Download - Engaging Your Library Community Through Storytelling ... · Social media Public speaking, community education ... Think of using social media for storytelling as a great opportunity

#libraryvision @JuliaCSocial

Takeaways Why storytelling is so vital to

your fundraising & marketing strategy

Ways you can use social media to tell stories

Examples from libraries and nonprofits who are doing great storytelling


Why Storytelling? People don’t

remember bullet points.

People respond to emotion.

Feelings, not analytical thinking, drive actions.


What Storytelling Will Not DoFix bad management.

Fix a lousy product or service.

Replace other fundraising & marketing strategies.

Replace tried-and-true fundraising tactics.

BUT if done well, it will augment all other communication efforts!


How To “Do” Storytelling? Think of your audience

FIRST and ALWAYS.

How can you tell a story in a way that will resonate with them?

What is important to them?

What will inspire them to action?


“It’s less about technology and more about what the visitor can bring to the equation.

In the end, we want people to feel ownership of this museum.

We ask them to tell us what they think.

They can give us a bad review; when we make a mistake they can come to our rescue.

We want to engage with our community.”

~Shelley Bernstein, Chief Technology Officer, the Brooklyn Museum


Change In Mindset Become a storytelling

organization.

Most library communications are boring and org-centric.

What is interesting and new?


Change In Mindset Need to focus on

BENEFITS, not features.

Need to focus on PEOPLE, not programs.


Creation Stories What was the need?

What is the need now?

Story of the founders

The real WHY you exist


Reference: http://www.thegoodmancenter.com

Creation Stories Example –Environmental

Defense Fund Started by a small group of

passionate conservationists in Long Island.

They wanted to save the osprey, bald eagle and peregrine falcon.

Went to court, got a ban on DDT in 1966. In 1972, they played a large role on a nationwide ban.

They play up the “strong foundation” and grassroots approach which informs their work today.


Continuous Improvement Express resiliency

Show that your org is always trying to improve

Mistakes, lessons learned

Helps other organizations



Continuous ImprovementExample – The Denver Foundation

10 Years 10 Stories – Celebrating 10 years of inclusiveness

Stories from the Journey – stories told by the nonprofits awarded grants

Nonprofits discussed what they learned and what they still have to work on.

Focused on their target audience and thought about what would resonate with them.


Behind-The-

Scenes Stories

Feature donors

Feature Board members

Feature staff

Feature volunteers



Behind-The-ScenesCarolyn Miles of Save the

Children

Pinterest Board: http://www.pinterest.com/savethechildren/carolyn-s-corner/


Behind-The-Scenes Stories


Behind-The-Scenes StoriesCentral Rappahannock Regional Library in

Fredericksburg, Virginia

“Libraries Will Survive” on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8QjjKrEK7Y


Behind-The-Scenes Stories

#libraryvision @JuliaCSocialhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2614974/The-selfie-intellectuals-Rise-shelfie-geek-chic-social-media-trend-book-collection.html

The rise of the #shelfie

User-Generated Stories

#libraryvision @JuliaCSocial http://www.care.org/get-involved/international-womens-day/iamcourage

User-Generated Stories Geek The Library: www.geekthelibrary.org

“Yes, librarians geek, too. See what they are passionate about and why they think the public library is a vital community resource. Are you a librarian? Tell us what you geek.”


User-Generated Stories Libraries for Real Life:

http://www.librariesforreallife.org/stories/


User-Generated Stories“Why Didn’t You Just Leave?”

Writer Beverly Gooden shared her own reasons for staying in an abusive relationship on Twitter, using the hashtag #WhyIStayed.

Within hours, hundreds of survivors were tweeting their own reasons for doing the same.

#libraryvision @JuliaCSocialhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/12/why-didnt-you-just-leave_n_5805134.html

Impact Stories Showcase the

difference you are making

Showcase the impact on the community

Doesn’t have to be sugary sweet


Impact Stories"I am a mother of 3 who is trying to finish my

bachelors degree. I love the quiet glass enclosed room. I come here regularly to study, and because of this solitude I have been able to accomplish much more of my classes than I had been able to do at home. Thank you for providing a quiet, non-distracting place for me to study!!"http://www.librarypoint.org/patrons_love_st

ories


Impact StoriesGreater Twin Cities United

Way

Success Stories section on their website

They start with the impact they had on the nonprofit, then the direct impact on a recipient of services

Miguel’s story


Impact StoriesAlways show donors where

their money is going.

