Mark Aaron Polger considers himself an ‘accidental library marketer.’ He is an Academic Librarian at the City University of New York and he is the Founder of the first ever marketing journal that is related only to libraries, Marketing Libraries Journal! Mark has just released his third issue and there are so many great articles and words of wisdom in these pieces that are perfect for any library marketer to indulge. Find out more about Mark and the awesome work he’s doing, in this week’s episode!

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Who is Mark and what does he do?
• What is the library journal all about?
• What’s the difference between a double-blind peer review and a traditional review?
• Mark believes a lot of marketers do ‘upside-down marketing’ where they market first and then look at the data after.
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• The library journal is completely free to use!
• What kind of articles can you expect to find in the academic library journal?
• There’s some great content that gets featured in the journal like how to use cats to market your library and the power of Reddit!
• Mark answers some quickfire questions!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Marketinglibraries.org

Csi.cuny.edu

Markaaronpolger.com

Adam Kurzawa is the Head of Partner Development at ExpandTheRoom, a digital marketing agency that helps clients with their user experience, SEO, marketing, and digital strategy. Adam is not in the library space, but offers some excellent advice on how to cultivate content and engagement that resonates with your audience on this week’s show!

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Who is Adam and what does he do for Expand the Room?
• Adam shares how disruptors like Amazon changed the way consumers saw a product and how you can do the same with your library.
• A common complaint Tyler hears is that libraries have way too much content and the website hasn’t been able to adapt to it.
• How does Adam approach content strategy with his clients?
• There are four key principles on how to manage a good content strategy.
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• It’s important to have the difficult conversations about projects as early as possible.
• How does Adam check that their recommended content strategies are actually being implemented consistently among his clients?
• How frequently do Adam and his team do audits with a client?
• What mistakes should libraries avoid making?
• Adam answers some rapid-fire questions!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Expandtheroom.com

Adam on LinkedIn

Treejack — Optimal Workshop

Tyler Byrd has a solo episode for you today to discuss some things he’s had on his mind about vendors, the library, and the branding issues the library faces while promoting these services. Why do patrons keep struggling to find out the library offers key services like audiobooks, databases, and other services? Tyler believes it’s due to bad branding practices! Tune in to this week’s episode for more thoughts and insights from Tyler.

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Tyler is doing a quick solo episode for you today!
• A lot of library patrons aren’t even aware that their library has audio books or streaming music services, among other things.
• Despite library marketing efforts, people still don’t know about these services. Why is that?
• Tyler thinks it comes down to poor branding practices. He shares an example of two clothing company brands and the message they each convey.
• Patrons are looking at (and remembering) library vendors overtime instead of the actual library.
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• How can libraries fix this branding problem?
• Vendors are here to help libraries and the community. And, the best way to do that is to reinforce the library’s brand, not the vendor’s brand.
• What are the steps that we need to take to use the library brand instead of the vendor’s brand? Vendors don’t offer this service.
• Tyler shares another branding example.
• Did you find this episode helpful? Please share it!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Misty Nesvick is the Community Relations Manager at Anchorage Public Library. Prior to this, Misty worked at iHeartMedia for nearly 16 years as a Senior Account Manager and Digital Sales Strategist. Misty has a different take on how to market a library due to her radio background. On today’s show, she shares some key insights and results she’s gotten through leveraging radio influencers and promoting library content on the radio.

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Who is Misty and what does she do for the Anchorage Public Library?
• The Anchorage Public Library is the largest library system in the state of Alaska. They have five locations with one main hub, and they serve a population of about 300,000.
• Prior to this, Misty worked at iHeartRadio. What kinds of lessons did she learn while she was there?
• What are some of the benefits of using radio advertising?
• Misty shares how she got influencers to endorse their library.
• When it comes to a radio ad, what should libraries focus on?
• When you’re on vacation, you’re more open to spending more. When you’re at work, you’re focused on your day-to-day life and not as open to new messaging. Advertising at ‘peak times’ isn’t always the best time.
• Misty shares an example of a fantastic radio ad she heard from the U.S. Postal Services.
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• Don’t be everything to everybody. Very rarely will your budget allow for you to do that.
• What kinds of demographics does Misty look for?
• What should libraries avoid in their radio marketing campaigns?
• Misty shares some metrics and results she’s gotten from her marketing campaign so far.
• Final thoughts from Misty on how to better market your library!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Anchoragelibrary.org

