Providing consulting, training and planning services to community-serving organizations such as libraries, nonprofits, educational institutions and government agencies.
Practical strategies for library marketing, branding, and audience engagement — from social media and brand refreshes to crisis communications and messaging that resonates.
Last week, I was in Jacksonville, FL, leading a workshop with Florida public libraries on marketing to and working with schools and students. Spending the day sharing strategies — and talking about success stories — got me thinking about back-to-school season. For the workshop, I highlighted several examples of library–school partnerships. These partnerships are the… Continue reading Back to School With the Library: Partnerships, Marketing & More
If you’ve ever worked in or with a library, you know it’s a special kind of place. Libraries are full of smart, dedicated people doing vital work—often with limited time, budgets, and tools. As a result, the way libraries approach marketing is deeply shaped by their culture, structure, and long-standing traditions. Understanding a few common… Continue reading Six Common Characteristics of Libraries—and How They Impact Marketing
More and more libraries across the U.S. are selling branded merchandise through online stores—offering everything from literary tote bags to mugs to T-shirts. But what does it actually take to launch a successful swag shop? And is it worth it? We reviewed more than a dozen examples of library-run stores, conducted a national scan of… Continue reading Should Your Library Open an Online Swag Shop? Lessons from the Field
What if marketing wasn’t just a way to promote programming, but an essential party of a library's operations? That’s the question at the heart of my brand-new white paper, Embedding Marketing into Library Operations: A Collaborative Approach. If you’ve ever felt stuck in a silo or been handed a program to “promote” after all the… Continue reading Embedding Marketing into Library Operations: A Collaborative Approach.
One of the most common questions I hear from library professionals is: "We are offering so many programs, but how do we know if they are the right programs?" I used to ask those same questions, too. Then, in the early 2010s, I had the opportunity to work alongside some brilliant and forward-thinking colleagues at… Continue reading How Strategic Thinking Transformed Library Programming—and You Can Do the Same