Make them smile when they see the results their gift helped achieve.

https://www.facebook.com/BostonChildrensHospital


Where To Find Stories? Everywhere!

Everyone is responsible!

Requires a big change of culture.

No silos!

Get on the front lines.

Talk with people.


http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/whyineedmylibrary

Everyone Has A StoryEveryone has a

story – it might not be one that you can use, but it might lead you to an idea or person who can help.


How To Get Good Stories Look over all of those thank you notes!

Ask users– include a “share your story” page on your website, conduct surveys, ask at live events.

Be enthusiastic.

Explain the purpose.

Keep it varied. Make A Wish Foundation doesn’t just tell about the people that benefit, they also tell the stories of the wish-granter, the volunteers and their sponsors.


Story-Generating QuestionsWhen did our library:

Help you through a difficult situation?

Make you laugh?

Make you think?

Teach you something important?

Contribute to your education, empowerment, employment, etc.?

How would life be different if the library didn’t exist?


Story-Generating QuestionsDelainey L. (Lincoln), 7th grade, Gere Library customer

One summer, boredom got me full throttle. I would basically lay in my room, wishing I had something to do besides swim just to stay cool. Then one day my mom asked if I would like to go to the Library with her, and loved it so much! I had been to the library before, but that day really got me into a reading frenzy, which I've had ever since! I love going to the Library, it has done a lot for me :)

favorite book: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowlings

currently reading: Indigo by Alice Hoffmanhttp://www.lincolnlibraries.org/info/Your_Library_Stories.htm


Have A System Collect stories & all story ideas. Keep these

confidential for now.

Nothing is too small to collect.

Save your stories & ideas in a virtual Story Bank.

Use Dropbox or Google Drive.

Form a Storytelling Committee.

Start thinking like a reporter.

Use your smart phone, tablet, GoPro, flip camera.


Mine The Gold“Think of the story itself as gold. You mine the

gold, capture the story.

Then you bring it back to your office and you need to pound that gold into different shapes and sizes depending on whom you’re talking to, or also where you’re telling it.” ~ Andy Goodman


Promote Your StoriesIf you tell it, they will hear it!

Right??

Putting the stories on theright channels and thenpromoting them is HALFthe battle!


Channels for Storytelling Website – HOME BASE

Blogs

Email newsletters

Publications

Social media

Public speaking, community education

User-generated –encourage your online community to share their stories


Boomers spend 19 hours a week online.

71% use a social networking site daily with Facebook being the most popular.

36% of boomers ages 50 and over own a smartphone, and 32% own a tablet.


73% of online adultsuse at least one social networking site daily!

MYTH: Older People Aren’t Online

Your users ages 74+ are the fastest-growing demographic on social networks.


Go MultichannelPrint, electronic, mobile and everything in between.

Be where your users are, not where you want them to be.


Virtual ToursIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum

https://gardnermuseum.culturalspot.org/exhibit/gAIyZKoNat4oLA?position=0%3A0

They use the familiar story: In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, a pair of thieves disguised as Boston police officers entered the Gardner Museum and stole 13 works of art.


St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Foundation

Used direct mail, email, social media

Missives and personal videos from Josh, a 16-year-old patient at the hospital

Use humor, insider info, his genuine voice and personality


The Children’s Center, Detroit


Library Snapshot Day


https://www.flickr.com/groups/snapmass/

“Here’s how to know if you’re on the right track: if you stop (your) story in the middle, the audience will insist you finish it. Isn’t that what you want?”

~Seth Godin


http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/09/words-sentences-paragraphs-stories.html

My Two Cents

We all need to change the culture.

We need to start thinking visually and start thinking in “micro-content” terms.

You can do this!


My Two Cents

Think of using social media for storytelling as a great opportunity to show the world what you do and why you do it!


References

25 Years After Heist, Gardner Museum Asks Us To Focus On The Art, Not The Empty Frames

http://artery.wbur.org/2015/03/18/gardner-museum-heist-anniversary

7 infographics that promote reading: http://ebookfriendly.com/infographics-promote-reading/

Social Media for Libraries: https://www.pinterest.com/pinallibraries/social-media-for-libraries/


Resources

JCSocialMarketing.com

JohnHaydon.com

BethKanter.org

NPTechForGood.com

TheGoodmanCenter.com


Questions?Twitter: @JuliaCSocial

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jcsocialmarketing

Email: [email protected]
