08:51 jsstover It's a few minutes before noon, and I wanted to share with you some of the BEST branding reading I've come across so far, if you haven't seen it referenced on my blog:
http://www.allaboutbranding.com/index.lasso?articl…
08:52 jsstover The link takes you to part of a book called Marketing Genius, which I'm part-way through and really enjoying!
08:52 jsstover Please share your top branding reads too. :)
09:00 jsstover Hello, everyone! Thanks for dropping by!!
09:00 derikbad Hello
09:00 jsstover Great to have you - it'll be nice to not talk to myself! ha!
09:01 derikbad Talking to oneself can be quite enlightening at times
09:01 jsstover lol! well...i get tired of hearing myself
09:01 derikbad I guess I'll have to talk more then.
09:02 jsstover yep! so, what brings you here? branding? a project? just curious?
09:02 derikbad Though, so far, for me branding is... outside my range
09:02 derikbad I'm trying to learn more about marketing
09:02 jsstover yeah, i'm learning a lot about it too.
09:02 derikbad My library doesn't do any and since I',m in charge of virtual reference, I want to market it
09:03 jsstover great! what kind of software do you use?
09:03 jsstover and, what kind of library do you work in
09:03 derikbad we have docutek's vrlplus and we use IM and have started using im widgets for subject guides
09:03 derikbad academic
09:04 derikbad (Hmm. Meebo doesn't want to auto-scroll for me... i have to click down to see new posts. How annoying)
09:04 jsstover well, i can share one idea from my alma mater that i think is a great marketing idea for chat.
09:04 jsstover ooh - very!
09:04 jsstover sorry about that...mine is working ok, so far
09:04 jsstover let me grab a link for you....
09:05 jsstover http://www.lib.unc.edu/house/
09:05 jsstover the undergrad library at unc, where i used to work/go to school (i'm a bit biased...) has a neat idea for promoting AIM
09:05 jsstover it's those "hello my name is..." stickers
09:05 derikbad Oh yeah, I've seen those
09:05 derikbad they are nice
09:05 jsstover apparently, students put them on their laptops. they've become kind of cool
09:06 jsstover i love that you use widgets for subject guides - how's that working out?
09:06 derikbad we just started about 2 weeks ago
09:06 derikbad so at this point, little business.
09:07 derikbad But i like the idea of subject guides as both resources and communication
09:07 jsstover it's summer too...do you have a lot of students around for summer session?
09:07 jsstover me too.
09:07 jsstover do you use any course management software? (blackboard, etc.)
09:08 derikbad its kind of quiet.
09:08 derikbad we use blackbaord another area i;m working on intergrating
09:08 derikbad blackboard modules with subjects and a widget
09:08 jsstover i really think that's the best promo for chat, point of need?
09:08 derikbad kind of subject specific research areas that profs can add
09:09 jsstover what about others in the room? any tips for promoting chat reference?
09:09 JeanneHeicher Pardon me, but I am trying to learn how to participate- am I coming through?
09:09 jsstover yep! hi!
09:10 derikbad hi Jeanne
09:10 JeanneHeicher Guess so- We are starting out with AskHere PA
09:10 JeanneHeicher linked to questionpoint
09:10 JeanneHeicher and we are working on how to market that
09:10 derikbad where in PA are you Jeanne? I'm at Temple in Philly
09:10 JeanneHeicher I do like the idea of laptop stickers
09:11 jsstover yeah, i think it's neat to get students in on promoting these tools.
09:11 JeanneHeicher Newport is a half hour northeast of Harrisburg- Perry County
09:11 karindalziel As a very recent college grad, I can say that I NEVER thought of asking for reference help via IM.
09:11 karindalziel I like the idea of student assisted promotion
09:12 jsstover you know, i think those widgets work really well tho. there's been lots of times when i've need tech help in my personal life...
09:12 derikbad viral marketing, yes
09:12 jsstover and if i see those wedgets, i use them!
09:12 jsstover widgets
09:13 derikbad I saw a neat presentation at ACRL about getting to the students who know the most people and who will then pass on information... there was some name for it based on somebody's theory.
