Marketing Plan: Orange County Library System

Sarah Qronfleh

University of South Florida

 I. Library

The mission of the Orange County Library System (OCLS) is to “create a well informed,

well connected community, making Orange County a great place to live, learn, work, and play”

(2016). The library does this through “continuous innovation” as well as “collections, staff,

services, and facilities” (2016). The Orange County Library System believes in connecting our

“changing community to the evolving world of ideas, information and technology” (2016). OCLS

takes very seriously its relationship with the residents of Orange County and strives to meet

their needs and desires through all that we do. The values that the Orange County Library

System uses to motivate and challenge us in our daily work include: “Respect (for the individual,

our organization, and the community) Excellence (in everything we do) and Integrity (in our

actions)” (2016). With this mission and values guiding us, we are continually evolving and

adapting to the changing landscape so as to provide the best services to our community.

The Orange County Library System is unique in many ways that directly benefit the users

of our system and services. We have been on the leading front of integrating technology into

the library, including the opening of our 26,000 square foot Melrose Center for Technology,

Innovation and Creativity which offers audio, video and photography studios along with

simulators (flight, driving, construction), a fab lab with 3D printers and a large interactive media

wall (2016). OCLS also offers free home delivery of almost all circulating collections as well as an

extensive catalog of databases and reference services, all for free to cardholders. Our library

facilities offer flexible meeting spaces for community groups and also serve as a place for library

sponsored programs, classes and events. We are focused on lifelong learning and ensuring all
members of the community have equal access to knowledge, technology and a safe

environment.

The Orange County Library System is an organization that provides a vast array of

services for its members but just having the services available is not enough and the library

wants to ensure efforts are made to gain feedback and advertise them to the larger Orlando

metropolitan area. OCLS wants to create a broad spectrum marketing campaign intended to

saturate the county with reasons why people should “rediscover” their local library.

II. Audience

Information from the United States census indicates the total population of Orange

County, Florida is estimated to be around 1.2 million, with 77.4 percent of that being residents

over the age of 18 (2015). Although residents under the age of 18 can obtain a library card with

parent consent, the marketing campaign being conducted will be targeted at residents over the

age of 18. Orange County services a diverse population, including seniors, young children,

veterans, and significant Black/African-American and Hispanic or Latino populations (2015).

Currently, OCLS, like other public libraries around the country, is experiencing an overall decline

in library card registrations, program attendance and circulation of materials. This campaign is

intended to research the perception community members have of the library and take steps to

increase awareness and use of the library through marketing. The large adult audience targeted

through this campaign is an attempt to create an impact on the greater community of Orlando

and Orange County Florida. The library intends with this campaign to show adult users that

there really is something for everyone at the library. People who don’t enjoy books need to

know about our DVDs and Music CDs, users who have an e-Reader need to know about our free
eBook platforms, and other people like entrepreneurs, parents, or small business owners need

to know about the vast array of programs, technology classes and free databases. The targeted

audience in this marketing campaign is large for a reason, even if a particular service isn’t useful

to one person, it might be to a friend or family member they have. Through other survey work,

OCLS is very aware of the powerful impact word of mouth has. A recommendation from a

friend is more likely to be followed through with action versus someone just seeing a flyer or

television commercial. The library is hoping to reach a wide audience and create a general

knowledge throughout the population of its services and capabilities that can be passed along

to all community members.

III. Goals

According to the ALA, “Academic, public and school libraries are experiencing a shift in

how they are perceived by their communities and society” (2015). The goal of this marketing

campaign is to increase the Orange County resident’s knowledge and perception of the library

system. This data will be gathered through targeted surveys and questionnaires designed to

solicit honest and unbiased feedback. The research being conducted in the initial study will help

with the development of a marketing campaign that will focus on the areas in which the study

shows the public is less aware of. For example, if the data provides information that the

majority of Orange County residents are unaware the library provides free home delivery of

items, the marketing efforts will include content that relays this information. The library intends

to utilize many different platforms to market itself in the second stage of this project. The main

area will consist of online marketing - the library’s various social media platforms will work on
connecting with followers and gaining new ones as well. Especially on Facebook, the library can

buy targeted advertisements and reach users who might not be current followers. It can also

reach out through ads to users who visited the library’s website but didn’t end up clicking

anything. The library will also promote its services through billboards and radio advertisements.