Misty on LinkedIn

Iheart.com

Trey Gordner is the Founder of Koios, a marketing solution for libraries looking to show up in local Google searches. Trey also helps libraries get approved by Google’s Ad Grants program, where they can use free advertising credit to promote specific pages and event landing pages. On today’s show, Trey shares how the Google Ad Grants program works, why paid search is better than SEO for libraries, and addresses privacy concerns libraries might have about using Google ads.

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Who is Trey and what does he do for Koios Library Software?
• People might be finding your library on Google, but they might not be finding the right kind of information about your library.
• How do you show up in Google search results?
• Trey helps libraries with Google Ad Grants and helps them with their Google ads.
• How does Google Ad Grants work?
• How can libraries apply for this grant and what are some of the reasons why they would get rejected?
• What are some best practices a library can follow to set up their Google ad for success?
• What are some of the advantages of using paid searches vs. SEO?
• Trey shares the types of KPIs and metrics he likes to track.
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• Trey provides an example of how he would track a particular ad and its traffic.
• What are some common mistakes people typically make with their paid searches?
• What are some of the benefits of working with Trey’s company to help with a library’s Google ads?
• How does Google collect information about who clicks and what kind of privacy concerns should libraries be aware of?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Koios.co

Trey on LinkedIn

Google Ad Grants

Mangolanguages.com

Terri Carroll is the Marketing Manager at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. Terri has been in this position for a little over a year, but prior to this, she worked as the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Bowling Green State University. Today’s subject involves managing workflow and productivity. Terri describes how she created a streamlined line process for the creative team at the library and some of its positive impacts!

Key Takeaways:

• Meetpiola has a couple of free resources to help with your library’s marketing campaigns. Visit our website to check it out!
• Who is Terri and what does she do for Toledo Lucas County Public Library?
• How has Terri improved the library’s systems and processes?
• By streamlining the process, the team can focus more brain power on the core purpose of each marketing piece.
• Terri has a very simple brand guide in place that the creative team can quickly reference.
• How does Terri help the branches stay on brand?
• What happens if a branch is unable to notify the library in time about their local event?
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• Terri shares the impact it has had on the library by incorporating a project management system.
• By using these systems effectively, the creative team now has a bigger capacity to work on the ‘bigger picture’ and dedicate some time into doing some really, really fun projects.
• Terri’s team went down by one team member and they’ve reduced their overtime hours to zero!
• Terri goes through a quickfire round!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Toledolibrary.org

Terri on LinkedIn

Communico.co

Wrike.com

Kimberly Crowder is back with another guest appearance! Kimberly serves as the Marketing Director for the Indianapolis Public Library and her team recently finished the library’s website redesign. On today’s show, she shares the process of how the new website came to be and how she sourced information from visitors to get the website functioning the way they needed it to.

Key Takeaways:

• Kimberly is back on the show to give an update about the website redesign she was overseeing for the Indianapolis Public Library.
• Kimberly launched the fresh new site two days ago and has been getting feedback both from the staff and the public.
• Why does the website not have a home page slider?
• Through research and customer insights, it was found that having a search feature front and center can help website visitors find their information more quickly without having to click around and get lost.
• Kimberly employed a third-party consulting firm to help them with their website because this was not her staff’s area of expertise.
• What is a wireframe and what does it look like?
• How did they decide what content to keep vs. what content to get rid of?
• What were some of the biggest things Kimberly discovered after doing a survey from the library’s visitors and supporters?
• Is the website ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) friendly? Yes, it is!
• How did Kimberly decide what content goes where?

• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• Has Kimberly done any heat mapping or user testing on the website?
• Kimberly explains how Algolia helps users find what they’re searching for.
• How long did this website redesign take and how much did it cost?
• If Kimberly had to go back in time, what advice would she have for herself?
• It’s important to manage expectations so that everyone on the team is on the same page.
• What’s next for the website?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Indypl.org

Kimberly on LinkedIn

Email Kimberly: [email protected] & [email protected]

Algolia.com

Hannah Christian is the Assistant Director of Career Services at Northwest Missouri State University. Prior to this, Hannah was a research librarian for the university before transitioning into this role. Today, she oversees the library’s social media following and has trained student employees on best social media practices in order for the library to successfully communicate with their younger demographic. Find out more about what Hannah and her team are up to and how they bring awareness to their academic library on this week’s show!

Key Takeaways:

• Who is Hannah and what does she do for Northwest Missouri State University?
• How does academic library marketing differ from public library marketing?
• What types of Twitter posts did Hannah find success with?
• Hannah recruited students that matched with their target demographic so that they could stay up-to-date and trendy on their social media accounts.
• What types of strategies do Hannah and her team use for Facebook?
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• How does Hannah make sure that her staff shares things that are on brand and not too off-topic?
• Hannah would give the students all the credit and she would take the flack from everyone else. It’s important to have your team’s back.
• What advice does Hannah have for other libraries to help improve their social media engagement?
• What’s Hannah’s favorite source for staying up-to-date with marketing ideas?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Meetpiola.com/library-figures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

NWMissouri.edu

Hannah on LinkedIn

The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership, by Bill Walsh, Steve Jamison,
and Craig Walsh

Natalie Newville is the Marketing Manager at the Missouri River Regional Library. For the last year, Natalie has been advertising on an ‘old school’ medium, radio! She has seen great results from it because radio demographics are similar to the library’s ideal demographics. She shares how she picked out the radio station she advertises on, the type of content that’s mentioned in the ad, and so much more!

Key Takeaways:

• Who is Natalie and what does she do for Missouri River Regional Library?
• Natalie has partnered with a local radio station to promote their library and they’ve seen a huge increase in traffic for their online resources.
• How did Natalie pick the radio station?
• How does Natalie structure the radio ads?
• In the beginning, Natalie really relied on the expertise of the radio guys to help them craft a nice 30-second ad. Now, they’re more familiar with the process and are tweaking their own ads.
• How has Natalie been able to track the data?
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• What advice would Natalie give to other libraries about starting their own radio ads?
• Natalie shares improvements she’d like to make for 2019.
• What mistakes should you avoid when trying run your own radio ads?

Mentioned in This Episode:

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Mrrl.org

Natalie on LinkedIn

Cordelia Anderson worked at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library for nearly 15 years before starting her own consulting business, Cordelia Anderson Consulting. As the Marketing & Communications Leader for Charlotte, Cordelia was in charge of using marketing strategies to increase community awareness of the library’s services, programs, and more. Find out how she and her team managed all of their social media accounts without losing their minds or stepping on each other’s toes.

 See the full episode with transcripts and visuals at: https://meetpiola.com/expert-libraries-social-media/

Key Takeaways:

• Who is Cordelia and what does she do at her consulting company?
• What is the biggest opportunity libraries have when it comes to marketing?
• What kind of tools does Cordelia use?
• How can smaller libraries manage their social media accounts in a smart and time-effective way?
• It’s getting tough for libraries to remember where to post. For example, when a library wanted to communicate that there was a snow day, they now had to update 20 different social media sites.
• How can a library increase their open rates?
• Quick announcement: Are you struggling with your library’s current website? We have a webinar to help you through this process!
• Simple posts can generate the biggest engagement.
• How many people do you ideally need to monitor all your accounts?
• Remember! It takes time. Don’t feel overwhelmed. It took Cordelia several years to implement a strong strategy in place.
• How often would the team at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library post on social media?
• What mistakes should people avoid doing in social media?
• Cordelia wasn’t really sure why anyone would use Instagram at the beginning, but now she understands what makes it so much fun.
• Cordelia goes through a quickfire round!

Mentioned in This Episode:

MeetPiola.com/libraryfigures

MeetPiola.com/webinar

Cordeliaandersonapr.com

Cordelia on LinkedIn

Sproutsocial.com

Uturnpodcast.com

Theelevatepodcast.com