The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

There is a short article in the November 2009 issue of American Libraries that talks about Word of Mouth Marketing. In Chinook Arch's last needs assessment it was clear that a priority for many member libraries is marketing themselves. And it became clear that this is an area where our libraries are asking for support. As such we have offered a series of training around this theme and are trying to provide support resources whenever possible. One thing that I have learned about successful marketing and advocacy campaigns is that they involve people. Lots of people. Marketing and advocacy only works by establishing relationships with others in your community. To be constantly talking about what the library offers (in a consistent and focused manner) and to get others talking. That's what this article is all about. Chinook Arch has developed some marketing materials (to be distributed by Fall) which we hope will assist libraries in establishing these connections in the community. In the meantime, here are a few key points from the article:

• Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is not just word of mouth. The Marketing part of it includes developing a consistent message and a plan for getting it out there.
  
• WOMM makes sense for libraries for 3 reasons:
  1. We can afford it - it's free
  2. We have a potential 'sales force' of millions - including patrons, staff, trustees, Friends, etc
  3. ".. it absolutely is the most powerful form of communication"
  
• "Why WOMM?
  1. It's real and immediate - real, live people telling other people in real time.
  2. It's personal - not a pitch. The person knows you and is trying to be helpful.
  3. It's honest. There's no commission, no connection. You're more likely to believe.
  4. It's catching. People love to share a good idea or experience and other people love to listen. (The only thing people like to share more than a good experience is a bad experience.)
  5. It's customer-driven. The customer determines when she/he will talk/listen. It is not imposed."

You can read the full article via the Wilson Web database: http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?query=%3Cnear%3E%28the%2Cpower%2Cof%2Cword-of-mouth%2Cmarketing%29+%3Cin%3E+TI&prod=OMNIS&fulltext=notchecked&eid=c14406a3540a9758af124f8c9d3d0a71. For login information, consult your library manager manual.

(Source: Barber, Peggy and Wallace, Linda, "The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing", American Libraries, November 2009, p.36)

Library Advocacy Now!

This year, I had the opportunity to attend the Alberta Library Conference in Jasper. As usual, the conference did not disappoint. One session stands out to me as having been particularly informative: Library Advocacy Now! Library Advocacy Now was a two part session that was presented by Pat Cavill and Wendy Newman, both of whom are well known advocates for libraries. We were provided with print copies of the Library Advocacy Now Training Program for Public Library Staff and Trustees. The Library Advocacy Now program “consists of background material and exercises that will make you understand your own passion for libraries and how better to tell the library story to others.” The online version of the program can be found at http://www.cla.ca/divisions/capl/advocacy/

As a library trustee on my local library board as well as a library staff member here a Chinook Arch, I found this program extremely useful. One exercise called Finding Your Courage helped me to identify the similarities between being a library advocate and risk taking in my own personal life. We were asked to recall a situation is which we took a risk and remember how we felt before, during and after the action. I remembered what it was like purchasing my first home. Before the purchase, I was nervous…a house is a really big purchase that comes with a ton of responsibilities. During the purchasing process, I was anxious and excited, after all I was about to become a homeowner! After the purchase I was proud of myself and very excited to start a new chapter in my life. We were then asked what conditions made the risk taking possible. For me, purchasing my house was made possible with the support and guidance of my family who already had experience with purchasing a home. I was also not alone as my husband was purchasing the home with me…I had a partner. Taking this example and applying the same principles to advocacy I learned that advocacy is made easier when you form partnerships with other people and organizations in your community who hold similar values to your library. And though it seems scary at first, the outcome will be well worth the risk. I encourage you to take this program to your library staff and trustees. It gives you the tools to become a great library advocate and if you don’t advocate for your library, who will?

Collaboration at CLA

Wherever I look these days, the topic of collaboration seems to be one of the hottest things in library land. From June 2 to 5, I attended the Canadian Library Conference in Edmonton with a few of my Chinook Arch colleagues. While we talk about the importance of collaboration within our own library system, it was wonderfully refreshing and inspiring to hear about how other librarians are encouraging the practice of and actively engaging in collaborative efforts in their own libraries.

At a session by Edmonton Public Library, entitled “One Library, One Staff,” the presenters identified a strong link between collaboration and organizational culture. They espoused that businesses that foster supportive and enabling organizational cultures urge their employees to “collaborate obsessively.” However, they specified that in order for collaboration to succeed, it must be based on solid communication and relationships and should only be used for things that matter. The librarians from EPL also said that when they were discussing collaboration with their staff, they asked them to think about whether they were a collaborator or a contaminator. Collaboration can be a fantastic endeavor but only if those involved are willing to participate and are open to new possibilities and approaches.

In another session, “Library Catalogues as Social Spaces,” two librarians from Halifax Public Library and Dalhousie University spoke about their study of statistics from interactive library catalogues that will include libraries across the country. By blending their academic and public library backgrounds and using data from Edmonton Public Library and Halifax Public Library, along with any others who volunteered, they are hoping to conduct a rich and comprehensive study about how social networking features in catalogues are being used. As there is no current information on this subject, their work was incredibly interesting to me and their approach seemed a perfect example of fruitful collaboration in action.

Currently, Chinook Arch’s most recent draft of the new Plan of Service includes specific wording about collaboration. It asserts the need to support “new partnerships and collaborative opportunities” and provide opportunities to foster collaboration on an annual basis. As you can see, the notion of collaboration hits home in many ways.

As more libraries share buildings with recreation centres and more programs engage community members and groups, the future seems to be brimming with possibilities for collaboration. So ask yourself, is there someone you could be collaborating with right now?

Interesting bits about Copyright Law...

So, for the last few months, I have been immersing myself in Canada's Copyright Act so that I could share a few of the basics with all of you.  Copyright Law can be overwhelming, so here are just a few of the more interesting bits of information I picked up (more to come later):

• copyright is complicated - even for lawyers - so, there's no need to feel discouraged if you don't fully understand the law
• copyright protects "works" and "other subject matter" - including, literary work, dramatic work, artistic work, musical work, sound recordings, performer's performances, and communication signals
• mechanical or trivial works are not covered by copyright (like your child's art or seismic data)
• Canadian creators don't need to use the copyright symbol or even to register their copyright to be protected - but, if you're worried, register with the Copyright Board
• the term of copyright on most books is 50 years - after that, the work enters the public domain
• people around the world celebrate Public Domain Day every year on January 1st - this is the day that the term of copyright expires on a whole new batch of works (this year, works by Sigmund Freud and Frank Lloyd Wright became property of the public)
• it's the responsibility of the copyright owner (creator, publishing company, movie producer, etc.) to police their own rights

I think that's enough for today - more to come in a later post.