The content of these promotions will be determined again through the feedback obtained in

the surveys. The overall goal with the advertising campaign is to permeate the county so as

many residents as possible have the opportunity to increase their awareness of the library and

its services.

Overall, the Orange County Library System hopes to achieve an increase in card registration

through this marketing campaign and will track data to see if numbers increase in the time

during and after the implementation of the various marketing methods.

IV. Strategies

There are numerous studies that show a need for a project like this to be conducted

specifically for public libraries. According to a 2012 poll done for the American Library

Association (ALA): “94 percent of respondents agreed that public libraries play an important

role in giving everyone a chance to succeed because they provide free access to materials and

resources” (2012). In contrast to this however, only “58 percent of adults in the U.S. have public

library cards” (2012). Although these statistics are not horrible, it is worth it for Orange County

to conduct research locally to increase their usage statistics. Modern public libraries seem to

have an image problem - the stereotype of what libraries used to be still lingers and this
campaign is an effort to change the discourse around what a library can and should be to the

community.

This project will be carried out in two stages; first, in-person and email surveys will be

conducted throughout the county to gain feedback from community members and

stakeholders on their perception, needs and desires from the library. These surveys will be

given to current card holders as well as those who do not have library cards. Through this

survey work, a media campaign will be developed that will consist of targeted social media

advertisements, billboards, flyers and radio/television commercials. This project should

significantly increase awareness of the Orange County Library System to help retain users as

well as acquire new ones.

The Orange County Library System plans to put together a committee of staff members

to work on planning the marketing campaign and see it through until its completion. The

following list describes the type of staff involved as well as the administrators and their roles

in approving the final designs and output of the campaign. The library also intends to hire

interns to conduct the surveys throughout the entire county for the first phase. The committee

will communicate continuously via email but will also meet in person monthly to ensure goals

are being accomplished and to compile data. The goal is to have a diverse array of staff that can

contribute ideas based on their personal positions within the library system. Other staff are also

involved for their technical skills by being able to contribute audio/visual assistance for the

commercial and design expertise for the print materials. The library will not be hiring “actors”

for any audio/visual content but rather will be using staff volunteers.
The following department staff will be involved to manage this project and ensure its timely

and accurate completion:

Public Service Regional Manager Assistant Branch Manager

Graphic Designer Reference Clerk

Social Media Manager Technology and Education Specialist

Digital Content Specialist Adult Program Coordinator

Business Librarian Media Production Specialist

The following administrators will serve as final approval for all media and content
created as part of this campaign:

● Comptroller, Division of Business Operations

● Community Relations Department Head
● Administrator, Division of Learning and Program Services
● Director

Other personnel include the hiring of 5 interns to assist with various tasks during Phase
1, including:

● Conducting patron interviews in the community

● Compiling interview data and reporting it
● Creating geographical files for each library with data from interviews held
within a 5-mile radius of the branch
V. Activities

The first phase is the survey work and will consist of questions that will range from

yes/no answers to requiring more detailed responses. The same survey will be used for both

online and in-person methods and should take no longer than ten minutes to conduct or fill

out. The goal of the survey is to obtain feedback from a wide demographic of Orange County

residents and efforts will be made to survey those specifically who reside within a 5-mile radius
of a library as well as areas of the county that do not have a library within an estimated 30

minute drive. This will hopefully help determine if proximity to a library is an important factor in

whether or not a person regularly uses the library. It should also help to discover reasons why

those who do live close to a library might not utilize it.

