The Library Marketing Toolkit

Citation

Routley, C. (2013), "The Library Marketing Toolkit", Library Review, Vol. 62 No. 6/7, pp. 438-440. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-03-2013-0034

Never ever market something you can't deliver.

So says author Ned Potter; a statement echoed by contributors to his book The Library Marketing Toolkit. Being a man of his (marketing) words, this book delivers, and his enthusiasm is infectious. But it is hardly the first book on marketing for libraries. Why, given the author's active and informed online presence[1], would one purchase the book?

First, because it picks the eyes out of essential marketing philosophy. The 7 “P”s (product, price, placement, promotion, participants, process, physical evidence) get just enough of a rundown to provide a solid base: a reminder for librarians familiar with marketing theory; a succinct introduction for those new to this environment.

It applies marketing theory to the library setting, reminding us (not so gently) that obsession with process rather than outcomes can be a negative feature of a librarian's DNA, especially when attempting to engage a library's non‐users. It reinforces the need to market internally and advocate externally and suggests ways of going about this. These are timely lessons with the recent bout of library closures in countries that feature in the book's case studies.

It discusses print and online options for “The Library Brand” and deals with the realities of branding libraries where the parent brand is preordained and compulsory; a common issue for libraries which sit within a broader institution. One case study features brand design for converged library/IT services. Although it is about an academic institution (University of Nottingham), like all the case studies, the proposed marketing solutions are transferable across sectors.

The book is both a primer for those new to social media, with specific examples and clear explanations, and a work with deeper application, especially as it offers links to a range of open source options and a companion web site (www.library marketingtoolkit.com) which has additional case studies and further discussion of new software and technologies. It provides suggestions for when one or another tool or method may suit. For example, how to use e‐mail (sparingly, selectively), Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, LinkedIn, and blogs, and some of the rising stars such as Foursquare and Google+. It demonstrates form and language appropriate to each tool. It argues that wikis are over‐rated as marketing tools; slidesharing is under‐rated; mobile apps are the way of the future; and mentions geolocation tools. It describes use of QR codes for promotion and makes search engine optimization (SEO) look readily achievable to the non‐geek. Nearly all the options are affordable and doable without a substantial marketing budget or team.

Practical advice abounds (for example, there are explanations of how embedding images saves bandwidth and increases exposure and discoverability). It suggests that many of us are already operating in the social web environment, personally and professionally, and that the jump from social participant to marketer might not be the long learning curve we anticipate.

The book offers a glossary of Web 2.0 tools and platforms. It would benefit from being broader, to incorporate other online terms used in the book.

It keeps good company. Several contributing authors have international reputations, the book is endorsed by Abrams (2012). There are 27 innovative, surprisingly quick‐footed case studies from larger institutions such as the British Library and New York Public Library, and from academic, public and special libraries in the UK, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. Ned Potter is an academic liaison librarian with the University of York with a reputation for writing, presenting and blogging about library marketing.

The overall summary, a chapter‐by‐chapter review and a detailed index allow this 218‐page work to be a comprehensive read or a tool‐by‐tool guide as the need arises. It cannot help but date, as some of the tools in the toolkit are unpredictable in their longevity and popularity. On the other hand, the companion web site updates the text with further case studies and comment.

The book's physical presentation detracts a little from its impact. A mix of fonts for text and headings, used to delineate author commentary from case studies within each chapter, are too variable to be comfortable. Advertising images and screenshots that might be impressive in colour lack impact in black and white.

But this book is quite an achievement. It is inter‐generational, addresses all library sectors, introduces marketing concepts in language that is readily understood. It would make a good supporting text to library management and marketing studies and to those charged with marketing library and information services. Its ideas are applicable to the wider GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, museums).

In summary, it informs, encourages and enthuses. It celebrates marketing innovation in libraries. It moves with the times. It delivers.

Notes

Ned Potter's online presence includes, but is not limited to: www.library marketingtoolkit.com; www.thewikiman.org/blog; https://twitter.com/theREALwikiman