Council Marketing the Library (accessed 18 Aug 2015)
www.olc.org/marketing/
Marketing Segments
• ‘Marketing segments’ is another phrase for
‘client groups’ – to identify and differentiate
• Common groupings for academic libraries
include status (faculty, researcher, student –
undergraduate or postgraduate, staff) or
geographic
• Groupings also can be by information needs
and/or skills
• Senior management is a marketing group –
support is essential
Role of Staff
• All staff promotes service when they interact
with users
• Staff creates relationships with users based on
the quality of service
• Regarding R4L resources, the role of staff is to:
– identify potential users and their information
needs
– customize and package services for
identified groups
– train users to be self-sufficient
Promotion
Promotion or ‘marketing communication’
• is the key element to marketing
• must be clear and state what is being promoted,
why and to whom and what effect is expected
• is not synonymous with marketing in which
significant data gathering and analysis are done
• is a tool of the overall strategy
• is campaign to communicate with a specific
group of users about a specific service/resource
(R4L and other electronic resources)
Promotion Includes
• Institutional or Library websites
• Training workshops, seminars or meetings
• Direct mailing – targets limited audience
and personalized
• Advertisements, banners and posters –
attempts to reach a wide audience but with
a simple message
Promotion Includes continued
• Leaflets and newsletters – reaches a wide
audience, can convey considerable
information; limit to one topic
• Events – reaches a wide audience; can
convey considerable information and
allows interaction between staff and users
• Word of mouth – referrals by teachers or
colleagues and library staff particularly
with users
Evaluation
• notes if the library or health information
center has been successful in achieving the
objectives of marketing – the promotion and
use of R4L resources
• confirms if the users’ needs have been
correctly identified and met
• measures performance objectives:
• data on institution’s use of various R4L
programs’ resources
• instructional assignments using these
resources
Marketing on Website
Successful Marketing
• May include active bidding for funds from
institutional and outside sources
• Can take up considerable staff time and staff
may need training
• Will involve tools
– surveys
– attendance at meetings
– becoming involved in projects from other parts
of the organization
– talks with visitors to the library
– focus groups
Surveys
For marketing, a survey can be defined as
‘a set of questions people are asked to
gather information or find out opinions, or
the information gathered by asking many
people the same questions.’
Cambridge Dictionaries Online (accessed 19 Aug 2015)
dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/survey
Keys to Surveys
• Write a good and short introduction
• Ask questions that provide the information you
need
• Ask important questions first, then demographic
ones
• Organize the questions in logical groups
• Use easy-to-understand language
• Avoid technical terms, jargon and acronyms
Keys to Surveys continued
• Use even number responses (a,b,c,d) so that the
respondent cannot use a neutral answer
• Be sensitive to the feelings of your respondents
• Thank the respondents
• Keep survey short, simple and to the point
Questionnaires and survey designs – a free
tutorial www.statpac.com/surveys/
Summary of Marketing Strategy
•
•
•
•
Clear and to the point
Avoid using technical jargon
Keep it Short and Simple (KISS)
Packaged appropriately to suit
audience
Ongoing Strategy
• Create ‘listening posts’ for feedback
– word-of-mouth, help desk, suggestion box, surveys
• Periodically
– analyze effectiveness of communication strategy;
continue to evaluate
– write report and present findings
• According to findings
– fine tune communication strategy to meet user
needs
– there is always a better way to do things
• Marketing of R4L resources is an ongoing activity!
Additional Resources
American Library Association Marketing @ your library
www.ala.org/acrl/issues/marketing
(contains numerous downloadable resources that are
applicable to academic institutions)
Association of European Research Libraries Expert Tips for
Marketing Your Library
libereurope.eu/blog/2013/06/03/expert-tips-formarketing-your-library/
North Carolina State University Library Library Marketing
Plan Workbook
www.nmstatelibrary.org/docs/development/planning/Market
ing_Plan_Workbook.pdf
Exercise
Develop an institution’s marketing play by
using the accompanying (Excel spreadsheet)
workbook.
Note: This document can be printed and
distributed at workshops. The participants
would complete the exercise manually.
Updated 2015 08
Appendix 1
Marketing Strategy completed by:
National University of Samoa – Nursing
Lecturers, December 2013