Current Trends and

Promotional Strategies
for
Libraries And Its Services

By
Virginia I. Caintic
Director, Learning and Information Center
University of Mindanao, Bolton Street, Davao City

1
Definitions of Promotion

1. It is a communication used to inform, persuade, and

or remind people about an organization or
individual’s goods, services, image, ideas,
community involvement, or impact on society
(Zikmund & d’Amico, 2001)

2. It is a term used to describe “sales” communication

–the messages and vehicles are used to let the
customer know what products and services are
available. It includes advertising, direct marketing,
personal selling, sale promotions, and public
relations.

2
Definitions of Promotion

3. It is anything libraries do to let the community know

who they are and what they do!

4. It is to keep the product in the minds of the

customer and helps stimulate demand for product.

5. It is the 4th “P” of the marketing mix.

3
Purpose of Promotion

To increase customer awareness both of

the products and knowledge about the
products desirable features and
benefits.

4
Benefits of Promotion

1. Increase usage

2. Increase value in the organization

3. Education of users

4. Change perception

5
Through promotion it allows
the users to know what are the
library resources and services
that the librarians have to offer.

6
 What are to be promoted in the
Library?
1. Library Collections
2. Exhibits
3. New services
4. Programs/Collaboration
5. Outreach activities
6. Virtual library
7. More good ideas

7
 What are the
LIBRARY PRODUCTS?

Library products include physical

goods, services, experiences,
events, persons, places,
properties, organizations,
information, and ideas.

8
In the library, a product or service
is anything that the library or
information service is offering, or
could offer, that would be of
benefit to the users and
potential users.

9
 LIBRARY PRODUCTS
 Services
 Resources
 Programs
 Events
 Facilities
 Instructions

10
What are the LIBRARY SERVICES?
1. Provision of resources and encouragement for lifelong
learning.

2. Provision of a place for a all ages to gather and learn.

3. Offering adult, young adult, and children’s programming.

4. Development and circulation of collections of print and

multi-media materials.

5. Provision of local, regional, state-wide, and national access

to resources.
6. Provision of reference and research resources, services,
and collections.
7. Offering of remote services such as 24/7 reference,
customer account handling, genealogy information, and
access to eBooks
11
LIBRARY SERVICES…
8. Provision of access to online local information
resources and databases, and guidance in selection
of Web resources.
9. Training in use of online and print resources to
contribute to information literacy.
10. Promotion of information, social, and cultural
literacy.
11. Working with local schools to support curriculum
12. Introducing children to reading
13. Working with literacy programs.
14. Maintenance of archives of local historical
resources

12
“We often take these products for
granted or assume that the users place
the same value on them that we do”.

“Try looking at library products from the

users’ viewpoint. If you’ve been
working in a library for a long time,
refresh your memory! “

13
“Concentrate your promotion
efforts where they will achieve
the best results!”

14
Visit a library that you’ve never used before
and consider these questions

1. How’s the signage—can you tell by looking around

what services are available?
2. Is it easy to find stuff?
3. Is it clear where you should go for help?
4. Can you find every department without having to
ask?
5. Do you understand the arrangement of the
collection?
6. Is it easier at the bookstore?
7. Are you comfortable?
8. Do you enjoy being there?

15
 ELEMENTS OF PROMOTION

Personal selling. Face-to-face interactions with one or more

prospective users, for the purpose of generating increased
activity. In a library context this will include the so-called
“academic detailing” – one-to-one meetings with new or
existing staff to brief them about a specific project or service.

Advertising. An informative or persuasive message carried by a

nonpersonal medium and paid for by an identified sponsor whose
organization or product is identified in some way.

Public relations and publicity. Programmes designed to promote

and/or protect a company’s image, or those of its products,
including product literature, exhibitions and articles in professional
or in-house newsletters.

16
ELEMENTS OF PROMOTION

Direct marketing. The use of mail, telephone or other non-

personal contact tools to communicate with or solicit a
response from specific customers and prospects.

