Aug 2, 2018
The Complete List Of Social Media & Marketing Tools Libraries Should Know
Gone are the days of phonebooks and directories.
Gone are the days of print ads and radio announcements.
We already know this. In a report released by Statista late last year, highlighted the amount of time Americans spent per day (in minutes) consuming certain forms of media. While television still comes out on top as the most consumed form of media, mobile and laptop/desktop usage are not far behind, beating out radio and print media.
To further demonstrate the demise of traditional efforts, according to Pew Research Center, where people turn to for their news paints a similar picture. TV is again number one, but the gap is narrowing as more and more people choose online resources for their news updates. Radio remains stagnant and print newspaper reach has declined.
So as you see, sure newspapers and radio still exist, but the likelihood of people turning to traditional forms of communication and media outlets for information about your library is microscopic.The reach of traditional marketing has declined and, even when exposure is there, attention span is not.
Today, if you want your customers to reach you, you need to make sure you are where they spend time, and that is online. As a library, with your own brand, your own customers, and your own purpose, there are certain marketing activities that you must look at engaging in in order to stay relevant in today’s online world.
Online marketing today presents us with so many possibilities—so many ways to connect, share, promote and engage with our target audience. With all of the options, it’s very easy to get lost in it all and not know where our focus should be directed.
With this post, we make it easier for you to know where to begin. We’ve compiled list of thirteen different paid and free social media and marketing tools that your library can start using today to make all your communications efforts that much easier. Our hope is that you can dive into these tools, learn how to use them and tell the story of your library in a way that drives real results.
And the good news?
MINIMAL SKILLS REQUIRED!
Let’s get to it:
Take Control Of Your Online Presence With Google My Business
Have you ever googled your name before a job interview? Were the results what you expected?
How about your library? Do you know what people are seeing when they search your library’s name in Google? What about Google Images?
As a public entity, search engine results are able to produce information about your library whether or not you’ve authorized what is being shown.
When you search your library in Google, the results appear at the top of the page, and it will look a little something like this:
Sometimes this information is far outdated. The business has closed or the hours of operation have changed, but it’s still being served up to the public when they use Google for your library. People who are googling your library are doing so to find answers to their questions such as where you are located or if you’re open on Sunday, and they’re relying on this information to be correct.
That’s where Google My Business comes in. This tool allows YOU to take control over the displayed results and ensure that they are up to date. By signing up and registering your library for Google My Business, you hold the power. You decide what information shows up when people discover you in search and can monitor the reviews.
To get started, simply fill in your library’s information as per the form, confirm that you’re authorized to manage this business and continue.
You can also use this tool to engage with your customers. You can share photos and announcements, and you can track the reach of your listing using Insights. Your customers can also leave comments and reviews, and you get notified allowing you to respond in a timely manner.
Create Simple, Wide-Reaching Ads Using Google AdWords
Here’s another Google tool that could come in handy for your driving more people to your library. Google AdWords allows you to share and display your message around the web via various ad formats on Google platforms like search and YouTube:
Build and manage ad campaigns with ease, all on one dashboard. Choose how far and wide you want your ad to reach and monitor its analytics.
For a simple search ad, click “Start Now” from the Home Page and AdWords will begin by asking you to locate your customers:
Create your ad and get a preview of what it will look like:
Proceed with setting your budget and reviewing your information.
If you’re having trouble, there are plenty of resources available that you can turn to for more information in getting started.
Find Your Audience With AdRoll
Getting your message out to the masses is good, but does a tree falling in the forest make a sound if no one’s around to hear it?
Ok, I may have lost you.. Let me get back on track:
What I’m trying to say here is that if the right people aren’t seeing your message, does it really have any effect?
The answer is no.
AdRoll’s technology helps you attract new leads and retarget old customers. Use the tool to identify your audience upfront and get your ads in front of the right people the first time. Find out who is most likely to listen to your messaging and the best place to reach them to ensure that none of your marketing efforts go to waste.
Spread your message at all angles by targeting your audience through email, social media, and across the web with AdRoll.
Stop Worrying About Emails With MailChimp
According to its website, “MailChimp is the world’s largest marketing automation platform.”
So what does that mean for you?
It means that it’s one of the best tools you can use to create and send email marketing campaigns to your audience. By programming and scheduling the service to send emails on your behalf, such as welcoming new sign-ups, announcing events, responding to inquiries, and more, it takes the tediousness out of the day-to-day email.
One specific way libraries could use email automation is to send out reminders when new books are coming due or events are being held at your location. Maybe you sync memberships with emails and set reminders for check outs all through email tools like MailChimp:
When you start, you’ll be asked to select a template (such as the one above). The interactive functionalities within the template make it very easy to drag, drop, rearrange and delete sections to get just the look you desire. And wanna know the best part? It’s 100% free!
Check out their Knowledge Base for more information.
Simplify Your Social Media Management With Hootsuite
Let Hootsuite be the hub of all your social media management needs!
You can use this tool to automate and schedule content to be distributed across your social media channels. Easily curate content to share with your audience. Keep content cued up, at the ready and easy to access, in a neatly organized content library— a centralized place to hold your content.
Make content distribution a team effort and designate desired permissions and accesses to your team. Using Hootsuite, you have the ability to invite anyone on your team who is involved with Library promotion and marketing to manage social media accounts. In doing so, they have the ability to respond to potential customers, interact when people need customer support, and even schedule content for the future.
Be sure, as well, to take some time to review your efforts. It’s no good producing the same content over and over if it’s not achieving your desired effect. Use the analytics dashboard to see how your posts are performing and how your team is performing. Adjust your efforts as necessary for maximum reach and impact.
