Can Twitter Help Promote Our Library Programs and Services?
Twitter. Why is it so popular? When it first came out, I didn’t quite understand the concept. Why would we want to tell people what we are doing? That concept has changed and developed into something more interactive.
Twitter first launched in the summer of 2006 and has grown into a powerful tool for social media marketing. Its is a FREE communication tool that allows you to send messages (under 140 characters) to a group of followers. People in the twitter community sign up to “follow” your posts. People use twitter in multiple ways, either to communicate what is going on at their library or to share information at live events like conferences or multi-location meetings. Twitter is a great tool to help promote the awesome programs and services happening in the library to your patrons and community.
How to get Started
- register with your library name and start following library patrons and friends (send an announcement so people can follow you at your new twitter account)
- customize your twitter page, place your library logo and a background image that lets your page stand out and be easily identified by your patrons
- how to find or access information online or in the physical library
- upcoming events or programs at the library
- ask for feedback on policy changes
- update patrons on new material that just came in
- point out highlights on the library website or catalog
- Facebook -you can set up an application to automatically post a tweet to Facebook (Facebook application for Twitter)
- Website – you can install a Twitter Badge on your website home page that displays your tweets. This helps spread the word to folks who don’t have an account or didn’t know your library was on Twitter. A twitter widget for your website - Twitter badge
- Blog – most blog interfaces have an option to tweet your posts. It’s easy and you get the message out in multiple locations
- Social Buttons- don’t forget to place a twitter button or icon in unique locations like: your email signature, website, promotional fliers, newsletter, or inside the library
Encourage Use with your followers
- ask questions – like “Who was at today’s Reading Club” or “What was your favorite book that you read this year?”
- share links – like “Check out today’s article in the Tampa Bay Times” or “Check out this new book review”
- re-tweet posts from other business in your community – this shows support in the community
- reply when patrons message you – remember to use hashtags, these help categorize messages. So if you start talking about Battle of the Bands at your library use a hashtag like #battleofthebands, so other users can comment and follow these keywords
- Don’t over or under do it, you know what it’s like to get too many emails from the same person or not enough to forget about them
- make sure you use the right lingo, you post a “tweet”
- look for trends with your followers, what are they tweeting, who are they following
- make sure to check for any mention of your library in other tweets, if your patrons are “tweeting” about your library you want to know!
Check out and follow some of our member libraries! Look for us too @Tblc
Sarasota County Library @SCLibrary
Hernando County Library @HernandoLibrary
New College/USF S/M – @JBCLibrary
Winter Haven Library @WinterHavenLib
PASCO County Library @PascoLibraries
Leesburg Library @leesburglibrary
Largo Public Library @LPLNews
USF Polytechnic @usfplib
Lake Library System @lake library