Trials and service promotion. Short-term incentives to

encourage trial or purchase of a product or service, such
as discounted rates for services over a limited time period.

Sponsorship. Financial or external support of an event or

person by an unrelated organization or donor, such as is
common in respect of the arts, sports and charities.

17
Promotional Strategies

18
 What is promotional strategy?

Promotional strategy operates synergistically with market

research in an iterative feedback loop whereby the
constantly changing requirements of users are
responded to by promotional activities that target (or
even anticipate) these expressed needs.

Such activities need to be managed. They can require

the allocation and expenditure of resources, whether
physical (promotional products) or intangible (staff time
or use of existing facilities). As such they cannot
simply be allowed to grow organically – they require
shaping and direction via a promotional strategy.

19
OBJECTIVES OF PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

1. To provide information and educate users

2. To increase demand, usage and value in the
organization
3. To differentiate the product
4. To accentuate the value of the
product/service
5. To stabilize existing activity levels

20
 Factors that will help you to determine an
appropriate promotional mix include:

• The availability of budget

• The marketing message
• The complexity of the product or service
• Market size and location
• Distribution of the product
• The stage in the product life-cycle
• Competition

21
 Basic Promotional Strategies
• Push strategy – a promotional strategy
whereby a supplier promotes a product to
marketing intermediaries, with the aim of
pushing the product through the channel of
distribution.
• Pull strategy – a promotional strategy
whereby a supplier promotes a product to the
ultimate consumer, with the aim of stimulating
demand and thus pulling the product through
the channel of distribution.

22
Promotional campaign is a part of a
firm’s promotional mix, just as
a military campaign is a portion
of a total war effort.

23
 Major approaches to developing a
promotional campaign:

1. Image building – intended to communicate an image and

generate user preference for a brand or product on the basis
of symbiotic value. What do users think of when they hear
the word library? Is it a positive image? Library users’
perceptions and feelings about libraries affect everything we
do to market services.

2. Product differentiation – focused on some dimension of the

product that competing brands do not offer or accents some
way in which using the product provides the solution to a
user problem.

24
 Major approaches to developing a
promotional campaign
3. Positioning – involves establishing the image of the library as it functions
within the community. It promotes a brand’s competitive position, is often
the focal point of promotional campaigns.

Questions: What is the library’s “position”—how are you seen?

Is the library considered an active and necessary part
of community life?
How is the library viewed in comparison to other agencies or
institutions?

4. Direct response- a promotional approach intended to elicit a direct,

measurable response, such as an order.

25
 Methods of image building

Branding – is an association of ideas, associating the

library name, the name of library service or product
(e.g. Term Paper Counseling), symbols, logos, or
slogan (e.g. graphic of an open book, consistent
design of publications, etc. These are elements give a
product or service its own personality and establish
an association in the mind of the user.

Visioning – What is the library’s vision for the future?

Has this been addressed in library planning and in the
marketing plan? Communicate your vision of the
library to the community, providing an image of the
library as a changing organization that is art of an
evolution in information access.

26
HOW DO YOU PACKAGE
A PROMOTION?

27
 Promotion Possibilities
• Create an outreach program for students, teachers,
administrators, and the community.

• Develop a plan for promoting the collection

including new acquisitions, curriculum
connections, and older materials

• Create promotional literature for a particular area

such as reading, information inquiry, or science
literacy (i.e., newsletters, brochures, bookmarks,
website, pathfinders, flyers)

• Develop plans for displays to highlight events and

projects (i.e., bulletin boards, display cases,
special center events)
28
 How Do You Plan a Promotion?
1. Analyze Needs. Seek out specific interests, needs, and
problems in the learning community. Examine how these
connect to your program’s mission and goals;

2. Build Partnerships. Get others involved with your promotion.

Consider curriculum connections. Reach out to other
members of the learning community. To ensure success, be
sure that you get a few people committed to the project from
the beginning.

3. Develop Activities and Resources. Develop the materials

needed to implement your project. What’s the timeline? Who
will do what, when? What advertising materials are needed?

