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.
What if the reason more people don’t use libraries isn’t because they don’t want to, or even don't know about the services and programs, but because we’ve unintentionally made it too hard? That’s the central question I kept coming back to as I listened to the recent Freakonomics podcast series on a concept called “sludge.”… Continue reading Are Libraries Serving “Sludge?”
I listen to a lot of public radio on the weekends. This past weekend, I was listening to an episode of Hidden Brain on NPR, Relationships 2.0: The Price of Disconnection, and it got me thinking. Sociologist Allison Pugh was talking about something she calls connective labor, the emotional work we do to make others… Continue reading Connective Labor And Library Marketing
I was recently in Jacksonville, Florida giving a workshop about "Optimizing Your Library to Increase Community Engagement." Preparing for this workshop, I did some thinking about the intersections between marketing, community engagement, public relations, and libraries. One big thing that I think libraries forget is that it's not enough to do community engagement activities, you… Continue reading Libraries and Community Engagement
When I teach workshops and consult with clients, a common refrain I hear is, "We are having a hard time managing content." That's no surprise. Over the past 15+ years, the number of communication channels has increased exponentially, while the number of staff dedicated to creating content has not. Between websites, social media, email marketing,… Continue reading Employee Generated Content in Libraries
I was recently delivering a virtual keynote on Library Marketing & Branding Basics for the Hillside Public Library Staff Day, and I heard their director, Amy Franco, mentioning first amendment audits. My ears perked up, because I have worked with other clients on how to be prepared for first amendment audits. Amy had some great… Continue reading First Amendment Audits: A Marketing Opportunity?