09:13 jsstover hmm...sounds familiar.
09:13 jsstover how did acrl recommend identifying students?
09:14 derikbad http://www.learningtimes.net/acrlblog/129/social-contagion/
09:14 derikbad there's my post on the session
09:14 jsstover thanks!
09:15 derikbad They were still working on that part, identifying the right people
09:15 derikbad student leaders, popular people,
09:15 JeanneHeicher I think it's easier to market virtual ref in academic settings- we're public, and it's hard to get people to change their ways. I like the social contagion- it's free
09:15 jsstover gladwell's books is referenced a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1833253-8204652?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181837729&sr=8-1
09:15 derikbad I should follow up with them about that, see how they are figuring it out
09:16 jsstover you know, that's a good point Jeanne...
09:16 JeanneHeicher about the dollar signs?
09:16 jsstover i just stumbled on something yesterday that i wanted to write about...
09:16 jsstover :)
09:17 derikbad I wondering if Facebook could used to identify leaders and target them
09:17 derikbad through student groups and organizations
09:18 karindalziel teehee, this makes it sound as if the library wants to be one of the "cool kids" - which, of course, it does, in a way.
09:18 jsstover well, in our library, we made a student group that consists of library "fans"
09:18 jsstover we recruited students who want to be in an advisory group
09:18 JeanneHeicher That's an excellent idea
09:18 jsstover and they definitely talk about the library to their peers. though, i've never studied how "influencial" they are
09:19 jsstover they help us do library tours and they write a newsletter we put in our bathroom stalls
09:19 JeanneHeicher that would make a great experiment
09:19 jsstover thanks!
09:19 jsstover it's an awesome group but LOTS of work
09:19 karindalziel ooo, I like that- kind of following the model of docents that museums use
09:19 jsstover yeah!
09:20 jsstover i just like the idea of students doing more of the talking, rather than us
09:20 karindalziel docents are SO committed to what they do, and museums know that and nurture it. It's great to see.
09:20 jsstover yep, our students partner with us when we give potential incoming students library tours
09:21 jsstover and they come with us to outreach events
09:21 jsstover one girl seemd to know EVERYONE who passed by and it was cool that she was saying, "yeah, i'm with teh library."
09:21 karindalziel How tdo you keep the momentum and interest strong? Free food? ;)
09:21 derikbad I like the library fans. thing
09:21 jsstover you bet! we do a combo of other things too:
09:21 JeanneHeicher Do they do it just for fun, or do they get fine forgiveness or something?
09:21 derikbad free food is on my marketing idea list
09:22 jsstover ha!
09:22 jsstover well,
09:22 jsstover free food at monthly meetings
09:22 jsstover meetings are MANDATORY
09:22 jsstover (i'm big on that)
09:22 jsstover then, we have a Blackboard organization site
09:22 jsstover we have discussion on there in between, but i want to migrate it to Facebook next year
09:22 derikbad Karin: I don't think it's us wanting to be the "cool kid" but just getting a message to the cool kids.
09:23 jsstover they also get a $100 honorarium after meeting all requirements at the end of the year
09:23 derikbad I don't care if they think I'm cool
09:23 jsstover (we have 10 members)
09:23 derikbad as long as they know I'm here for help
09:23 jsstover but no one does it for the $$
09:23 derikbad woah, paying them. nice.
09:23 jsstover i definitely can't pull off the cool thing. :)
09:23 karindalziel I think it's important to be at least somewhat cool, though, if you want to be in witht he cool kids. All this talk on cool kids makes me a little uneasy, though
09:23 karindalziel (having never been a cool kid myself)
09:23 jsstover :D
09:24 jsstover i'm just myself. students know that and respond to it, no matter what.
09:24 jsstover ok, so not all students....
09:24 jsstover ha!
09:24 derikbad I think trying to be cool too often ends up making one very lame
09:24 karindalziel I'm still puzzeling over how to figure out which kids might have the most reach
09:24 karindalziel it might not be who you'd expect
09:24 jsstover that's what i don't get either.