29
4. Advertise the Promotion. Be sure that everyone is aware of
the event or activity. Develop a press release, insert a note in
the school newsletter, and create flyers.

5. Share your Success. An important element of promotion is

communication. Be sure that people know about the success
of your project. Use local newspapers, school newsletters,
center website, and bulletin boards to share your success.

6. Implement the Promotion. As you implement the program be

sure to collect data. Count people, conduct a survey, ask for
comments, take photographs, and collect sample products.
Example: You take photos of students as they do their Poetry Slam
readings during National Book Week in the Library.

7. Evaluate. Consider the effectiveness of the program.

Immediately revise materials for the next time you use this
promotion. Plan for the future.

30
 Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
A. Ideas to Get You Started for the Students

 1. Form a student advisory group or Friends of the Library

group to advise and assist in developing programming and
promotions directed at students. Take advantage of students
who work in the library.
2. Seek to have a library message appear on student ID cards
or provide stickers with the URL.
 3. Put out a “Talk Back” suggestion box inviting students to
ask questions or share what they like and don’t like
about the library. Post frequently asked questions and
answers.
 4. Publish an “It’s an Information Jungle Out There!” survival
guide for students. Distribute during orientation and other
events.

31
Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
5. Distribute “tent cards” (similar to those often found on
restaurant tables) featuring the library’s Web site/other
services on tables in dining halls and the student union.
 6. Have library messages appear on electronic message boards
around campus. Explore getting electronic signage for the
library.
 7. Use “A-frames” or easels inside and outside the library to
display posters or a calendar of events. Sponsor contests on-
and offline.
8. Plant “footprints” around campus—all leading to the library.
Publicize their imminent appearance and offer a prize such as a
free pizza coupon to the first 50 or so students who check in at
the Information Desk.
 9. Provide and publicize an idea exchange on the library’s Web
site for students to post their best tips for studying and using
the library.

32
 Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
 10. Invite campus celebrities to appear on posters for the library.
 11. Invite well-known graduates to do readings/give talks/make
appearances at the library. Ask for their testimonials to include in
ads in the student newspaper and other library publicity materials.
12. Print a coupon for free coffee/copies at the library’s café or
bookstore or self-checkout receipts.
 13. Run the library’s message in campus planners/calendars.
 14. Give away library brochures and promotional items such as
bookmarks, highlighters, or pens in registration packets and at
orientation.
 15. Host tours/sponsor a reception for parents and alumni during orientation
or homecoming.
15. Enter a float in the homecoming parade.
 16. Ask faculty to include a library message, e.g., “Got questions? Get
answers! @ your library,” in course handouts.
 17. Send brief and lively announcements of training classes, study tips, new
materials, and other updates via e-mail distribution lists.

33
Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
B. Tip for the Administrators and Faculty

1. Know their special interests—professional and personal—and

provide them with items of interest.
2. Be a team player. Tie your library promotional efforts to those
of the college/university as a whole, and let administrators
know of your support.
3. Make sure they receive key publications, such as the library
newsletter, annual report, announcements of new services,
programming or initiatives of note.
4. Keep them aware and informed of collaboration with other
departments, special outreach, and promotion activities. Invite
their participation in programs and events when appropriate.
5. Be visible in major campus events such as Homecoming,
orientation, and Alumni Day.

34
Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
B. Tip for the Administrators and Faculty

6. Provide opportunities to increase both their visibility and the

library’s by inviting them to speak or participate in special
promotions, such as working at the reference desk, possibly
during National Library Week or exam time. Publicize their
involvement.
7. Give them more than numbers. Make a point of including
success stories of students, faculty, and other researchers and
how the library and its staff contributed.
8. Take advantage of forums, such as the Faculty Senate or
Curriculum Committee, to deliver your message. Also seek
one-on-one time when appropriate.
9. Serve on influential committees such as the Administrators
Advisory Group or Staff Advisory Council.
10. Package and present your library’s special promotional items
such as coffee mugs, sticky notes, or T-shirts.