The second phase will use the data collected to create advertisements and other

marketing tools to be dispersed throughout the county. The first priority will be to create a

unified design scheme that will be used across all advertising mediums. This will create unity

and recognition throughout the county that will align with fonts, colors, and images already

familiar through the library’s current website and other advertisements. The digital content,

community relations, and graphics departments will coordinate to create the physical materials

as well as contact local advertising resources like television, radio, newspaper, and billboard

companies.

VI. Timeline

The timeframe to complete this project is estimated to be six months. The table below specifies

the different stages of the project and what tasks are to be completed each month.

Phase 1 Phase 2

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6

Conduct Conduct Conduct Use survey data Media Continue media

Surveys Surveys Surveys to create campaign campaign in
specific begins: all various formats
language and purchased spots
themes for air/go up
campaign

Email survey to Refine survey Submit Purchase spots Begin social Compile results
 current library based on first campaign for radio, TV, media ads and of the campaign
patrons month’s results content for newspaper, interactions data and gather
approval and billboards, etc feedback from
make changes patrons, staff
from feedback

Brainstorm Continue Begin compiling Finalize Send out print Present

ideas for designing survey data designing the materials to campaign
campaign color, overall marketing local businesses results to library
style, theme, campaign materials and residences board
tone, language, theme and
content. content

VII. Budget

The overall budget for this project is expected to be $20,000. A detailed estimate of expenses is
as follows:

Type Cost Notes Total

Staff $0 Already included as part of

library’s annual budget.

Interns $6,000 Hiring of 5 interns at a rate of

$10/hour. Contract is for 10
hours a week for 3 months.

iPad Minis $1000 Purchase of 5 iPad Minis for

interns to use to conduct
patron surveys in the field.

Print Materials $500 To assist with the purchase of

paper, ink, and other materials
related to creating print
advertisements.

Billboards $8,000 For the placement of 5 library

billboards located throughout
the county for a two-month
time span.
TV/Radio $3,000 For the purchase of five 30
Commercials second radio and television
spots.

Social Media Ads $1,000 To purchase ad space on

Facebook for a period of two
months.

Local Newspaper/ $500 To purchase space in

Magazine Ads newspapers and/or magazines.

$20,000

VIII. Overview

Month Task Staff Budget

Month 1 Surveys Interns $6,000 for staff and

$1,000 for iPads

Month 2 Develop campaign Marketing plan $0 (staff paid normal

design, theme, committee hours)
content, colors (mentioned above)

Month 3 Compile survey data Interns and Part of previous

and finalize campaign committee $6,000 paid to
content interns

Month 4 Purchase ads, air Community Relations $13,000

time, billboards, etc Administrator

Month 5 Implement campaign Marketing plan $0 (staff paid normal

committee hours)

Month 6 Finish campaign Committee $0 (staff paid normal

hours)
IX. Social Media

The Orange County Library System plans to utilize numerous social media platforms and

strategies to engage users and assist with the delivery of the marketing campaign. Staff from

the community relations department will be solely responsible for posting content and

engaging with users on the many platforms. This staff includes two social media specialists who

can travel to branches to post content as well as engage from the main library. The

department’s outreach coordinator will also be involved in sharing information about events

and programs around the library system as well as the services being highlighted in the

campaign.

First, the library’s website will be updated to match the theme, color scheme, and

language of the campaign and a section will be added that patrons can click through to get

more details about the different services the campaign is specifically highlighting. For example,

the campaign intended to highlight online learning databases like Mango Languages and Lynda,

and links for these databases will be featured more prominently on the website to increase

awareness and traffic to these sites. The look of the website will blend seamlessly with the

campaign by updating the scrolling banner at the top of the page to feature slogans from the

plan and feature more services the plan is advertising. Sections, like the events and classes

page, will be updated to make certain programs stand out, like early literacy events, which are a

main component of the overall marketing plan.