09:25 jsstover marketers have software and analysis for that
09:25 karindalziel plus, you want to diversify, to reach different groups
09:25 karindalziel thinking about it all is staggaring!
09:25 derikbad identifying students groups? we have a lot of them around. ethnic groups, interest groups, sports, clubs
09:25 jsstover naw, you just have to break it down
09:25 JeanneHeicher If you had a library Facebook, the ones who friend you would be the ones to win over
09:25 jsstover target marketing!
09:25 jsstover to me, it makes sense to start with the fans, and work out from there
09:26 karindalziel marketers don't have it down, either- many of them are stubling around clueless, even if they pretend they aren't
09:26 karindalziel plus colleges- english, math, arts, etc
09:26 jsstover ha! but some of them have more sophisticated tools for tracking their customers. the privacy issues in that make uncomfortalbe in a library setting...
09:27 jsstover Karin: what kind of library do you work in?
09:27 karindalziel Academic, right now. I'm in library school, though- I wouldn't mind working at a public library
09:27 jsstover gotchya
09:28 jsstover i'm curious to know what you all think of this thing i discovered yesterday...
09:28 jsstover maybe it's old news...
09:28 karindalziel I used to work in ad agencies though - low on the totem pole, but I picked up a few things...
09:28 jsstover really?!
09:28 jsstover they're having a tough time right now
09:28 jsstover seems like they're scrambling to figure out how to survive
09:29 karindalziel oh, now I've interrupted. :) go on....
09:29 jsstover oh, no problem!
09:29 jsstover it may not be that interesting but i wondered why we hadn't thought of it!
09:29 jsstover found it at sbux
09:29 jsstover i know!
09:29 jsstover i find too much stuff there...
09:29 jsstover but, here's a link to their summer promotion: http://www.letsmeetatstarbucks.com/
09:30 jsstover how cool would it be to do something like this?
09:30 jsstover i was thinking, Jeanne, that this seems public-library-friendly
09:30 derikbad "let's hang out a the library"
09:30 derikbad That could work
09:30 jsstover could help promote programs
09:30 derikbad as a campaign
09:31 jsstover i know students here need to meet all the time for study groups
09:31 jsstover it would be nice if we could somehow facilitate that...
09:31 JeanneHeicher We have a "Rock'n'Read" time from 5-8 on Friday nights
09:31 derikbad of course you have to have something to offer at the library
09:31 derikbad to get them in
09:31 jsstover i haven't thought it through yet, but the idea seemed like it was made for libraries
09:31 JeanneHeicher we play music and have free coffee and stuff
09:31 jsstover right.
09:31 JeanneHeicher and let people just chill out
09:32 jsstover the sbux page gives you a way to id programs/events
09:32 karindalziel I like the idea of such a campaign.... and giving tools that make it easy for students to request and set meetings for groupwork
09:32 jsstover i think it's related to this site, which is new to me: http://www.meetup.com/
09:32 derikbad love the colors on that starbucks page
09:32 karindalziel it could integrate with reserving meeting rooms
09:32 jsstover i know! i hate always using them as an example but...
09:33 jsstover that's what i was thinking, karin
09:33 karindalziel I know getting people together to meet was the bane of my undergrad existance!
09:33 derikbad I didn't know enough people to organize meetings, haha
09:33 jsstover i take classes here, so it's still the bane of my existence!
09:33 jsstover ha!
09:33 derikbad (Meebo is scrolling right for me now. weird)
09:33 jsstover poor derik
09:33 jsstover congrats!
09:33 karindalziel it started scrolling for me too
09:34 derikbad plus my school had like 4 buildings so you just walked around til you found someone
09:34 derikbad thank you meebo gods
09:34 jsstover :) where'd you go, if you do'nt mind my asking...
09:34 jsstover lol
09:34 derikbad Tyler School of Art
09:34 derikbad its part of Temple U but a separate campus
09:34 derikbad which is where I work now
09:34 jsstover wow! what was your concentration?
