social networking tools for libraries

Using Social Networking Toolsfor Libraries

Nathan Turnere-Resources Librarian

Parramatta City Library

What is 'Social Media'?

Social media essentially is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online... It's more of a two-way conversation, rather than a one-way broadcast like traditional media.

~Ron Jones

Possible uses of social media

Raise patron awareness Boost public engagement with the library Educate or inform patrons Increase the library’s reputation Interact with industry colleagues

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.

~John Wanamaker

Where to begin?

What are your goals or objectives?

Before you begin…

Choose simple, defined goals for a limited set of social media tools for your first experience: don’t try to do everything on every platform!

What to consider?

Twitter followers

Facebook friends

Website visitors

Positive press

Emails

YouTube viewsNegative pressOnline mentions

Retweets

Social mentions

Blog comments

Customer complaints

Visits to a physical branch

Online signups

Online loans/renewals

Program participation

Strategic Planning Cycle

Goals

Target

UniquenessTools

Analysis

Goals

What do you want to achieve with social media?

Goals for a strategic plan need to be S.M.A.R.T.

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal.

~Michael Porter

TargetWho is your target audience, & how do they use

social media?

Infographic © Forrester Research

Uniqueness

Why should someone go to your library instead of another, or even Google?

How can you differentiate your library service?

Tools

Which social media tools/platforms are you going to establish a presence on & send your message?

Remember it can be better to be really good at a couple of platforms rather than being mediocre at half-a-dozen.

Analysis

Ask yourself:

How are we doing? How can we do it better?

Are we meeting our goals?

Ask your patrons:

How are we doing? What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want more of?

Ingredients of a Strategic Plan (1)

1. Your Baseline Metrics

2. Comparable Library Benchmarks

3. Goals and Objectives

4. Naming Strategy

5. Staffing Plan

Ingredients of a Strategic Plan (2)

6. Content Calendar

7. Partner Integration

8. Your Creative Ideas!

9. Examples

10. Reporting and Analysis

Social Media Policy

Also called “Acceptable Use Policy” Corporate code of conduct providing guidelines Sets expectations for appropriate behaviour Can be 30 pages or just “Be real and use your

best judgement” Internal, external or both.

http://www.youtube.com/v/8iQLkt5CG8I&

Identifying popular social media tools

Wikipedia 'List of social networking websites' regularly updates registered user numbers

Google 'most popular social media sites in Australia'

www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites – Top 15 based on monthly traffic

Finding new social platforms

(2010)

Top 15 sites, July 2012

An embarrassment of riches...RSSTwitterFacebookTechnoratiRedditMySpaceLinkedInWebonewsDeliciousDiggFlickrStumbleUponNewsvineYouTube

Some popular platforms

FacebookYounger average users. Minimal maintenance but must be updated frequently to retain user interest

LinkedInProfessional collaboration tool

TwitterOlder average users: micro-messaging. Use Seesmic to schedule messages

Pinterest

'Virtual pinboard' Bookmark internet ephemera to share, store or

classify Graphics-based

QR Codes

Quick Response Codes URLs and 'Augmented Reality' interfaces Need an app to scan

Assessing new platforms

Is my target audience part of its demographic? Does the take-up rate make it look like it will be

around for a while? Can I port content to this platform easily, or

easily create new content for it? How much time will I need to spend learning,

creating & updating for this platform?

Service planning

What can I do with which?

Is my content & message style appropriate to the platform's demographic?

Is my content appropriate to the platform itself?

Variety Matters

No one communication channel will reach everyone in your audience

No single tool will cover every channel No tool is perfect!

Final thoughts

Libraries that were early adopters of social media have more visits, more loans, and more program attendance.

It's not enough to pick one and go with it; we need to be ready to abandon one tool/site as it becomes less popular, & move to another.

Success comes through rapidly fixing our mistakes rather than getting it right first time.

Create a space where people can share, co-create & collaborate.

Questions?

nturner@parracity.nsw.gov.au

@parralibrary