What library marketing, or non-library marketing blogs do you frequent? Do you ever struggle with trying to turn the content of for-profit marketing blogs into something applicable for non-profits like libraries?  Sometimes, I feel kind of evil for reading about marketing. I mean, marketers are "evil" right? Discuss. 

I mean, marketers are "evil" right?

Now there's a loaded statement.

Marketing is just another means for developing content right?

I think consumers of that content are pretty savvy. 

Oh definitely... I was listening to the authors of Waiting for Your Cat to Bark speak at the Business School a few weeks ago, and they said that todays consumers resent feeling "marketed to"... that it breeds a certain amount of distrust. That's why companies are baring their souls and CEOs are blogging... this openness and willingness to engage people in a conversation is much more appealing to us. But...the marketers know this...so they're still marketing. We don't resent it because we see the resulting product as genuine...but I wonder where the spin lies in all that openness...?

And I'm just blabbering here... I love marketing. I love it especially now that I'm going into the nonprofit/government sector because I can use my powers for good instead of "evil"...oops, slipped up there

I had no idea libraries marketed....

I probably should make it clear that I only really frequent uni libraries... 

Not all libraries market, but all libraries should... I work in the Fine Arts library of my local uni and we just won an award for our marketing efforts. 

How do you market?

And what do you market? 

I'm still learning about all this... but I'd assume we'd be marketing library services... So that means both traditional services: Storytime, Reader's Advisory, Books, DVDs, CD checkouts, our very awesome Databases of magazine articles and other content...But then we're talking about new services too..this is where it ges exciting. New services I've heard buzz about:

• Knitting club
• ESL classes
• Podcasting 101
• Blogging 101
• Managing your web presence (ie cleaning up after yourself)
• Gaming Nights
• Game Authoring
• Mashup Classes
• Using Garage Band

 Stuff like that. This is public libraries though... if you want to know about the Fine Arts library, that's a whole different story (I totally didn't realize this was what you were asking at first).

So... I just started working at the Fine Arts Library about 2 months ago, but here's what I've heard:

•  Fighting for and winning a grant for a $1million to renovate the premises
  
• Getting the library showcased as a feature story on the university website (it's a big university with lots of branches) - here's the story
• Increasing use of our very cool software offerings, like Sebelius
  
• Getting the FAL included on the list of stops for incoming Fine Arts freshmen (not previously required...people would come in their last semester and realize how cool we were...massive music collection... and be so sad that they wouldn't have access to it anymore!)

I'm sure there's more but I'm about done in for the night. Lovely chatting with you! 

Thanks for all the info.... that's a lot to digest 

Catch ya later!

We also market our selves (http://www.MDPLS.org). We market all of our programs via bulletins, posters, county tv programming, and monthly broachers and forth comming technologies such as new adiobooks by Playaway (have you guys run into these yet? They're quite addictive) and Self check out stations.

Also the employees receive coustomer training that is very similar to the training seen in the corporate world. The county has even tried to curve our vocabulary, they want us to call our patrons, "customers". I still call then patrons along with all the other librarians.

I'm a page btw.

I'm not sure I'd react favorably to being called a customer by a library... it's not that kind of transaction!

Why would they want to make that change?