www.scld.org
The Spokane County Library District
The Spokane County Library District uses a few different resources to improve its online presence. The district has spent time trying to understand which social networking sites are more useful than others as well as which applications it should be offering. The district now has a Twitter, and Facebook account. It also encourages Goodreads and Library Thing to its patrons. There are a few mobile applications The Spokane County Library District offers to its patrons as well for ease of access.
Marketing through online forums is very important in today's society because people are connected at all times to their online networks. The Spokane County Library District (SCLD) utilizes Facebook and Twitter to market the programs and events going on in the library. Links to these accounts can be found on www.scld.org. Currently, there are 1,348 likes on Facebook for SCLD and 172 followers on Twitter. This shows the library how many of its customers are paying attention to library news.
The Facebook page for SCLD is relatively simple to navigate. News is posted often about new services and materials. There are photographs of the staff interacting with the public as well as of the various programs. Because SCLD is comprised of 10 branches, there are pictures from each branch giving a sense of community to the greater Spokane area. One marketing technique that is useful on Facebook is the events tab. The library can place all the events and programs in one place. This saves the patron from needing to look many places to find when they want to be at the library. In the events tab, the branch location of the program as well as the subject and time are listed. This is a smart way to market programs because of the ease in which it can be used.
Twitter is the other main place SCLD uses to spread information about itself to patrons. The library district uses this site for news. Events are tweeted about on the day they are happening so patrons know what is going on at any moment. Most of the tweets are one to two sentences in length. This is a smart marketing technique because many people do not have time to be reading a paragraph for all the organizations they follow on Twitter. The district utilizes the features of Twitter to infiltrate the fast paced nature of our society.
While Facebook focuses more on what the library is doing and the materials in it, Twitter focuses on events such as interviews with authors and community forums. Two different audiences are targeted with these two sites which is smart in some respects, but a downfall in others. As time goes on, more and more teens are tweeting. Twitter may have more followers if the content was focused to the groups who use the site more. If the library tweeted on teen programs as well as adult ones, the teen group may follow more closely. This would widen the online reach the library has.
The library district encourages patrons to be part of Goodreads and Library Thing, but its presence on the sites are limited. If hired as the social media consultant, I would encourage the district to place links in their catalog to Goodreads and Library Thing. This would give the parton the option of saving the title for a later time on these sites. This would link the patron to the list of books they want to read at any time. There are many times when people cannot remember which books in the series they have read. This would help because a link to their book lists would be accessed from the library catalog.
Beyond social networking sites, The Spokane County Library District uses five mobile applications to create easy access for their patrons. This amplifies the online presence of the library because people are on their mobile applications often. These applications do not help the library in marketing directly, but they create an environment where the patron feels their needs are met, which indirectly markets the library.
The brand created by The Spokane County Library District is consistent, clear and simple. It is just starting to expand to become a big presence in the community. Because the brand is still small and expanding, there are room for improvements. I would suggest that the library start a blog to market new materials. This would give patrons a place to easily see new materials as well as reviews of classics. They could comment and feel part of the blogging community created. This could boost the use of the library by showcasing the ever growing and changing collection. This would be a more personal way to reach out to the public, but I believe it would be well received.
Overall, The Spokane County Library District has worked its way into the online world. Each day it is expanding and attempting to give patrons a new way to connect with their library. The library is a place for knowledge and sharing. Most of this sharing happens on the web these days. The Spokane County Library District is well on its way to making a difference with the community because its online presence is all based on sharing current knowledge and learning more.
Marketing through online forums is very important in today's society because people are connected at all times to their online networks. The Spokane County Library District (SCLD) utilizes Facebook and Twitter to market the programs and events going on in the library. Links to these accounts can be found on www.scld.org. Currently, there are 1,348 likes on Facebook for SCLD and 172 followers on Twitter. This shows the library how many of its customers are paying attention to library news.
The Facebook page for SCLD is relatively simple to navigate. News is posted often about new services and materials. There are photographs of the staff interacting with the public as well as of the various programs. Because SCLD is comprised of 10 branches, there are pictures from each branch giving a sense of community to the greater Spokane area. One marketing technique that is useful on Facebook is the events tab. The library can place all the events and programs in one place. This saves the patron from needing to look many places to find when they want to be at the library. In the events tab, the branch location of the program as well as the subject and time are listed. This is a smart way to market programs because of the ease in which it can be used.
Twitter is the other main place SCLD uses to spread information about itself to patrons. The library district uses this site for news. Events are tweeted about on the day they are happening so patrons know what is going on at any moment. Most of the tweets are one to two sentences in length. This is a smart marketing technique because many people do not have time to be reading a paragraph for all the organizations they follow on Twitter. The district utilizes the features of Twitter to infiltrate the fast paced nature of our society.
While Facebook focuses more on what the library is doing and the materials in it, Twitter focuses on events such as interviews with authors and community forums. Two different audiences are targeted with these two sites which is smart in some respects, but a downfall in others. As time goes on, more and more teens are tweeting. Twitter may have more followers if the content was focused to the groups who use the site more. If the library tweeted on teen programs as well as adult ones, the teen group may follow more closely. This would widen the online reach the library has.
The library district encourages patrons to be part of Goodreads and Library Thing, but its presence on the sites are limited. If hired as the social media consultant, I would encourage the district to place links in their catalog to Goodreads and Library Thing. This would give the parton the option of saving the title for a later time on these sites. This would link the patron to the list of books they want to read at any time. There are many times when people cannot remember which books in the series they have read. This would help because a link to their book lists would be accessed from the library catalog.
Beyond social networking sites, The Spokane County Library District uses five mobile applications to create easy access for their patrons. This amplifies the online presence of the library because people are on their mobile applications often. These applications do not help the library in marketing directly, but they create an environment where the patron feels their needs are met, which indirectly markets the library.
The brand created by The Spokane County Library District is consistent, clear and simple. It is just starting to expand to become a big presence in the community. Because the brand is still small and expanding, there are room for improvements. I would suggest that the library start a blog to market new materials. This would give patrons a place to easily see new materials as well as reviews of classics. They could comment and feel part of the blogging community created. This could boost the use of the library by showcasing the ever growing and changing collection. This would be a more personal way to reach out to the public, but I believe it would be well received.
Overall, The Spokane County Library District has worked its way into the online world. Each day it is expanding and attempting to give patrons a new way to connect with their library. The library is a place for knowledge and sharing. Most of this sharing happens on the web these days. The Spokane County Library District is well on its way to making a difference with the community because its online presence is all based on sharing current knowledge and learning more.
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