Module 5: OLJ assignment - Social media Marketing Strategy

Task

Read Brown, AL. (2009). Developing an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy, in Salt Lake City Social Media Examiner (30 July), then 

Examine

Josh Bernoff & Charlene Li’s post Social Technographics: Conversationalists get onto the ladder (19 January, 2010). In particular explore the different behaviours of social networkers articulated in their ladder.

Consider applying market analysis to analyse your market's (client base) social technology behaviour.

Also view Bernoff's recent update on the statistics for their ladder 'The Global Social Takeover' (4 January, 2012)

Based on your understanding of your library or information agency's, and your exposure to concepts and strategies presented in this section of Module 4, outline (in 400 words) how you can apply these ideas to develop a draft marketing strategy for your organisation.

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Brown (2009) itemised 7 points for an effective social media marketing strategy.  These included:

• written plan
• how much time
• friend / following policy
• target market
• budget
• which products / services
• which sites used

On the other hand, Harpointer (2012) and Freud (2010) point out the pitfalls involved in engaging in social media, including when companies fail to plan adequately and don't understand the terrain of social media, fail to see it as part of a longer term strategy, don't engage people in dialogue but instead use it as a sales pitch or follow the wrong people.

Freud (2010) provides some interesting examples in the video below, and Carroll (2010) tells the story of United Airlines and his guitar as an example in the power of social media.  Bernoff (2012) has created a ladder categorising the differing (and  overlapping) behaviours of social networkers.

What does this all mean for a library trying to to develop a marketing strategy? Considering the library where I work, there are three key groups of users.  The teaching staff, the students and the parents.  Our product offering, the way in which we'd like to engage each group and therefore our marketing to each is subtly different.  Between the groups and within the groups there is also a difference in how social media is interpreted and used.  Further, each group needs a different type of "coaching" in the use of the library.

Since the school has grown rapidly in the last few years (500 to 1500 pupils and 50-150 teachers in 3 years), not all teachers are aware of what the library can offer them.  The one-on-one laptop program in the secondary school has enthusiastic supporters in the students and teachers, but meets with quite a bit of opposition and lack of understanding amongst the parent body.

The social media tools at our disposal are:

Twitter, blog, website, school newsletter (ebrief) google+, google sites, pinterest, LibGuides.

Needs analysis:

Teachers:  Libguides, book ordering, journals, teaching, coaching, use of technology and tools for self and in the classroom

Students: Books, libguides, journals, use of technology and tools, research skills

Parents: understanding learning and research process in digital age, books and resources, "on our side"

Who uses what?

Parents - predominently email & facebook - (we don't have a facebook presence) some linkedin, some twitter, pinterest

Students - moving away from facebook to snapchat and instagram, use a lot of skype chat, 
Teachers - most are very digitally literate - use most of the google tools, twitter, facebook, instagram, linkedin, pinterest etc.

We've started to put more information about the library in the school newsletter ebrief, and whenever we have something new, the librarian posts it on google+ to the teachers.  I'd like to see the bulk of our marketing efforts geared towards the parent body this year. 

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References:

Bernoff, J. (2012). The Global Social Takeover. Empowered. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2012/01/the-global-social-takeover.html

Brown, A. (2009). Developing an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy. Examiner.com. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.examiner.com/article/developing-an-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy

Carroll, D. (2010). Lessons from “United Breaks Guitars” [YouTube]. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hd8XI42i2M

Freud, A. (2010). Brand Success and Failures in Social Media [YouTube]. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G_CblR8jSQ

Harpointer, T. (2012). 10 Killer Social Media Pitfalls Businesses Must Avoid. AIS Media. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.aismedia.com/press/10-killer-social-media-pitfalls-businesses-must-avoid/

Siddiqui, A. (2013). SEO depends on Social Media and just what are Social Media Signals! AGUA Entrepreneurial Solutions. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.aguaesolutions.com/blog/seo-depends-on-social-media-and-just-what-are-social-media-signals/