All of this and more can be found on Hootsuite, and free courses are available in the Hootsuite Academy.
Have You Message Heard Using Thunderclap
Thunderclap labels itself a crowdspeaking program that encourages people to come together to spread messages about a cause or idea they care about.
This video explains it best:
As you can see in the video, Thunderclap is a great tool for uploading a message you want shared, recruiting people to share it, and ensuring that one message is delivered at once. People who sign up to back your message are volunteering their social feeds to broadcast your message. If your supporter goal is reached, your message will be broadcasted via the channels of these individuals, in unison, on the day you selected. How neat is that?
This tool has been used by some small and big organizations across the globe, and your library can use it too to spread awareness of, for e.g., children’s literacy efforts, or encourage the giving of books during the holidays. Your reach could be huge!
Create Online Galleries With Codex
Taking the form of an online scrapbook, Codex allows you to share content in a unique and visually appealing way. The Codex platform offers a handful of different formats for Libraries looking to tell their story with an online Gallery. Below is an example of one of South Shore Public Libraries galleries - view it here: Margaret Hennigar Library Art Exhibit
Galleries can be made up of text, images, video and sound and the easy-to-use templates allow you to arrange everything exactly how you like it.
Librairies can leverage the capabilities of Codex to create archives— documenting and sharing stories for their communities to cherish for years to come. And if the community is going to benefit, why not get them involved? With the tool, you can allow students, partners, colleagues and more contribute and create galleries of their own, while you hold the publishing power.
Codex galleries also easily integrate with your own website.
Be The Graphic Designer With Canva
Canva gives you the tools you need to become a graphic designer!
Search over 50,000 templates to help you create anything from posters, flyers, email headers, class schedules, social media graphics and more!
Start with a layout or build your own. Choose from millions of photos, add shapes, change colours and add text— with Canva’s drag-and-drop feature it’s so easy and effortless to get just the design you want. The possibilities really are endless!
Bonus tip: The company claims it only takes 23 seconds to learn!
Never Struggle To Find The Right Photo With Unsplash
Visuals make an idea pop on a page.
If you’ve ever struggled with finding the right photo or have worried about copyright infringement, worry no more with Unsplash!
Unsplash is an online photo library where you can browse hundreds of thousands of free high-resolution photos. The images included on their website have been donated by a community of photographers, with thousands more added daily.
Use the photos on your website, in your blog posts, on posters, or in your next presentation.
With so many possibilities, knowing exactly what you’re looking for can get hazy. Save time by browsing popular collections for some ideas and inspiration.
Animate Your Messaging With Legend App
This tool is a true gift!
Bring your Libraries announcements to life right from your mobile phone using this app. Start by typing your message, then add a photo or video to enhance the text:
Select your animation style and colour preference, and you’re all done.
Really—that’s really all there is to it! In just a few taps, you can create beautiful animated visual messages that you can save and share across all your social platforms.
Turn Your Audio Into Video With Anchor App
Keeping with the app theme, next up we have Anchor.
This app started as an audio app but the new video feature takes everything one step further.
Talk into your phone and watch as the app transcribes your text, creating a video scroll of your recording. Libraries can get creative and use it to turn short stories into visual pieces. Just read into your phone to record and watch as the app types your text.
The video feature is explained in detail, here:
As mentioned, you can also use it strictly for audio and set up your own library radio or podcast to be shared across your social channels.
Conquer Landing Pages With Unbounce
Take a look at your library’s web page.
What srts of calls-to-action can you find throughout?
Perhaps you’re looking for your visitors to sign up for a newsletter or download an ebook, but what’s enticing them to do so?
Having a good landing page is essential for converting visitors into leads. A landing page is a specific page on your website that is dedicated, ideally, to one specific goal, such as selling a product or getting the visitor to sign up for an event or newsletter.
Offering a learning style that suits your needs, Unbounce teaches you everything you need to know about landing pages and guides you in building one of your own.
Browse over 100 templates and check out plenty more resources to get started.
Let Your Visitors Reach Out To You Via Live Chat
Chat with website visitors as they browse your online library. Help them locate a book or respond to other inquiries, in real-time.
When you install Live Chat on your website, you’re giving your customers access to… well, you! Rather than sending them to an FAQ page or a generic contact form, let your customers know directly that you’re always available to help! It provides a more personal experience.
With Live Chat, you can make your team your agents. When they’re logged on, they’re available to answer incoming inquiries as they come in. There’s really minimal effort required.
Within the functionalities of the tool, there’s an option to send an automatic message as soon as a visitor logs on, letting them know that you’re available should they need assistance. And if you’re not available, visitors are able to send through requests to be responded to at a later time.
Other features allow you to see what your visitors are typing before they press send, and to stay on top of the order your requests came in.
You can customize the look of your chat box by changing the colours, and adding your logo and social sharing buttons. All of that and more with Live Chat!
Wrapping Everything Up
That brings us to the end of the list!
Thirteen, easy-to-navigate tools that your library can use today to satisfy all of its marketing and social media needs. Let’s recap them one more time for good measure:
- Google My Business
- Google AdWords
- AdRoll
- MailChimp
- Hootsuite
- Thunderclap
- Codex
- Canva
- Unsplash
- Legend App
- Anchor App
- Unbounce
- Live Chat
As stated before, there are so many tools and services out there, all clamoring for your attention and all claiming to be the best. These are just some of our favourites and a great place to start if this is unchartered territory.
Do you have a favorite tool? We’d love to hear from you - Send us a tweet at: @CustomCodex and don’t forget to give our favorite tool a try while you’re here. Sign up today:
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