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Gulf coast state college: planning to introduce a new ils / discovery tool

Seeking expert marketing consultation from Kathy Dempsey of Libraries Are Essential to help Gulf Coast State College successfully rebrand, promote, and launch their new ILS/Discovery Tool. Assistance with planning, user research, focus groups, and graphics will be provided to ensure maximum user engagement and satisfaction.

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Gulf coast state college: planning to introduce a new ils / discovery tool

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  1. Gulf coast state college:planning to introduce a new ils / discovery tool Assistance with rebranding, promoting, and launching From marketing consultant Kathy Dempsey Of libraries are essential, Medford, NJ

  2. This name & logo aren’t really helpful…

  3. To help with rebranding,answer these questions Answer the following for your own planning purposes (not for your users): • Why did Florida decide to change in the first place? • What challenges is this new ils solving? • What are the benefits for end users?

  4. To help with rebranding,take these actions • Write a plan to guide the work. • Do user research to determine what names & concepts make sense to them. • Hold Focus groups to build buy-in.

  5. To help with rebranding, definitely do not… • Don’t guess what users want! • Don’t let librarians decide on a ‘clever’ name! • Don’t value ‘professionalism’ over data. • Don’t let admins quash your creativity. • Don’t be normal.

  6. To help with rebranding,ponder graphics too • Worth 1,000 words • Images & colors are memorable. • employ a mascot or an avatar in place of a logo.

  7. The key to getting attention WIIFM!! What’s in it for me?

  8. Writing successful wiifm copy • Make sure every sentence answers the question, “what’s in it for me?” • Never explain the product! Explain its benefits instead. • How will this make life better? • Compare to known / liked / used tools (“a single search box, like google!”)

  9. Writing successful wiifm copy • Avoid library lingo like the plague. • Assume readers have little or no knowledge of library tech / workings. • Put yourself in the readers’ shoes. • Use simple bullet points, not long explanatory sentences.

  10. For purposes of this project… I’m going to suggest renaming “eBSCO discovery service” to “find.” F Find florida find I It information it N Now network now D Dude discovery dammitt!!

  11. strategies • Begin with the end in mind. • Start by researching target audiences. • Make all messaging user-centric. • Concentrate on building buy-in.

  12. 1. Begin with the end in mind Write a plan that includes specifics on: • priorities – why are you doing it, what should the outcome look like? • team members & roles – assign responsibility • stakeholders – segmented into target audiences • goals – with objectives and deadlines • available tools – staff, $, communications channels, product info, swag • a basic calendar

  13. The ‘gcsc library ils communications plan’ lists these priorities: • Information and Involvement: Ensure that stakeholders at all levels receive appropriate, accurate, and timely information about the transition to the new ILS. • Organizational Identity/Branding: Communicating to stakeholders throughout the next-gen ILS implementation process provides an opportunity to market library resources and services through branding and other means… • Demonstrating Value: Increased awareness will lead to increased usage of the discovery interface.

  14. The ‘gcsc library ils communications plan’ includes these goals: Communication surrounding all aspects of next-gen ILS implementation should be designed to meet following objectives: • Ensure stakeholders at all levels receive accurate, timely, and useful information about the process and outcomes • Ensure library and IT staff receive information that correctly shapes their understanding of and preparation for implementation • Ensure appropriate lead time for local preparation • Promote established processes for gathering and managing user feedback

  15. 2. Start by researching target audiences.

  16. Info on the student audience

  17. Demographics on the student audience

  18. 3. Make all messaging user-centric. • Don’t use library language or lingo – speak the language of each user group. • Useful tool – portal of info on ‘library terms that users understand’ http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7 • Have members of your target audience check drafts of your messages to make sure they really are user friendly and easy to understand. • Use short messages for short attention spans.

  19. Promo text for students,suggested by EBSCO https://help.ebsco.com/interfaces/EBSCO_Discovery_Service/EDS_Training_Promo/EDS_Promotion_Kit

  20. Student promo text, deconstructed “Looking for high-quality resources for your research…” probably not! “… but don’t have time to sift through different ebooks, journals, and books?” Ebooks for research? + students don’t ‘sift through’ – they grab & go. “[name] gives you all these in one search.” students don’t want to search – they want to find. So, instead: find it fast & easy with our new tool, “find”!

  21. Faculty promo text, deconstructed “Dear Faculty Member, personalize! I would like to take a moment to provide you with some points of interest about (insert your institution’s name here and delete this note)’s new discovery tool available from EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS).” Simplify & wiifm-ize! The library is making your life easier! our new tool integrates with canvas, and can save you time and effort. It also simplifies searching for your students, so they can find info in any format.

  22. Always talk benefits, not products Use phrases that will connect with each target audience. Don’t be stuffy! Messages that are more personalized and fun will be better internalized and remembered. • Find makes serious research as easy as google! • Find saves you time, so you can finish your work & go to the game. • Find works with mobile phones so you can get answers from anywhere. • Find empowers you to find content without leaving canvas, and you can create reading lists in your course area with just a few clicks.

  23. ‘Benefits of using new ILS and discovery system (positive statements to inform)’ “A new ILS was mandated by the legislature and is being implemented at all 40 institutions; it includes all the behind-the-scenes library management functions as well as the patron interface to these functions.” That’s not a benefit, it’s an explanation – too deep for most to care about. “This discovery tool is an integrated system for discovering, accessing, and using all types of library information resources in a single place.” That’s not a benefit, but a basic expectation.

  24. ‘Benefits of using new ILS and discovery system (positive statements to inform)’ “Within one interface, students and faculty will be able to search across all the resources, place holds on GCSC materials, request materials from other SUS and FCS libraries, save links for later use, and view their patron account. The results page includes all types of resources, provides the ability to further refine by facets, shows real-time circulation status, and allows for the download of results into a citation manager such as Zotero.” Interface? Facets? Circ stats? Ugh! Ditch the lingo: Search will be more like google: use one search box & get results from all of the library’s sections and formats. Simple!

  25. ‘Benefits of using new ILS and discovery system (positive statements to inform)’ “Just a few of the usability improvements include an intuitive interface that is responsive to all types of devices and more comprehensive indexing to find more of the library’s content. With the use of GCSC’s Portal Guard for authentication, integration with other campus systems including Canvas will be possible.” Sounds too technical and academic. To help folks understand & remember, try: find is easier to use! It works on all your devices and integrates with canvas.

  26. 4. Concentrate on building buy-in. • The secret to building buy-in is to get people involved at the beginning of the project. Ask for their ideas and assistance. • Invite input from student workers, faculty members, university marketing departments, and other library staffers. • Once they’ve made suggestions, they’ll have a stake in the project, and will watch to see if their ideas were used. • Share the finished product with them first, and They’ll talk it up to others. People naturally want to show off their work to get validation from others.

  27. See who can help! Can Social Sciences folks conduct focus groups? Can Language & Literature students draft your messages? Can Visual & Performing Arts faculty assign students to star in and film short video demos?

  28. Also build buy-in via… • Drafting PR copy, shooting video, taking photos, recording testimonials • Beta testing (“Your experiences will guide our actions.”) • Artwork suggestions or contests • Social media sharing & word of mouth • Get ideas for prizes people really want to win • Individual, face-to-face discussions. Share responsibility! “Mr. Faculty, it’s up to you to make the most of our $100,000 investment. This is for you, not for us.”

  29. Kathy Dempsey, Libraries Are Essential consultancy // Kathy@LibrariesAreEssential.com

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