The Librarian's Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing

by Laura Solomon

Making content marketing concepts bite-sized and easily digestible, this guide shows libraries how to market effectively by focusing on what library users find useful and relevant.

Genres: Nonfiction, Librarianship, Library Science

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2016

About the author

There are other authors with this name. See also Laura Solomon and Laura Solomon.

CURRENT POSITION Library Services Manager
DEGREE MLS, Kent State University, 1998
PRIMARY HOBBY Competitive Irish stepdance

Laura Solomon is library services manager for the Ohio Public Information Network and former web applications supervisor for the Cleveland Public Library. She has been doing web development and design and conducting classes in public libraries and as an independent consultant for more than a decade. In 2009, the Ohio Library Council recognized her for her role in saving more than $147 million of public library funding by utilizing her expertise in social media tools. She was tapped as one of Library Journal’s “Movers and Shakers” for 2010. She earned her MLS from Kent State and was awarded her MCIW (Master Certified Internet Webmaster) in 2004. Visit her blog at www.meanlaura.com.

Reviews

[Yvonne Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from being a few years old and a little outdated, I found this useful.
The last chapter had the information I requested this book for.

It only took me like 6 months but I DIIIIID IT.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative and easy to read with actionable steps and ideas. Short and to the point, this was a quick read and more interesting than I expected. It will absolutely change how I use social media and create content for the library and even for my personal blog. Even though this book is targeted specifically to librarians, it could be a useful beginner's guide to content marketing for just about anyone.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, and to the point. Lives up to its title. It's a handful of years old but not particularly dated beyond a mention of Vine (in the present tense, I mean), which is another good sign.

- A lot of content was things I have gleaned from other research and training on this topic, but this is a very concise, consolidated bundle of that information.

- It does not skew too far into one type of library, which is kind of rare (even when books don't explicitly label themselves as being for public libraries, they often are more useful there. In many ways options for academic vs public libraries are as different as those for libraries vs private industry).

- Concrete examples are given both as quick "this not that" demonstrations as well as excerpts of planning documents. (A lot of books of this type will forego examples in favor of brevity it seems.)

- Not helpful per se but I do also appreciate where the author acknowledged common pitfalls and challenges -- nothing is presented as easy or even straightforward when it isn't. And yes, it takes a buttload of time and energy to do this, and even more to do it well.

And all in all, I'd say the author practiced what she preached about content marketing in the writing of this book. The tone is pleasantly casual while still professional. Nothing is cutesy for the sake of being cute or clever. Information is chunked. I guess in true social media terms there could have been more images, but I'm joking about that. Oh, and sources are cited, which is such a relief in nonfiction (though I hope to never see a library book fail at that).

Why not 5 stars: because I'm stingy with those, and this book, while I think will be quite helpful and useful, wasn't a breathtaking miracle of insight. That's not a disparagement! In true ultimate marketing engagement, I do plan to share this on to colleagues (well, recommend it anyhow).

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Librarian but I received my bachelor's degree in Marketing so there has always been a part of me that has thought about things in libraries from a marketing side. This book is a must read for those librarians, especially those in leadership roles, who desire to reach the proper audiences and even new audiences in your community. Laura Solomon was very honest about the muddiness of content marketing but she also gave practical ways to getting the most out of content marketing. I will be purchasing this book as a constant reference.

[Betsy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly easy to read with actionable steps for starting a marketing campaign. Definitely something I will reread.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging book. I learned a lot.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, straight forward introduction to content marketing for libraries. Laura Solomon breaks it down and gives you the essentials without overwhelming you. Yet, the process itself can seem daunting. It all comes down to planning. I realized I need to stop flying by the seat of my pants and sit down and create a real content plan.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always think about your audience.  This is the take-away of this book, and Solomon does a great job at reiterating this over the course of the book.  When suggesting means of advertising and assessing, she stresses to never forget that you are doing this for your community, not for your self.  Do what they like, advertise alongside trends, advertise where your community goes.  But, of course, how do we do that successfully?

Solomon offers various bits of insight as to how to create personas, how to utilize Web 2.0 to reach a wide audience.  Not only that, but how to reach a wide audience via print sources as well.  Important things to remember: keep things short and snappy, and provide all the important info,  go where the people are, and how to keep everything branded the same way.  

Overall, this guide was so insightful and written in the exact way that she suggests we do when marketing--further showing that Solomon knows what she's talking about and how to do what she's talking about!  This is super important for librarians on marketing committees, and I'm excited to bring this knowledge into my future workplace!

Review cross-listed here!

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short book published by ALA to demystify content marketing and encourage best practices. Published in 2016, it's already dated by its examples of using Vine and Google+. The gist: write something valuable for your audiences, plan it well, and evaluate as you go along. At $30-$50 (depending on format and seller), it's not worth purchasing and I would guess the content is available freely online elsewhere. Perhaps most disappointing was the complete absence of mentions of accessibility, such as color contrast, font layout, and descriptive text.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one for my job.

Although it will quickly be outdated, this book is really good for people trying to get up-to-date on the digital media and how to use it. The book was quite informative and is really going to help me as I take over the library social media.

It loses a star because I saw how much it costs (the library purchased it for the collection). It was a good book, but not worth any more than about $10; just my opinion.

[Josh Ashing · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many other options do you have to promote advocacy for your company that take time but are otherwise free?

Focus on specific, personal, positive content that caters to your customer profiles.
Focus on citizen value, relevancy, & satisfaction. Truly get over yourself & the internal politics.
Use an active voice. Frontload your articles. Feature people/experiences + don't forget your fellow staff.

[Krysta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short guide with the main argument suggesting that libraries need to stop promoting themselves and instead create content that their audiences will find useful. Includes simple steps like creating an editorial calendar, deciding what metrics to measure, and keeping up with trending topics. Not groundbreaking, but will probably give people something to think about.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. It was funny and highly digestible. The 'Bottom Line' summaries at the end of chapters and key ideas was very helpful for keeping the reader on track. Full of useful advice and the evidence to back it up. Really well done.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for anyone doing marketing or social media for libraries or other non-profits.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it's already dated in social media terms (still mentions Google+), there are useful concepts in this book that all library content marketers can learn from.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done - concise and not a drag to get through as professional literature can easily be. Contains useful information, well organized and easily digestible.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have a feeling this might be easier if a larger portion of our duties were actually assigned to creating social media content, e.g. a set amount of time per day / week. But quick, informative, and I admit that I didn't have time to fully read this (perhaps more than the 20% that she had mentioned), as someone else in my library system wanted to read it!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introductory book for librarians, Solomon's skill with both marketing and teaching shines in the pages of this title. With brief chapters, summaries that highlight the key points, and more features designed to make learning about LIS content marketing easy and fun, this is ideal for librarians who assist with or brush shoulders with their marketing department.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive but it gets the point across. Would definitely recommend to my fellow marketing and outreach folks!

[Donna Church]

A good guide for marketing library resources.