Examples to Emulate

Advertising on Streaming Services Shows Promise at Grand Rapids Public Library
By Kristen Krueger-Corrado
Have you heard of OTT advertising? OTT stands for “over the top,” referring to the way streaming media services send data packets over the internet, bypassing cable, broadcast, and satellite TV services. Kristen Krueger-Corrado from Grand Rapids, Mich., discovered the benefits of placing ads on streaming services: excellent targeting options, surprising affordability, and satisfying statistics. What makes OTT ads especially exciting is that viewers cannot skip past or forward through these 30-second video spots. So you truly have a captive audience.

How-to

Meeting Our Patrons Where They Are With Free Google Ads
By Tamara Murray
If you’re tired of hearing people say, “I didn’t know the library had that,” then you share a pet peeve with Tamara Murray of Ohio’s Westerville Public Library. Determined to stop hearing that refrain, she found a way to show people that her library has what they’re seeking, at their exact moment of need. Murray shares what she’s learned about Google Ad Grants, search engine marketing, keyword-triggered ads, and landing pages. While the Google Ads are free for nonprofits, Westerville pays a vendor that specializes in Google Ad campaigns, and Murray’s statistics still prove a very high return on investment for the library.

Feature

How to Make Memes and Influence Students
By Maria Atilano
Some marketers always seem to have the right meme at the right time. How do they do it? Social media maven Maria Atilano reveals how she makes timely memes for the University of North Florida’s library. She shares sites that explain the ever-changing world of memes, tools for customizing them, and strategies to spin memes to fit library needs. To complete the lesson, this feature also covers legal concerns and cultural sensitivity. If the meme game intimidates you, this is the article you’ve been waiting for.

ICYMI

Raising Awareness, Getting Grants, Using Telephones, and Other Tidbits
By Kathy Dempsey
Discover a study that claims libraries need “more awareness-raising initiatives” and an article that insists libraries are necessary infrastructure. Find a book on grant strategies, learn who’s won an instruction award, and see who’ll be ALA’s Banned Books chair this year. Check out an article from VICE that mentions libraries in an unusual context. Finally, don’t miss the announcement of a new service designed for people who have telephones but no internet.