Sometimes, when I’m just minding my own business, I come across something that sums up my 
whole marketing approach. Often it comes from unexpected places. Like today, reading the Sunday paper my attention was alerted to an article about — of all things — designs of casinos.
Ohio has come lately — and desperately — to the world of casinos. So today’s paper featured a profile of a woman named Floss Barber, who evidently is the must-have designer of casinos. What caught my eye was this quotation of hers:
"If the brand, marketing goal and vision are not in sync, you send a mixed message to the customer, and it’s wasted energy. You end up needing more signs and staffing to overcome the disconnect."
Think about this statement in light of your library. Is your brand (the promise you make to your customer) and your vision in sync? Do your customers experience that promise every time they walk in the door, talk to staff, reserve a book, ask for help? I’m guessing you probably would say they are. Have you asked them?
What about your marketing goals? Have you clearly identified who and what you are aiming for? Is your strategy in place to meld that brand, vision and marketing goal? I’m guessing that this is a tougher question for libraries. Usually, it seems to me, most libraries look at their marketing goals as stand-in for promotion of events, programs or the collection.
How do you set marketing goals? Marketing goals deal with several different elements. Some of the areas you may want to target are:
- Increased visitors
- Increased cardholders
- Increased awareness
- Increased web visitors
- Increased stickability of your site
- More repeat customers
The list can go on; these are just a few of what you might want to do.
The first thing you need to do is plan. What do you really want out of your marketing efforts the next 6 months to a year? Then write down three things:
- What is your goal?
- What strategy will you use to achieve your goal?
- How will you measure your progress?
How do you measure marketing goals? You should expect a specific response to your marketing strategies that are tied to real results. After all, to quote the famous words of Jack Welch, "If you can’t measure it, it is just a hobby."
About Alison Circle
