Promoting Your Library on a Limited Budget: Strategies and Tips
Discover effective strategies for promoting a library on a limited budget. Explore ways to engage the community, utilize free advertising methods, maintain an up-to-date website, create engaging printed materials, leverage social media platforms, and connect with local organizations to boost visibility. Learn how to maximize outreach efforts and make a significant impact without breaking the bank.
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Presentation Transcript
PROMOTING YOUR LIBRARY ON A LIMITED BUDGET EMILY FAULKNER, DIRECTOR OF DEKALB PUBLIC LIBRARY SAMANTHA HATHAWAY, HEAD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND EVENTS AT DEKALB PUBLIC LIBRARY
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY Where do people get information? What groups, clubs, and organizations meet regularly? Who are the players in town? Businesses, non-profits, community leaders? How do you identify library champions?
FREE WAYS TO ADVERTISE Website Print materials (flyers, handouts, brochures, etc.) Social Media Community calendars and newsletters Press releases Radio shows Partner/performer promotions
WEBSITE Keep it up to date! Be user friendly and easy to navigate Highlight one or two marquee events or initiatives Include a calendar of events
PRINTED MATERIALS Flyers, handouts, brochures Reduce time spent by designing templates. Common design software includes Photoshop, Indesign, Canva, Publisher. Use engaging and high-quality images. Speak to local businesses and organizations about posting flyers or putting brochures out at their establishments.
SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook (adults and families), Twitter (young adults), Instagram (teens), LinkedIn (young professionals). Don t become an information dump . Have a personality. Engage with other community organizations. Boost events and posts. Connect with local personalities who will promote your events and services. You can even put money towards them boosting posts about you to reach a larger audience. Respond to direct messages and thoughtful comments. Do not engage with negative reviews or public posts. Buffer or Hootsuite as a social media dashboard
COMMUNITY CALENDARS AND NEWSLETTERS Local radio stations Visitor s Bureau Chamber of Commerce School District City government Follow entity guidelines and respect their limits Reduce staff time by setting up templates for images and boilerplate language
PRESS RELEASES Easy way to get information out to the public 5-10 minutes a week Set up a Media Contact group email Know deadlines Email information in the body of the email, not as an attachment As much information as possible Media alerts/publicity blurbs Consistent format
RADIO SHOWS Explore Guest DJ opportunities. Bring handouts and information for the hosts to refer to. If possible, have two employees attend. Purchase ad spots and ask about additional benefits. Adult and senior audience
PARTNER/PERFORMER PROMOTIONS Expand the reach. Make it easy for them. Form connections for prior publicity opportunities.
PAID ADVERTISEMENTS Newspapers, magazines, radio stations Buy in bulk! Look for special deals or discounts. Try new forms of advertising. When you try new advertising, give it a fair chance by putting enough funding in it to be effective. Email campaigns
EMAIL CAMPAIGNS ConstantContact vs. LibraryAware. LibraryAware allows you to create your own eBlasts, but also allows patrons to subscribe to database-generated Readers Advisory lists. Be cautious about sending emails directly to large groups. There are privacy and blacklisting concerns. Be consistent, do not be overwhelming. Have a subscribe button on your website.
EVALUATION PROCEDURE Which of your ads are most effective? How do people find out about your organization? Surveys, print and electronic