09:34 jsstover i was just in philly for the first time recently
09:35 jsstover very neat.
09:35 derikbad I was a printmaker
09:35 derikbad but I do webcomics now
09:35 derikbad
http://madinkbeard.com/comics
09:35 karindalziel I loved printmaking. I was a painting major.
09:36 derikbad Where at?
09:36 jsstover incredible!
09:37 derikbad I love meeting more ex-art students now librarians
09:37 derikbad a friend and I were thinking of forming a club
09:37 jsstover ha! you could meet at sbux!
09:37 karindalziel University of Nebraska-Lincoln (nothing fancy... got accepted to a few nicer schools, but the frugalness in me won out)
09:37 JeanneHeicher or the library
09:37 derikbad I totally went to Tyler cause it was close and cheap
09:37 jsstover ha! yep!
09:37 karindalziel There seem to be quite a few art student librarians
09:38 derikbad I try to avoid starbucks don't like their coffee
09:38 karindalziel I like their chai
09:38 karindalziel mmmmmm
09:38 jsstover lots of ppl don't. my fiance worked there and would bring home a pound of coffee per week...
09:38 jsstover i got addicted
09:38 jsstover i really don't like them trying to be like a library tho
09:38 karindalziel ok, now I'm beyond hungy I must go eat. Please save a transcript! (you can find me @ nirak.net)
09:39 jsstover sure! thanks for stopping by!
09:39 derikbad I think Karin and I are flickr contacts
09:39 derikbad I guess its a small librarian world
09:39 jsstover so, have we solved your chat promotion problem?
09:39 jsstover sure is
09:40 jsstover :)
09:40 jsstover jeanne, i'd like to know more about what you're working on
09:40 derikbad solved my proble,, hah
09:40 jsstover :)
09:40 derikbad Some more ideas though
09:40 jsstover actually, i think you're doing the right thing by using IM
09:40 derikbad I have tons of reading to do
09:41 jsstover a good service sells itself and IM is what people like. and you're putting it at points of need, which is again right on
09:41 derikbad my google reader is filled with starred posts from you and your shared rss feed
09:41 derikbad I think the main issue is awareness at this point
09:41 jsstover ha! the reader is dangerous! especially now that you can read things offline!
09:41 derikbad which is always our problem
09:41 derikbad I keep saying Ill read all the marketing stuff
09:42 JeanneHeicher We have only 4 employees, and I would like to nail down branding as a way to be able to present a standard image as we add more staff
09:42 derikbad I need like a week to devote
09:42 jsstover me too! talk about overwhelming. i try to keep up though! that way, other people don't have to so much.
09:42 jsstover i see.
09:43 jsstover i would highly recommend that before you get to the image part, that you try to sort out what you want to represent to people
09:43 JeanneHeicher not tomake it restrictive, but for brand identification
09:43 jsstover with 4 people, i think that would be a good size to start a conversation.
09:43 JeanneHeicher that's where we are right now
09:43 jsstover what have you come up with so far? how are you approaching it?
09:44 JeanneHeicher we're just starting to research it
09:44 JeanneHeicher so I thought this chat sounded like a good way to get ideas
09:44 jsstover i hope it'll help!
09:45 JeanneHeicher I have found a couple of branding manuals online
09:45 jsstover do you have some patrons who might be willing to talk with you?
09:45 derikbad I think public library's can really work on the community center idea. A gathering place
09:45 JeanneHeicher i like that
09:45 derikbad Also the idea of information for daily life. People think library and books: pleasure reading or like school work.
09:45 derikbad as opposed to... help with fixing your house
09:45 derikbad or stuff like that
09:45 JeanneHeicher i think we could start out by finding out how people see us, and taking off from there
09:46 JeanneHeicher Library- my other living room
09:46 jsstover and jeanne too!
09:46 derikbad Lunch time is running. Thanks, Jill. Keep up the good work with your blog and such. I appreciate it.
09:46 jsstover i think you need to ask patrons about what they want to accomplish
09:46 jsstover thanks, derik! i appreciate the chat!
09:46 jsstover nice meeting you!
