David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

Two Stories about My Library

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There are two articles that have been recently published about my library (Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library).

Here are the two articles:

Article #1: Digital Inclusion in Topeka, published in Library Journal. I wrote this one with Rob Banks (COO at the library). It focuses on some of the digital inclusion projects we are working on in the community. I’m a bit biased, but I think we’re doing some good work in Topeka!

Article #2: New Technology Helps State and Local Teams Advance the Data Center, published in StateTech magazine. A few staff from my library were interviewed for this article. It focuses on some new data center infrastructure we recently put into place. They also made a video, which I’ll share once it’s released.

Why is this useful? Well … it’s certainly fun to have my library recognized for the good work we do. It also gives you something to share with your community. We shared these article on social media and to our board. Sometimes this type of recognition can be shared via a press release to local and regional news outlets, too.

Most libraries (and pretty much any other type of organization) has a few customers (or non-customers) who haven’t visited for awhile, or who think the library is an outdated concept.

So show people what you do – share these types of articles with them. It’s one of many ways to show your continuing relevance in today’s ever-changing world.

Image by Damian Gadal

Some Video Trends for 2017

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I recently read 10 Stats about Video that Marketers Need to Know from the Marketing Insider Group. Good article!

Here are some highlights that stood out to me:

  • Facebook native video posts receive 135% more organic reach that photo posts.
  • Consumers are almost ten times more likely to click on a video than text or photos.
  • A business is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google results if it utilizes it on their webpage.
  • Two minutes is best for maximum engagement.
  • 85% of Facebook videos, for example, are watched without sound.
  • Making ads look like stories boosts positive response.
  • 40% of all consumers using mobile devices who see a video on YouTube visited the store or brand website.

Like I’ve said before … you probably need to take the plunge, and start making some videos if you haven’t already started. Your customers are responding to video marketing everywhere else. It makes sense that they would respond to your video experiments, too!.

Simple videos, when done well, can powerfully connect with your community.

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Attend the Library Marketing Conference

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Update: Had someone ask, so – registration prices are being set now, and should be announced in a few days. Click through to the website to find more info!

Did you know there’s a Library Marketing & Communications conference? There is – and it’s being held in November!

It’s called the Library Marketing & Communications Conference, and it is being held November 16-17 in Addison, TX (Dallas suburb).

Here’s what the conference focuses on:

The Library Marketing and Communications Conference is designed for library employees of any level who are involved in marketing, communication, public relations, social media, and outreach in academic, public, and special libraries. Sessions explore issues that are important for this niche of library work, and the conference includes time for attendees to network and to discuss mutual challenges.

Honestly? Anymore, that means ALL OF US. It’s never a bad time to improve your communication, marketing, and PR skills.

Want to attend? Go here to find out more info!

Image – me talking at the conference, by the South Carolina State Library

My Slides from #InternetLibrarian 2016

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I’m at Internet Librarian 2016 (20th year for this conference – wow!) this week, learning lots of cool stuff. I’m taking notes, and will probably do a couple of summary posts of highlights I’ve picked up.

Here are the two presentations I’ve done:

and

As usual, you really need to hear my presentations to get the most out of them (lots of pictures). But it will give you a taste of what I talked about. Enjoy!

Using Social Media for your Organization

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Watch this short video – it’s Gary Vaynerchuk talking about how a restaurant might use Snapchat.

And it’s actually a good primer in how to use ANY new social media platform in a business setting (hint, hint – in libraries, too).

Some of Gary’s highlights in the video include:

  • Have to have good content and a way to distribute that content.
  • New social media tools, like Snapchat, can be easier to break into – because there’s not as many people there. Facebook is harder, because there’s a lot more noise to break through.
  • Getting noticed – create content that’s good and interesting and funny. Gary suggests using charismatic or funny staff – he said “make a chef popular and viral on Snapchat.”
  • Tell people you’re there – put your Snapchat info on the menu, on the front door, in everyone’s email signature, etc.

Translating all that to a library setting is pretty easy:

  • Start with good, consistent content.
  • Use the social media channels your customers/patrons/students use. That probably means Facebook. That might also mean Snapchat, or Twitter, or Instagram. Or the newest thing that appears out of nowhere next month. So you have to keep listening and learning about those new tools!
  • Get your better writers and photographers making content. If you have funny or charismatic staff, put them in front of the camera. And for libraries, simply be helpful. Tips and tricks are always useful to customers.
  • Tell people you’re there. Love the email signature idea. Use your public entrances, your e-newsletter, bookmarks, the website, etc to share your social media channels with customers. At the beginning of every class or event, remind people to friend your library on Facebook/Twitter/etc.

Content and distribution – things we can pretty easily accomplish!