1. Branding and Marketing.
So What’s Customer Service
Have To Do With It?
Part I
Presented by
Libby Post, President
for Upper Hudson Library System
January 18, 2008
What is Branding and Marketing?
• A necessary evil for libraries?
• A comprehensive approach to conveying your
library’s message to your target audiences
2
1

2. What is Customer Service?
• A waste of time since patrons come to us anyway?
• A way to increase patron use and enhance your
library’s position in the community?
3
Working Together
Success!
• If you coordinate your library’s branding, marketing
and customer service, you’re more likely to win
more friends and build a loyal patron base
4
2

3. What is Branding?
• Integral part of marketing • Emotional branding:
• Sets libraries apart from – Love
other public institutions – Hate
• Sum total of all attitudes, – Hope
perceptions and beliefs – Fear
about your library • Libraries give people hope,
a sense of community, a
long life of learning
5
What is Marketing?
• All activities geared to raising the identity and use of
the library
• Libraries need to market
– Reinforces position as an essential service for the
community
– Reinforces that libraries are very relevant and haven’t
been replaced by the internet
– Positions library to garner community support for 414s,
referendums or other voter initiatives
6
3

4. What is Customer Service?
• The way your patrons are treated
– How their questions are answered
– How valued they are when interacting with staff
– How they feel when they leave
– Whether patrons’ expectations are met or exceeded
7
What Today’s About
• Make the connection between your
branding/marketing and your customer service
• Enable you to boost your branding, marketing and
customer service
• Strategies to live your brand through your customer
service
8
4

5. Marketing 101
• Define mission and programs
• Define audiences: children, adults, seniors, families,
potential donors, opinion leaders, elected officials, etc.
• Examine strengths and weaknesses
• Define messages and supporting points
• Establish graphic identification—logo—and graphic
standards
• Develop initiatives/campaigns to brand the library in the
community as an essential service
9
Examine your strengths &
weaknesses: SWOT session
• INTERNAL • EXTERNAL
– Opportunities
– Strengths
– Threats
– Weaknesses
• EXPLORE
• EXPLORE – Position of the library in the
– People community
• Staff – What values the library stands
for in the community
• Board
– What’s important to the
• Patrons community
– Programs and Services
10
5

6. Establish logo and graphic standards
• One logo for library
• Vertical and Horizontal format, if necessary
• Consistent color palette
• Consistent typefaces
• Graphic standards: how it is used
– Published guidelines
11
Organizational identification
12
6

7. Marketing Tools
Use each opportunity to reinforce your message and the importance
of the library—tell your story and build relationships.
• Identity Brochure • Web Site
• Newsletter • Annual Reports
• Direct Mail • Displays
• Advertising: • PowerPoint presentation
– Newspaper • Speaking engagements
– TV • Flyers, Posters
– Radio
• Campaigns
13
Campaign Planning Questions
• What are the issues facing the • Who are your audiences? Who
library? needs to hear your message?
• What are your goals? What do • What are your messages?
you want to have happen? What proof do you have to
• How will you accomplish back them up?
goals? What are the • What strategy/tools will you
objectives? use to get your message to
• How do you want the library to your audiences?
be perceived? What is your • How well did you do?
positioning statement?
14
7

8. Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
• Needed to raise the identity of the Library before
asking public to vote on a $6.5 million referendum
• SWOT analysis
– Library was important but not as important as town
recreation activities
• Strategy
– Triangulate recreation, make it integral to the library
15
Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
• Rebranded Library
– New slogan
– New look
– New logo
16
8

9. Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
17
Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
18
9

10. Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
19
Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
20
10

11. Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
21
Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
22
11

12. Case Study: Saugerties Public Library
23
Case Study: Goshen Public Library
• Need to raise $2 million to offset cost of taxpayer
share of $19.8 building referendum
– Raise expectations
– Reinforce role of library in the community
– Make the case for a new library
24
12

13. Case Study: Goshen Public Library
25
Case Study: Goshen Public Library
26
13

14. Case Study: Goshen Public Library
27
Case Study: Goshen Public Library
28
14

15. Case Study: Goshen Public Library
29
PR as a Part of Marketing
• Pro-Active
– Get your message out in an “objective” medium
– Educate the public
– Establish yourself as an expert
– Place positive stories about issues
– Respond to negative stories
30
15

16. Defining the Media
Print Media Electronic
Dailies TV
Weeklies Radio
Monthlies Web Sites
News Magazines Blogs
Topical Magazines
Wire services
31
Accessing the Media
• They come to you
– Want your comment as
expert
– Negative story about you
• You go to them
– Press Advisories
− Letters to the Editor
– Press Releases − OpEd Pieces/Commentary
– Press Events − Editorial Board Meetings
32
16

17. Types of Press Releases
• Informational
– Bulleted and concise
• Media Advisories
– Issued a few days before an event
• Media Alerts
– Issued right before event as a reminder
• Photo Ops
• Stories
– For smaller, local outlets
33
Types of News Stories
• Hard news
• News feature
• Series
• Human Interest feature
• Business
• Sports
• Editorial
34
17