09:47 jsstover derek hit it when he said, "help fixing your house."
09:47 jsstover it speaks to what's important to patrons.
09:47 jsstover asking them, "what should our brand be" won't get very far, but just talking about what's going on in their lives, etc. can help
09:47 JeanneHeicher it gets them to integrate the livbrary into their life
09:48 JeanneHeicher Hey, should I be taking notes, or can I get a transcript?
09:48 jsstover right! my observation is that the trap lots of is get into is wanting to showcase ourselves when we should be showcasing patrons
09:49 jsstover i think these messages will stay in the window, but i can copy/paste them in an e-mail to you.
09:49 JeanneHeicher OK, thanks nppublib@pa.net
09:49 jsstover got it!
09:51 JeanneHeicher So- a Web application that lets patrons "set up" their "own library" ?
09:51 jsstover well, i'm thinking, in terms of branding, that our "brand" should be based on how we help people achieve things
09:51 jsstover so, using the house example,
09:52 jsstover if the library helped them improve their homes, why not showcase that in newsletters, your web site, etc.
09:52 jsstover get testimonials.
09:52 jsstover then your "brand" is really built on the idea that "the library can help you achieve..."
09:53 jsstover and then ultimately maybe your visuals can reflect that concept (i'm not an artist....but i hope that makes sense)
09:53 JeanneHeicher that might work well- the PA ROI study showed that only 24% of people used the library solely for recreation
09:54 JeanneHeicher and recreation is what libraries have recently been showcasing
09:54 jsstover interesting!
09:54 jsstover so, the trick is to find out what people are trying to get "done" when the come to the library
09:54 JeanneHeicher the ROI study is available on the PA Dept. Ed. web site
09:55 jsstover ok, i'm going to check it out
09:55 JeanneHeicher the trick is to pick only one or 2 representative "things to dget done"
09:56 JeanneHeicher that encompass as many real patrons as possible
09:56 jsstover well, i would segment groups and then target brand messages to those groups differently
09:57 JeanneHeicher I think the marketing done for the PA POWER library failed because they had too many examples of what people could use the POWER for
09:57 jsstover you may use the same logo, but different messages/context
09:58 JeanneHeicher that would unify the message
09:59 jsstover you may want to take a look, as an example, at hennepin county's library (i know they're a lot bigger, but the concepts could help): http://www.hclib.org/
09:59 jsstover they have one logo on every page, but they segment the page by audience
10:00 jsstover so the teen section is different from kids which is different from 55+
10:01 jsstover everything from text, to language, to tone and even font size is customized
10:02 JeanneHeicher that's an interesting concept
10:03 jsstover unfortunately, trying to be all things to all people (which i think we all want to do, rightfully so) is a big mistake
10:03 jsstover like what you were saying with the POWER library
10:04 jsstover i hope this has been remotely helpful!
10:04 JeanneHeicher but giving people a choice of how they view your Web site is a great idea
10:04 jsstover i love it
10:04 JeanneHeicher it's been really helpful
10:04 jsstover people want a customized experience, for sure
10:04 jsstover i'm glad!
10:04 jsstover i've run out of lunch hour time, but please keep in touch and feel free to contact me as you move forward
10:04 jsstover i'd love to hear how it goes and help if i can
10:05 JeanneHeicher thanks- this was fun, and a new experience for me
10:05 JeanneHeicher meebo
10:05 jsstover :) thanks so much for coming! i was afraid i'd be the only one here!
10:06 JeanneHeicher If you do this again, I'll be there
10:06 jsstover i will! probably at least once a month if not more, but anyone can come in for a chat anytime
10:06 jsstover good luck!!
10:06 JeanneHeicher Do we log off or just close out?
10:06 jsstover naw, you can just close out. i'll send you the transcript!
10:06 JeanneHeicher Thank you so much-
10:07 jsstover sure! bye for now!
10:15 jsstover Thanks for coming by, everyone! I think I am going to do these once a month or maybe every other week or so, depending on interest. You can always use the room whever you want to talk amongst yourselves. See you later!
