Monday, March 21, 2011

CIL2011: Innovative Marketing Tools and Strategies

The speakers are Stacy Bruss and Nancy Allmang from the Information Services Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Their library always did marketing, but decided to branch out.  The bought "Podcasting for Dummies" to learn how to do podcast.  They used a small classroom and Audacity to record the podcasts.  Since the files were MP4, they added rotating photos to give the listener something to watch.  The podcasts were one minute in length.  But since they were spending so much time on audio podcasts, they decided that they should do video podcasts (vodcasts).

The first vodcast cost $5000 and took 7 months (Lab Liaison Program) [4+ minute].  It was done by others in the organization, who had the expertise to do it.  The podcast has a narrator, video from NIST employees, and text.  Understanding what was done with that podcast, the library was able to understand how to do their own faster and cheaper.  They used a Macbook and a video camera.  Their first video - on their own - was actually more exciting then the one that was done for them.

Tips -- Voice overs should be done later.  Add photos to make it more interesting.  Keep the videos short.  Save in two separate formats - one for streaming and one for downloading to iPods.

How else could they use videos?  Use videos in new employee orientation.  Hopefully get people to remember more about the library.  The video shows people the physical space...and we know that photos are worth a thousand words.

How else are they promoting the library?
  • Cork board outside the library
  • Posters from conferences
  • LED text board
  • Digital display board - may be PowerPoint slides.  Reader should see the slides change.  Change perhaps every 4-7 seconds.
BTW one tool being used for this presentation is PPTplex.  It is also something the use for their marketing materials.

They are experimenting with adding other video to their digital display.  For example, how to access specific databases. They are using Camstudio.

They are dong videos to promote internal workshops and training sessions.

Use multiple channels to get across the same message, since not everyone will pay attention to the same marketing channel.

You should repeat marketing messages.  People need reminders.  BTW Need to repeat messages without people realizing that you are repeating,

They are using Presi.com to create moving- non-linear - presentations, and then placing them on the video display.

Now are using animated videos created with XtraNormal.

Finally, they are doing cross promotion.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the UK Strategic Content Alliance and JISC Netskils have run wildly popular "optimising your web presence" short courses for librarians and others. You can find the presentations at http://scamore.eforum.org/cgi-bin/default?section=information A guide to good practice and supporting case studies will be published in April 2011.