35
 Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
Special Tips for Faculty
 1. Host a “published this year” party. Include librarians who have published.
 2. Be active in faculty and other governance organizations.
 3.Participate in a faculty mentoring program.
 4. Cultivate professors who already use the library to become your
advocates.
 5. Hold a retreat for faculty willing to collaborate on a joint project.
 6. Create a “Faculty Guide to the Libraries” with all the essentials: key
contact
names, phone numbers, course reserve procedures, etc.
 7. Research and let them know about grant opportunities in their field.
 8. Ask faculty to include the contact information of the library subject
specialist on their syllabi.
 9. Provide your business cards to faculty to give out when referring their
students.
 10. Lobby for a place on the curriculum development committee.

36
Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
C. Multicultural Audiences

1. Start by gathering information on your campus demographics and

organized cultural groups such as African American, Native American,
Asian American, and other student associations. Also research
multicultural outreach that other departments and other libraries have
done. Make a plan.

2. Solicit input and feedback from campus multicultural leaders.

Assign a library staff liaison to work with student associations.
 3. Form an outreach committee with representatives from various
groups to give input on services and programming.
 4. Incorporate multicultural outreach into established and emerging
library services (e.g., instruction, reference, collection development,
and digital library initiatives).
 5. Develop events related to special collections of ethnic materials,
e.g., African American or Latino Studies.

37
Promotional Strategies for Academic Libraries
C. Multicultural Audiences

6. See Chase’s Calendar of Events for observances such as Latino Heritage

Month, Polish Heritage Month, or Cinco de Mayo to build programming
around. Also use opportunities such as National Library Week for
multicultural outreach.
 7. Tie events to issues of information access, knowledge construction, and
culture.
 8. Collaborate with other departments and organizations in developing and
financing multicultural programming. Also work with community
organizations if many students live off campus.
9. Use multicultural programming and outreach to promote librarianship as a
career.
10. Establish a peer advisory or minority residency program.
 11. Promote the one-on-one-assistance available @ your library. Assign
librarians to mentor students.
 12. Make the library a welcoming place for multicultural audiences with
multicultural art in the library and name rooms and even entire libraries after
authors, scholars, and leaders of different cultural traditions.

38
You don’t have to be a public relations
expert to promote your library. You just
have to talk about your library.”

39
 Promotional Strategies for Public Libraries

 Attend local government meetings to urge city and county legislators

to invest in libraries as a vital community resource, one that will save
substantial tax dollars in helping people of all ages to be more
literature and productive.

 Support library referenda in elections.

 Write to your state and federal legislators and demand that library
service be viewed and funded as a necessary public service.

 4. Share you concern with friends, family neighbors and co-workers.

Many people are not aware of the funding problems libraries are
experiencing nationally – or in their own communities. Encourage
others to get involved.

 5. Write a letter to the editor of your newspapers or call in to a radio

talk show to express your concern.

40
 Promotional Strategies for Public Libraries
 6.Speak up for libraries at campus or community groups that you
belong to –the PTA, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, League of
Women Voters, faculty groups. Invite your librarian to talk about
library services and needs. “If they don’t ask, we offer!”
7.Network in person at monthly Chamber of Commerce meetings, and
electronically to stay in touch with city hall and other organizations
with a short email.
8.Use direct marketing, mailing a calendar of events three times a year.
“Patrons comment that they cling to these so they know what is going
on at the library!”
 9.Send press releases (randomly rather than regularly) to local media,
and request a writer and photographer be send to cover stories.
10.Sponsor a table at the high school’s career fair or the hospital’s
health fair.
 11.Create regular exhibits and displays to keep a new and fresh look
for the library.

41
 Promotional Strategies for Public Libraries
 12.Work with the Friends of the Library and other groups,
such as donating a basket of items to the Chamber’s annual
Holiday Raffle.
 13.Attend business community events, open houses, etc.
 14.Use direct marketing effectively for annual reports or
launching new services like expanded hours.
 15.Limit advertising in print media and target it to the local
service area.
 16.Hold several internet training classes and classes on
accessing online databases.
 17.Establish good PR with special events such as the annual
arts endowment event to raise the image of the library.

