Building a Buzz: Libraries and Word-of-mouth Marketing

Building a

buzz

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Want to get the word out about your library in the most cost￾effective way possible? You can achieve this with the effective

word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) strategies laid out in this

book. Two creative marketers, Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace, bring you

sound marketing principles to spread the word about your library with

■ A strategy that works for you

■ WOMM must-haves

■ Tips to effectively deliver your message

■ Best practices and insightful interviews

Renowned for their creativity, Barber and Wallace bring you WOMM ideas

that will help you turn your existing library patrons into a major marketing

force.

9 780838 910115

ISBN 978-0-8389-1011-5

Building a Buzz

Building a Buzz

Libraries & Word-of-Mouth Marketing

American Library Association

Chicago 2010

Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace

Prior to launching Library Communication Strategies, a consulting firm for libraries, in

2000, Peggy Barber was associate executive director for communication for the Ameri￾can Library Association (ALA), where she established the ALA Public Information Of￾fice, Public Programs Office, and the ALA Graphics program, including the widely

known celebrity READ poster series. She is coauthor with Linda D. Crowe of Getting

Your Grant: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians (Neal-Schuman, 1993). Barber re￾ceived the Lippincott Award in 1999 and was honored as Alumni of the Year in 2001

by the Rutgers University School of Library and Information Science. Linda Wallace

is cofounder and partner of Library Communication Strategies. She was formerly di￾rector of the ALA Public Information Office, where she developed and implemented

creative strategies for National Library Week, Library Card Sign-Up Month, Teen Read

Week, and many other public awareness campaigns. Wallace is the author of Libraries,

Mission, and Marketing: Writing Mission Statements That Work (American Library As￾sociation, 2004). She has written and edited many other ALA publications, including

the Campaign for America’s Libraries @ your library toolkits for public, school, and

academic libraries. Wallace received two Addys and two John Cotton Dana special

awards for her work as community relations coordinator for the Mideastern Michigan

Library Cooperative and was named Librarian of the Year by the Flint Area Library As￾sociation.

While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing

in this book, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or

reliability of the information, and does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability

to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in this publica￾tion.

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American

National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library

Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Barber, Peggy.

Building a buzz : libraries and word-of-mouth marketing / Peggy Barber and Linda

Wallace.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8389-1011-5 (alk. paper)

1. Libraries—Marketing. 2. Libraries—Public relations. 3. Libraries—United States—

Marketing—Case studies. I. Wallace, Linda K. II. Title.

Z716.3.B37 2010

021.7—dc22

2009025146

Copyright © 2010 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except

those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of

1976.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-1011-5

Printed in the United States of America

14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1

v

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1 Word of Mouth versus

Word-of-Mouth Marketing 1

What Is Marketing? 1

Why You Need a Plan 1

Marketing Plan Key Elements 2

Communication Checklist 3

The Marketing Communication Plan 4

Eight Steps to Success 4

The Buzz about Buzz: Interview with Judy Hoffman 5

Chapter 2 The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing 7

Why It Works 7

Turning Customers into Champions 8

The Buzz about Buzz: Interview with Juli Janovicz 10

Chapter 3 How to Build a Buzz 13

Must-Haves 13

1. A Good Product and Great Customer Service 13

2. A Plan 15

Contents

vi • Contents

3. A Clear, Conscious, Consistent Message 16

Don’t Forget the “Family” 18

What Do You Say? 18

4. A Prepared and Committed Sales Force 18

The Buzz about Buzz: Interview with Denise Zielinski 19

Inspiring and Motivating Employees 20

Engaging Trustees 21

5. People Willing to Testify 21

The Buzz about Buzz: Interview with Judy Wright 23

Sample Testimonials 24

Chapter 4 When and Where to Buzz 27

Delivering Your Message 29

Dealing with the Negative 31

E-media 32

Advocacy 33

Just Do It 34

The Buzz about Buzz: Interview with Renee Anderson 34

Chapter 5 WOMM at Work: Reports

from the Front Lines 37

Addison Public Library 37

Bartlett Public Library District 40

Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 43

(Beach Park Middle School)

BP Information Services (Naperville) 45

Cook Memorial Public Library District 47

Crystal Lake Public Library 49

Glen Ellyn Public Library 52

Highland Park Public Library 54

Mount Prospect Public Library 56

Contents • vii

Oakton Community College 60

Town and Country Public Library (Elburn) 62

Warrenville Public Library 65

Waukegan Public Library 67

Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District 69

Zion-Benton Public Library 72

Chapter 6 Power Pack 75

Marketing Terms and Definitions 75

A Word-of-Mouth Marketing Checklist 76

Sample Communication Plan 76

1. Introduction 76

2. Goals 77

3. Objectives 77

4. Positioning Statement 78

5. Key Message 78

6. Key Audiences 78

7. Strategies/Action Plan 78

8. Evaluation Measures 79

Sample Staff Survey 79

Sample Q&A 80

Bad Example 80

Good Example 80

Sample Agenda for Introductory Staff Workshop 80

Really Good Resources 81

Sample Scripts 83

Scenario I: Guys/Gals in the Locker Room 83

Scenario II: Testimonial 84

Scenario III: Reluctant Student 85

Scenario IV: Welcome, Neighbor! 86

viii • Contents

Scenario V: Unhappy Mom—Wrong Way 87

Scenario V: Unhappy Mom—Right Way 88

Appendix: Buzz Grant Project Background 89

Index 93

ix

Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) makes sense for libraries for many

reasons. You’ll find out why in this book. You’ll also find powerful tools

and techniques to help get people talking about your library and some great

examples of how WOMM can work for all types of libraries.

Following many years of adventures in library promotion at the American

Library Association, we “graduated” in 2000 and soon after launched a con￾sulting practice, Library Communication Strategies. Our mission: to support

libraries of all types with creative, practical, and effective communication strat￾egies.

We’d been buzzing about buzz for some time when two regional library

systems in Illinois, the DuPage Library System (DLS) and the North Suburban

Library System (NSLS), applied for and received a Library Services and Tech￾nology Act (LSTA) grant to provide training, planning support, and informa￾tion resources on word-of-mouth marketing. Thirty-five libraries participated,

including twenty-nine public, three academic, two school, and one special. We

were hired to lead the training sessions and provide counsel on project devel￾opment. It was a learning experience for all of us, and we wrote this book in the

hope that you, too, will benefit.

Our thanks to all the libraries that participated in the Buzz Grant marketing

project and most especially to Sharon Ball, Judy Hoffman, Mary Witt (NSLS),

Renee Anderson, and Denise Zielinski (DLS), the masterminds behind this

project.

We know you’re busy, so we’ve tried to be brief. As Judy beautifully sum￾marized—

One 2007 LSTA Grant +

Two Illinois Library Systems +

Two Library Marketing Gurus +

Thirty-five Pioneering Libraries =

One Big BUZZ of a Practical, Powerful BOOK.

We hope you’ll agree, and we look forward to hearing your questions, suc￾cesses, and challenges. E-mail us at [email protected].

Happy buzzing!

Preface