As mentioned previously, the library will already be using its electronic mailing lists to

send out survey questionnaires to patrons to gather data to help develop the content of the
campaign. Once the campaign is being delivered, the library will again send out a newsletter,

designed in the style and language of the campaign, directly to those mailing lists to help

current patrons discover even more services they might not know about or that highlight

services they asked about during the survey portion. The library will also send similar

newsletters to those people who provided their email address during the in-person surveys

conducted at the beginning of the planning process.

Other social media platforms will be used in various ways, the most important of those

being Facebook. The library will purchases ads using Facebook’s ability to target specific

audience groups and different services will be advertised to different audiences based on their

interests and interactions on Facebook. In addition, OCLS will be able to choose ads to place on

Instagram as well, due to Facebook’s acquisition of the platform in 2012. The library will

purchase $1,000 worth of ads to be used on Facebook and Instagram and a short video will be

used on Facebook and several different photographs will be used on Instagram. The library will

target older audiences, families, and specifically mothers on Facebook and attempt to reach

younger audiences, like millennials, on Instagram.

Twitter will be utilized mainly as a way to connect and engage patrons with other online

areas where the campaign is located. Like Instagram, a younger audience will be targeted on

Twitter and the library will focus specifically on its makerspace and the different technologies

available for free to users. Twitter is a great platform for spreading a simple message, so short

questions will be developed that encourage users to click through to the content and share the

message with retweets. For example, a twitter post that asks, “Interested in recording your own

music? Check out the library’s free music studio and unleash your creative side.” Due to
Twitter’s small word count and instant gratification nature, it will work best to first engage

users with a question and then provide them with the answer through a link to a library service.

To a lesser extent, other social media platforms will be utilized, like Snapchat and

Youtube. The library’s Snapchat account will take viewers on a “tour” of the library, and will

highlight many of the same services that the marketing campaign is focusing on. Snapchat’s ten

second video format will be great for providing the audience with a “behind the scenes” feeling

that will hopefully engage users to do more discovery on their own. Because the campaign is

comprised primarily of still content, YouTube will be utilized only to upload a short promotional

video for the campaign and embed it on other platforms like Facebook or in presentations

library staff does. The commercials that the library shoots will also eventually be housed on

Youtube, after they are finished airing on local stations.

X. Assessment

This marketing plan stresses the importance of patron and community input and

feedback. The initial surveys are the foundation that will determine much of what specific

services the library will highlight in the campaign. This plan aims to do two main things: help

current users discover new services and bring in new users in who were previously unaware of

all the services. The library will use different tools to assess the success of these goals. Card

registration data will be tracked to see if numbers go up in the months during and right after

the campaign. A new question will also be added to the card registration form that asks patrons

what made them come get their library today. A second email survey will be sent to current

patrons that asks if they saw any content from the campaign and whether they learned about

any new services they might utilize. In the branches, staff will hand out paper surveys at events
and program that will include a question about the campaign. With the social media

component, interactions such as likes, comments, and shares will be recorded and analyzed to

see if there were increases in engagement over time. Combined, this feedback will offer insight

into the perception and accomplishments of the campaign and will be used in the future to

build and adjust a new plan. While the library wants this strategy to be successful, it is also

prepared if the data indicates that there were not significant increases in either use of services

or new registrations. The Orange County Library System recognizes that the perception of

libraries is both changing and staying the same and will continue to work towards marketing

that is responsible and in the best interest of the surrounding community.

 References

Mission Statement. (2016, May 05). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
https://www.ocls.info/about/mission-statement

Population estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015). (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/12095.

Public Library Use. American Library Association, Oct. 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2017 from
http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet06.

Quick Facts: Orange County, Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/MAN450212/12095

Talking Points. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. American Library Association, 13 Nov. 2012.
Retrieved February 19, 2017 from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/toolkit/talkingpoints.