42
3. Electronic Journals Promotion
1. Introduction and demonstration of the new service in
faculty meetings.
2. Close communication with faculty boards and
decentralized automation units in order to be sure
that the right software would be installed on faculty
desktops and that printing facilities were available
near the faculty rooms.
3. Distribution of flyers and posters.
4. Featuring articles in campus magazines.
5. Stickers on hard copy issues of journals to remind
users these issues were also available in electronic
form from their desktop

43
4. Web Site Promotion
a. Publicize the URL
b. Register your site with the main search engines.
• Alta Vista
• Lycos
• Excite
• HotBot
c. Register with other search engines
d. Register with web directories
Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) is the most well-known and still the most
popular web directory. Its registration process takes place over four web
forms.

44
4. Web Site Promotion
e. Ask for links on related sites.

f. Use banner advertising.

g. Sponsor content.

h. Impress the community with your expertise.

i. Publish regularly-updated content on your site.

j. Use mailing lists to maintain a dialogue with your

visitors.

45
As librarians, we should be actively marketing and
promoting our library and services. The basic aim of
marketing is to build strong customer relationships
with the library users.

Sometimes, promotion is not a one time activity,

but an ongoing concern for innovating libraries.

46
 CLOSING WORDS
In closing, may I read the story from the Reader’s
Digest on “Promoting Issues and Ideas” by M. Booth
and Associates, Inc.

“… if the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying

‘Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday, that’s advertising.
If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into
town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the
mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor
to laugh about it, that’s public relations.” If the town’s citizens
go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths,
explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the
booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot
at the circus, that’s sales.

47
Thank you very much!

Presented during the 21ST General Assembly of SOCOLA and

Seminar-Workshop on Organizing & Managing Library & Media
Center Services, held at the Educational Technology Center,
Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City,
October 25-26, 2007.

Virginia I. Caintic
Director, Learning and Information Center
University of Mindanao, Bolton Street
Davao City
v_caintic2000@yahoo.com
Mobile phone: 09217142831
 REFERENCES
Basic Definitions: Advertising, Marketing, Promotion and Public Relations, and Sales.
Retrieved on June 29, 2006 fromhttp://www.managementhelp.org/ad_prmot/defintion.htm
The Campaign for America’s Libraries @ your library TM . (2001).
Retrieved on June 29, 2006 from
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/academicresearch/toolkitfinaltext2.pdf
Kathuria, P. and Wales, F. (1999). Web site promotion. Retrieved on July 16, 2007,
from http://www.limov.com/library/promotion.lml
Nicholas, J. (1998). Marketing and Promotion of Library Services. Retrieved on July 16,
2007, from http://www.eso.org/gen-fac/libraries/lisa3/nicholasj.html
Nims, J.K. (1999). Marketing library instruction services: changes and trends.
References Services Review. ( 27): 249-253. Retrieved on October 10, 2007, from http://
proquest.umi.com
Roes, H. (1999). Promotion of electronic journals to users by libraries – case study of
Tilburg University Library. Retrieved on July 16, 2007, from http://www.hroes.de/articles/london99.htm
The School Library Media Specialist: Program Administration. Retrieved on July 16,
2007, http://wwweduscapes.com/sms/advocacy/promotion.html
School Library Website Activities/Promotion. Retrieved on July 16, 2007,
from http://users.tpg.com.au/welwel/showpony/activities.htm
Wenhong, Ju. . Marketing and service promotion practices in the
LCAS Library Management. Bradford: 2006. Vol. 27, Iss. 6/7; pg. 336 Retrieved on July 16, 2007, from
http:// proquest.umi.com
Zikmund, W. G. and d’Amico, M. (2001). Marketing: Creating and keeping customers
in an e-commerce world. Cincinnati, Ohio : South-Western College Pub.

49