Promoting @ your library, school, community and beyondwww.ala.org/teenread

Teen Read Week™

• Create awareness – if no one knows about it, what’s the point of doing it? • Great opportunity to reach out to

community and build relationships• This will allow you to have a solid foundation

and support for future projects, causes, etc.• Chance to build awareness about the

unique role the library plays in the community – highlight what you offer that folks can’t get anywhere else

Marketing – why do it?

• Decide who you’re trying to reach• Create the message• Include relevant details• Use language your audience will understand• Does it need to be translated into more than one

language?• Assess your resources and determine needs• What existing communication channels can you

utilize?• Do you need to reach out to the community for

assistance? If so, who do you reach out to?

Three Easy Steps to Plan

• Create a marketing plan & schedule, by identifying:• The best vehicle(s) for getting the message

out (library web site, schools, local radio or news stations, social media, community partner resources, etc.) • The kind of promotional materials you will

use (fliers, graphics for web use, emails, posters, etc.) • When to get the message out and how often

Get Organized

• Implement marketing plan• Revisit and make adjustments as

needed throughout the process• Evaluate marketing plan• What worked? • What didn’t?• Did we reach our goals? • Write down suggestions for next

year

Implement & Follow-up

• TRW Flier/Poster Contest• Hold a TRW poster contest where teens create

their own TRW promotional flier• Flier can be of anything TRW related

• favorite book, theme interpretation, etc.• Hang up entries around library/school• Hold a vote to determine winner, or have local

VIPs pick the winner• Winner receives a free book of their choice (or

whatever the library sees fit)• Use winning flier to promote your TRW activities

Engage Teens

• Create a TRW display at entrance• Have interested teens create a TRW display

or bulletin board • Place display in an area with high visibility

and patron traffic• Provide little “take home” postcards or fliers

with info about TRW

Be Visual

• Place a TRW banner on library website that links to info about your TRW activities• General TRW logo can be found on the TRW

website under the planning tab• TRW digital files can be purchased from the

ALA Store. • Create regular reminders and

announcements about TRW on library website, Twitter, and Facebook accounts

On the Web

• TRW bookmark contest• Create a TRW recommended book list• Ask teens for their favorite titles of the year• Compile the list and create a display of the

books

Other ideas

• Press Release• Use the press release template located on the

TRW website and distribute to local media• Proclamation

• Ask your local town councilor school board to make a proclamation about TRW in your community• Bring teens with you to the meeting to make the

request• Be sure to get photos to post on your web site

• Use the sample proclamation on the TRW site

Promoting in your community

• Public Service Announcements• Contact local radio stations and ask them to

promote TRW as a courtesy (sample PSA scripts & recordings can be found on the TRW website) • Contact local news stations and ask them to

promote TRW • Ask schools to promote TRW using their

outdoor announcement display or closed circuit TV• Make it easy for them by providing them with

messaging and artwork/graphics

Promoting in your community

• Presentations• Ask teachers and after school providers if you

can visit to talk about TRW• Social Media• Tweet local schools, community partners,

bookstores, etc. and ask them to help promote TRW through tweets and retweets

Promoting in your community

• Promoting• Be consistent!

• Make it a priority to promote TRW & create a marketing schedule

• Clearly state the benefits• What will schools, teachers, the community, and

most importantly, teens get out of TRW?• Make adjustments as needed to the message

or method • Contact the local college or university to see

if any marketing students can help you out

Other tips and ideas

• Enlist help of others on all levels• Library, school, youth focused organizations, city,

bookstores, the PTA, etc.• Engage others

• Internal: recruit circulation and reference desk staff and other library staff who interact with teens

• External: reach out to parents, grandparents, local businesses, community centers, etc.

• Don’t reinvent the wheel• Get marketing resources by researching about

similar events, causes, and ‘cause marketing’

Other tips and ideas

• For TRW planning and promotional materials, please visit the official YALSA Teen Read Week website at www.ala.org/teenread• American Library Association Marketing R

esources Wiki• Media Relations Handbook

Resources

• Know This – Principles of Marketing • Curators of the University of Missouri –

Marketing• Small Business Trends – One Page Marketi

ng Plans

Resources on Creating Marketing Plans