18. The First Steps
• Develop a press list
– Address
– Telephone
– Fax
– E-mail
• Find out who covers library/local news
– Print: various editors/reporters & beats
– TV & Radio: Assignment Editors
35
The First Steps
• Know How the Media Wants to Get Info
– Smaller local papers (weeklies) often prefer press
releases that are written as news articles that can be
directly placed in their papers or minimally edited
– Larger news outlets (dailies) prefer press releases with
bulleted info that can be scanned for topics of interest
– TV stations want shorter, topical stories with good
visuals
– Radio wants shorter, topical stories with good sound
bites
36
18

19. The First Steps
• Decide who your spokesperson is
– Press are busy
– Make it easy for them
– Make sure they have your name and number(s)
• Professional look to communications
• Printed letterhead
• Graphics file
37
The First Steps
• Develop system of distribution based
on media outlet preference
– E-mail
• Release in body of e-mail
• Also as an attachment
– Broadcast fax
– Mail
38
19

20. The First Steps
• Revolving Media Door
– Type of media market drives personnel turn-over
– Keep your lists up to date
• Understand how journalists see themselves
– Their job is to uncover and report
– They are busy
– Do their work for them
39
Defining Your Message in the Media
• Who is the audience
• What do you want the public to hear
• Develop talking points
– Reinforce your perspective
– Sound bites
– Answer how you want to
• Integrate message into all media relations
40
20

21. Defining Your Message
• Talking Point Tactics: distinguish and add credibility
to your message
– Facts: statements that describe the way things are
– Statistics: effective when easily understood
– Analogy or Comparison: make statements more
engaging
– Authorities or Experts: adds credibility
– Personal Experience: illustrate points
41
Defining Your Message
• Libraries are essential to the communities they
serve
• Talking Points
– Children come here to learn
– Families come here to have fun
– Seniors come here to remain active and vital
42
21

22. Press Release 101
• Who, what, where, when & why
• Inverted pyramid
– Most important information upfront
– Edit from the bottom up
• Contact information and date for release at the top
• Headline before beginning of text
• Proofread
43
Sample
Press Release 50 Colvin Ave., Albany, NY 12206 518/438-2826
For more information For Release
Libby Post Immediate
438-2826 January 7, 2008
Quick Identifier Company President Gives Workshop
Contact Info For Upper Hudson Library System
Libby Post, President of Communication Services,
Headline will present a workshop entitled Branding and
Marketing: So What’s Customer Service Have to do
Inverted pyramid style With It? at the Hudson Valley Library System office, 28
Essex Street, Albany on Friday, January 18 from 9:30 to
release 3:30 p.m.
The workshop will cover the connection between
branding/marketing and customer service and how
Ending marker building relationships with audiences enhances a
library’s ability to reinforce it’s message that libraries
are for everyone and bring value to the community.
--30--
44
22

23. It’s All About Relationships
• Branding/Marketing is about developing
relationships with your audiences
• Customer Service is about developing relationship
with your patrons
• Media relations is about developing a relationship
with the media
45
Tips on Developing Great
Relationships with Your Media Outlets
• Be accessible: be sure the media knows when and
how to reach you
• Be honest: credibility takes a long time to build and
can be destroyed quickly
• Be polite: even if a reporter asks a question you
prefer not to answer
• Provide simple, direct responses to all questions
and plan key messages to discuss
46
23

24. Tips on Developing Great
Relationships with Your Media Outlets
• Don’t say “no comment”: Screams “I have
something to hide.” Say “I don’t have an answer to
that” or “I can’t comment on that.”
• Respect deadlines: get back to them on time, even
if it is to tell them you don’t have the info they want
• Avoid speaking off the record or on background
47
Reporters have the right to
• Evaluate and report the story as s/he sees it
• Reasonable access to news sources
• Receive timely response
• Have deadlines and other needs respected
• Receive concise and direct answers
• Redirect the interview if it strays
48
24

25. Reporters have the right to
• Conduct follow-up inquiries, as needed, for
clarification
• Receive available collateral material to help build
the story
• Receive corrected information if incorrect info is
inadvertently given
• The same kind of courtesy and respect you expect
49
You have the right to
• A measure of control over the interview
• Have advance knowledge of interview topic(s)
• Know the reporter’s identity and affiliation
• State Your Key Messages and restate when
appropriate
• Finish responses without interruption (your answer
should be concise and relevant)
50
25

26. You have the right to
• Discuss relevant topics and messages not
specifically asked for in the interview
• Correct misinformation and misstatements during
the interview
• Know how the interview material will be used and
whether others are being interviewed
• Respond to allegations
51
How to Speak with the Press
• Be prepared
• Have your talking points ready
• Answer the questions the way you want to answer
them
• If you’re called to respond to a story, you can call
them back after preparing
• Don’t lie
52
26

27. How to Speak with the Press
• Print: clear, concise, a bit more depth
• Radio & TV: 30 second (or less) sound bites
– Be prepared
– Radio: most interviews done on phone unless there’s a
press event of some sort
– TV: come to you, look at reporter not camera, don’t wear
a lot of jewelry
53
Power of the Editorial Page
• Editorials:
– Meet with Editorial Board, present your case
– Send Editorial Page editor/writer information asking for supportive
editorial
• Letters to the Editor
– Won’t print without name
• Op Ed pieces
– Opportunity to reach opinion leaders in the community
– Can present your message thoughtfully, in-depth
– 1000 words
54
27

28. Telling Your Library’s Story
• Define your message
• Define your audience
• Define your tactics
• Make it happen
55
28