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Photo by Gayle Bogel

Virtual Marketing: Reach Out to Teens

NELA ConferenceOctober 19, 2010

Geri DiorioRidgefield Library

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Image by digitalArt2 - CC

Marketing/Promotion/Advertising

Three terms that are often used interchangeably.

Are they the same?

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What is Marketing?

STRATEGY• The big picture – knowing the audience• A defined goal – usually customer satisfaction• Measurable outcomes vs. measurable outputs• Allows concentration of limited resources on the

greatest opportunities.

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What is Advertising?

GET THE WORD OUT• Communication to influence/ persuade

individuals or groups to consume a product or service

• Often includes “branding” - repetition of an image/logo or product name that will “stick” in the mind of the customer

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What is Promotion?

Engagement• Involving the audience/customer• Participation• Creating a reason to care about

product/service/activity

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Do You Know 4.0 ?

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Teens•Impulsive•Plugged In•Need involvement•Like Technology• What Else???

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What the Research Says About Teens Online

Teens and the Internet

• 93% of teens ages 12-17 use the internet• 87% of online teens use email• 97% of teens play video or computer games• 73% of online teens use social network sites

– (PEW, 2010)

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• 75% of online teen view videos on video-sharing sites

• 68% of teens use instant messaging• 14 % of online teens blog• 55% of teens use Wikipedia

– (PEW, 2010)

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What the Research Says About Teens Online

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• 8% of teens use Twitter

• 19% of adults use Twitter

• 8 % of teens use virtual worlds

• Facebook is the SNS of choice – (PEW, 2010)

What the Research Says About Teens Online

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• 75% of teens have a cell phone• Teens without computers use their phones to

go online• 50 texts per day (75% to friends)• After texting, taking and sharing photos is the

next most popular cell phone use – (PEW, 2010)

What the Research Says About Teens and Cell Phones

Who are teens?

•A Vision of Students Today

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How do we market, advertise, and promote to these people?

Marketing Strategies• Deliver service to teens• Create customer satisfaction• Use available channels (on ground and online)• Stay within budget • Appeal to local audience/preferences• Measure outcomes/outputs

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Tools for Marketing/Promotion/Advertising

• Use what fits in daily practice– for you/for your teens

• Use what you have – the tools at hand• What works?• Make strategic decisions about advertising

and promotion based on your marketing strategy.

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Virtual Channels

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Website YouTube

Facebook IM

Texting Blog

Twitter(?)

The Ridgefield Library’s website

Send mass texts from your e-mail

•Remember to ask permission

•Make up a “texting list”•Keep it up to date

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Text-a-Librarian

Meebo browser view

Blogs• Useful, but not in the ways you may think• Comments? Dialog?• Still, offer information• Have an archive

Facebook is where the kids are at…for now.

Using Social Media to Connect With Teens

2003

• SRP visits to Schools

2007

• Some schools want visits• Most want “something”

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• All want “something else”

Something Else• Flier?• Recorded

announcement?• Live announcement?• Video?

Video...but whatkind?

• No money• No time• No experience

Obstacles to making a Summer Reading

Program Video

That never stopped

me before.

• Digital camera• MacBook• Help menu• Vague college memory

What’s On Hand?

Video for teens• Keep it short• Get points across simply• Don’t try to be

cool/funny/hip...I’m not (Thank you forever, Patrick Jones)

• Make outline of main points

• Take digital photos • Put together movie

Simple plan

• Your digital photos are great - free and fair use

• Flickr.com - Creative Commons images (give attribution!)

• Sound files you record are fine, as are the ones that come with your computer

Summer ReadingMovie

• How do you know what fits? • How to understand/use/be

effective with new tools? • Who has the time?

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Why do virtual channels fit teens??

• Existing channel• That’s where the teens are• Budget friendly• Easily tailored to local needs• Potential for engagement• Meets teen needs (40 assets)

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Concerns with Virtual Marketing

• Personal implications

• Digital equity

• Legal implications

• Is it really so different?

• What about schools?

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Evaluating Outcomes

• Outputs vs. outcomes

• Are you meeting goals?

• Core Values/Developmental Assets

• Measurable evidence55

40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents

• Provided by the Search Institute

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Image from Microsoft clip art

Core Competencies in Social Networking for YA Librarians•Uses Web tools and social networking communities to engage with and provide services to young adults•Understands and articulates the particular importance of engaging with young adults in nontraditional ways that extend beyond the physical library•Involves young adults in the investigation and evaluation of tools to identify those most applicable to the library’s young adult services•Explores the potential of social networking to connect and interact with young adults and meet their information needs

Technology competencies related to social networking

•Understands and uses common social networking and online collaboration tools•Locates and reads blogs and listens to podcasts; demonstrates familiarity with micro-blogging (Twitter)•Demonstrates familiarity with instant messaging tools (Meebo, Skype), social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning) and social bookmarking (Delicious, Diigo)•Demonstrates familiarity with photo-sharing (Flickr, ShutterFly), music-sharing (Last.fm, Pandora, iTunes) and video-sharing (YouTube)•Locates and follows information sources to stay informed of new technologies and social tools

Webjunction

More support• ALA Resources for Librarians About Online

Social NetworkingIncluding Toolkits and Advocacy Guides

• Supporting Information Literacy and 21st Century LearnersAASL Standards for the 21st Century LearnerNational Educational Technology Standards

• Copyright in the Digital Age Center for Social Media

• Online Safety Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use

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Suggested Reading• danah boyd – smart, articulate researcher

who is teen-centric & teen friendly

• Tame The Web – especially this post about managing change

• Kevin Kelly on techno-literacy

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Inspired? Get Creative & Win!

• Alan Sitomer has a contest for you & your teens

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Learn More

Connect, Create, Collaborate: Supporting Teen Needs With Technology

Conclusions“The single most important thing (you) can do in

today’s digital world is to stay grounded in the rapidly changing digital landscape, stay abreast of the research and best practices, read the blogs, join the electronic discussion lists, attend the conferences, and engage others in the profession in conversations about where they are doing in their libraries to meet teens where they are: online and out in the virtual world.” (Suellentropp and Gorman, 2009)

References

• Rainie, Lee. 2009. “Teens and the Internet.” PowerPoint Presentation. January 9, 2009. Pew Internet & American Life project.

• Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, Zickuhr. 2010. “Social Media and Young Adults.” Report. February 3, 2010. Pew Internet & American Life project.

• Xplane, The Economist, et al. “Did You Know 4.0.” Video. Fall 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

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References

• Wesch, Michael. “A Vision of Students Today.” Video. Spring 2007 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

• Hoenke, Justin. “Using Social Media to Connect With Teens.” Blog article. Tame the Web. March 17, 2010.

• Kessler, Sarah. “The Case for Social Media in Schools.” Blog article. Mashable. September 29, 2010.

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