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Like many libraries, Columbia College Chicago Library created a blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, but our users just weren’t interested. Why were the same tools that have been instrumental in over-throwing governments failing for us? After some experimentation, we established a new focus and strategy for social media. Our approach centers on listening, building relationships, providing alternative service points, and responding to users. Hear how we are now using social media to effectively connect with our users. -Presented at ACRL 2013, Molly Beestrum, Kerri Willette, and Amy Wainwright
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When Social Media Fails to InspireTransforming your library's social media presence
PART I: THE STORYKerri WilletteEmerging Technologies Librarian
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Initial goals• Use social media to broadcast announcements
• Promote the library and library related events
• Increase website SEO
• Keep it as low maintenance as possible
Early Twitter activity
Early Facebook activity
#cricketsBlog Analytics 2010
New goals• Listening
• Being where our users are and knowing what they’re talking about• Following blogs, hashtags and lists that relate to our community
• Actively participating in our community
• Establishing alternate service points
• Being likable
ListeningHootsuite Streams: http://hootsuite.com
Sharing interesting, relevant content
PART II: THE DETAILSAmy WainwrightAccess Services Assistant
Columbia College Chicago Library
At the height of our success• Core group of 3 people managed social media
• But what did that look like in reality?
Supportive and interested coworkers
9 contributors
3 contributors
1 contributor
3 contributors
10 contributors
Organization• Monthly meetings with the blog contributors
• Hootsuite to schedule and track posts
• Policies for “claiming” comments and tweets
• Content driven by what our users needed and wanted
Why is this all in past tense? • Lost one member of the core group
• Facebook posting is spotty, twitter coverage is skimpy, and blog posting has mostly withered away
• Need to have a dedicated Social Media position
PART III: TAKE-AWAYSMolly BeestrumLibrary Instruction Coordinator
Columbia College Chicago Library
Lessons Learned• Form a team
• Define your vision
• Pick a few tools
• Define success
• Learn from failure
• Prioritize social media
• Listen
Team ApproachIdentify staff with interest in specific tools
9 contributors
3 contributors
1 contributor
3 contributors
10 contributors
Define your Vision• Public services or Marketing?
social media as alternate service point …
or
… a way of promoting resources and services
• Communicate shared goals
• Agreed upon vision
Pick a few tools• Don’t try to do everything
• Pick a couple of tools that fit your audience• Patrons already using it• Solves a problem• Highlights collections• Works in tandem
with other tools
Define Success• Counting hits, reach, follows, pins
• Success can be fleeting
• Success can be bittersweet
• Improvement is success
• Success from failure
Learn from Failure• Try it and see what happens
• Don’t ask for permission
• Call it a “pilot” or keep it in beta
• Even if it didn’t work, you still learned something
Prioritize Social Media• Don’t treat social media as an afterthought
• Communicate successes to administrators
• Press for investment; dedicated position(s)
Listen• Put down the megaphone
• Become a member of the community
Questions?
Columbia College Chicago Library
http://www.lib.colum.edu
• Facebook: facebook.com/ColumbiaCollegeLibrary
• Twitter: twitter.com/LibraryTweet
• Tumblr: ccclibrary.tumblr.com
• Pinterest: pinterest.com/ccclibrary
