{"id":63708,"date":"2014-03-07T13:45:51","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T18:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=63708"},"modified":"2014-03-07T09:32:48","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T14:32:48","slug":"library-marketing-to-a-non-digital-population","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=63708","title":{"rendered":"Library Marketing to a Non-Digital Population"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Sara Dixon, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Kansas<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Library Marketing to a Non-Digital Population<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"saradixon\"<\/a>If you\u2019ve been following my blog posts here at INALJ, you probably know that I\u2019m\u00a0working at a rural library<\/strong> in Kansas. I love my job and I want people to love the\u00a0library as much as I do. I\u2019ve been working to promote children, teen, and adult\u00a0programs, and just get people into the library. I want to change the notion that\u00a0libraries are only about books, which is still important but not the only thing\u00a0we\u2019ve got going on. I\u2019ve revamped our library website, redesigning it to make it\u00a0more professional and appealing, keeping it up to date with upcoming events and\u00a0library news, and adding all kinds of pertinent information. I\u2019ve also been using\u00a0Facebook to get the word out and get people excited about upcoming programs,\u00a0but not everyone \u2018likes\u2019 our Facebook page<\/a> (only about 320 likes out of the possible\u00a08,000 people just in the town\u2019s city limits). To complicate matters, Facebook\u00a0has reconfigured their algorithm<\/a> so that only something like ten percent of your\u00a0followers see your posts, unless you pay money to promote them or your followers\u00a0share them. Call me crazy, but I just don\u2019t think libraries (or other nonprofits) are\u00a0going to start building \u201cFacebook promotions\u201d into their budgets any time soon.<\/strong> I\u2019d\u00a0create an email listserv if I thought it would be useful.<\/p>\n

But these are not enough. I often hear from people: \u201cOh I don\u2019t use the Facebook\u201d\u00a0or \u201cWait, you emailed me? I haven\u2019t really checked my email in a while.\u201d or \u201cReally?!\u00a0The library has a website? I had no idea!\u201d My preferred mode of communication is\u00a0via technology; I\u2019d much rather use email or text than call someone. I want to think\u00a0that if I\u2019m such a technophile, the people in my town must be too. But, unfortunately\u00a0for me, that\u2019s just not the case.<\/p>\n

So how do you reach out to a non-tech population?<\/strong> Well, it\u2019s not as easy, I\u2019ll tell you\u00a0that. And I still don\u2019t have all the answers. I\u2019m still trying to reach people.<\/p>\n