Presentation to the CILIP North West Member Network conference on "Engaging users - what's in the library?", looking at how to engage users and promote brand loyalty for all types of library

1. The challenge of promoting libraries
Nick Poole, Chief Executive, CILIP
North West Member Network
18/04/2016

2. Thinking about ‘libraries’

3. Everybody
else
Public Libraries
The risk...

4. Everything’s GREAT!!!
265 million visits per year,
Code Green, loved and
trusted, Read on Get On, new
libraries opening, wifi....
The ‘positive narrative’

5. We’re all DOOMED!!!
Cuts & closures, loss of
professional staff, volunteers,
amateurisation, Open+,
privatisation, £0 book funds,
no plan, no vision, no
direction
The ‘negative narrative’

9. If you want to change the narrative, you have to change the
reality. We can’t spin our way out of the real challenges facing
libraries (and public and school libraries in particular) – we
have to confront the underlying issues & take control of our
own destiny

10. Our scope (12,500 members, UK-wide)
Consulting/independent information professionals Prison
Further Education/Colleges Public
Government and Armed Forces Research
Health Care School
Social Care Special Collections
Higher Education (including LIS teaching staff) Industry (Extraction)*
Law Industry (Manufacturing)**
Museums, Archives, Galleries and Heritage Industry (Commercial Services)***
National Libraries Not working****
Not for profit/3rd sector/Charity Other
* Any extraction industries, for example: Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying
** Any Manufacturing industries, for example: Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, Automotive
*** Any commercial service industries: Business, Finance, Communications, Hospitality, Retail
**** Unemployed/Retired/Full-time Student/Career Break

11. We need to create a national agenda that celebrates &
promotes all libraries, wherever they are, whichever
community, company or organisation they support

12. Strengths
• Strong, trusted brand
• UK-wide, inclusive offer
• A universal need (literacy, skills)
• Positive sentiment
• Physical locations
• Good connectivity
• Customer service ethos
Weaknesses
• ‘Libraries’ = ‘public libraries’
• Complex value proposition
• ‘Scope creep’ away from books
• Lack of a unique digital role
• Fragmentation
• ‘Hovis’ nostalgia
Opportunities
• Embrace the diversity of the sector
• Build influence
• Create compelling (+ve) evidence
• Learn to show off
• Embrace ‘economic’ as well as ‘social’
• Carve out a new space in the market
Threats
• A ‘single story’ (that’s all bad)
• Politically ‘toxic’ agenda
• Lack of buy-in from decision makers
• We don’t own our destiny
• Separation between national/local
• ‘Virtue signalling’
SWOT Analysis for libraries...

13. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged

14. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
“I don’t use the library myself,
but it’s important that they’re
there for other people”

15. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
“I don’t use the library myself,
but it’s important that they’re
there for other people”
“I haven’t been to the library
in years. It’s just not
interesting/relevant to me”

16. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
“I don’t use the library myself,
but it’s important that they’re
there for other people”
“I haven’t been to the library
in years. It’s just not
interesting/relevant to me”
“I use the library all the time.
It’s a great place to
learn/work/study/spend time
with the kids”

17. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
“I don’t use the library myself,
but it’s important that they’re
there for other people”
“I haven’t been to the library
in years. It’s just not
interesting/relevant to me”
“I use the library all the time.
It’s a great place to
learn/work/study/spend time
with the kids”
“Libraries have had their day.
They were great when we
were kids, but we’ve got the
Internet & Kindle now”

18. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged

19. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
Change the public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’ activity so
that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments about them

20. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
Invest in marketing, outreach & keeping the product fresh to move
people from being ‘disengaged’ to ‘engaged’ (to repeat customers)
Change the national public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’
activity so that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments
about them

21. Positive
Negative
Disengaged Engaged
Invest in marketing, outreach & keeping the product fresh to move
people from being ‘disengaged’ to ‘engaged’ (to repeat customers)
Change the national public/media profile of ‘libraries’ as an ‘aspirational’
activity so that even those that are disengaged have positive sentiments
about them
Challenge the critics through influence, evidence and
delivery – nothing is as convincing as delivery!

22. Opportunities and challenges

24. Profile by age (29,856 responses)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
<25 25 - 34 35 - 49 50 - 64 >65

25. Options
• I never visit the library and don’t think it's the best use of public money
• I never visit the library but think it’s crucial it’s protected for others
• I visit the library occasionally, but wouldn’t care much if it went
• I visit the library occasionally, and think it’s crucial it remains
• I often visit the library, though could live without it
• I often visit the library, it's crucial that it’s protected
• There's no library anywhere near me but I'm not bothered by that
• There's no library anywhere near me but I wish there was

26. Breakdown of responses
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
<25
25 - 34
35 - 49
50 - 64
>65

27. Findings
• 89% support their (public) library, whether they visit or not
• 23% never visit their local public library
• Only 1% say they don’t have access to a local library
• Support proportionately higher amongst 50-64 and 65+

28. Promotion...
• Individual libraries
• Clustered in towns/cities/regions
• UK-wide

29. Promoting your library through brand loyalty

30. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries

31. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

32. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER
• EVENTS
• OFFERS
• ACTIVITIES

33. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE
• ONLINE
• LOCATION
• DESIGN
• WELCOME
• EVENTS
• OFFERS
• ACTIVITIES

34. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP
• ONLINE
• LOCATION
• DESIGN
• WELCOME
• EVENTS
• OFFERS
• ACTIVITIES
• PERSONALISATION
• TIMELINESS
• RELEVANCE
• CONTENT

35. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION
• ONLINE
• LOCATION
• DESIGN
• WELCOME
• EVENTS
• OFFERS
• ACTIVITIES
• PERSONALISATION
• TIMELINESS
• RELEVANCE
• CONTENT
• ‘SNACKABLE’ ACTIONS
• CLICKTIVISM
• FOLLOW-UP

36. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION RECOGNITION
• ONLINE
• LOCATION
• DESIGN
• WELCOME
• EVENTS
• OFFERS
• ACTIVITIES
• PERSONALISATION
• TIMELINESS
• RELEVANCE
• CONTENT
• ‘SNACKABLE’ ACTIONS
• CLICKTIVISM
• FOLLOW-UP
• THANKS
• OUTCOMES
• FUTURE
ACTION

37. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION RECOGNITION
CUSTOMER DATA & INSIGHT

38. Potential
customer
Customer Repeat
customer
Supporter Brand
champion
Building brand loyalty in libraries
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
TRIGGER EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIP CALL-TO-ACTION RECOGNITION
CUSTOMER DATA & INSIGHT
CUSTOMER-FOCUSED CULTURE

39. Home
School
College
Work
Leisure
Our customer’s expectations and attitudes toward
libraries aren’t just the product of interacting with
one library...
People move between different kinds of
library service at different points in their lives.
How can we ‘hand our customers on’ to the
next stage...?

40. Libraries are strongly situated in a specific
place/community/company or ‘quarter’ – how can you make
use of this to encourage more people to use your services?

43. At a UK-wide level, there is a huge amount we can do to
harness the public goodwill toward and support for libraries
(and to help people be better-informed about the different
types of library)

44. Media relations...

45. UK-wide Partnerships...

46. National Libraries Day...

47. Political advocacy...

48. Celebrity endorsement...

49. We need to sustain a steady supply of fresh, interesting stories
from and about libraries, to keep the media, politicians & the
public engaged.

50. But can we go further...?

53. Libraries are a great product with fantastic brand recognition.
The challenge is to use every medium at our disposal to
enthuse people with the knowledge of what libraries deliver
today and inspire them to pay us a visit.

54. Don’t forget!
The CILIP Publicity & Public Relations Group’s
Marketing Excellence Awards are open for nominations until
May 6th
See http://www.cilip.org.uk/publicity-public-relations-
group/marketing-excellence-awards for details!