Marketing QandANJ.org
Compiled by Peter Bromberg October 2007; Updated by Beth Cackowski November 2009

  1. Initial Marketing Plan:  Our initial marketing plan was basically two-pronged.  We issued a press release to every local and weekly paper in the the New Jersey Market.  (Lot of time/research went into figuring out the contacts and preferred method of release--email, email w/attachment, fax, etc.)  Secondly, we printed 100,000 bookmarks and had each library approach two organizations or businesses in their town and ask for help distributing bookmarks.  I personally went to Borders and Barnes & Noble.  Not only did they agree to distribute the bookmarks, they actually DID!  (I checked up on them the first weekend.)  This letter we drafted by way of introduction to local businesses and organizations was very effective.

    Additionally, we printed posters and stickers for distribution and display within libraries, and created attractive banner ads for library homepages.  The banner ad was the number one way customers found us in the beginning, followed closely by word of mouth.

    Our first (and only) real marketing blitz occurred on January 28, 2002 when went 24/7 (from Oct 1, 2001-Jan 27, 2002 we had limited hours.)  The blitz consisted of the above mentioned press releases and bookmarks/posters distributed to schools, libraries, Borders, YMCA’s, etc. We also made sure that libraries had Top Level banner ad links on their webpages.  Usage shot up from 100 questions/week to 100 questions/day, and we haven't looked back!
     

  2. Press Releases:  We've sent press releases when we initially launched, when we went 24/7, on major anniversaries, and to generate press for our MTV commercials and YouTube contests.   We spent a lot of time researching the appropriate contacts.  The New Jersey Press Association website was very helpful.  Also, many of our staffing libraries also had good, established relationships with their local press.  Our larger libraries also made their PR staff available to help in drafting the releases.

    1. Press release for MTV Commercial

    2. Archived Press Releases
       

  3. Paid print advertisements We ran these advertisements in the Fall of 2005 in college papers for the college libraries that staff QandANJ.  This is the only paid advertising that we have done.  They were relatively cost effective, and had the benefit of reaching a target audience.  One of the challenges of doing print advertising in New Jersey is that we are really two markets; Philadelphia and New York.  By advertising in college papers, we knew we were reaching our intended audience, as well as a demographic that actively used QandANJ.

    1. The Q Series

    2. High quality PDF of "Haunted by a Question"
       

  4. Professionally designed bookmarks: Bookmarks are versatile, and can be used in many locations and at many events.  In addition to distributing them to our staffing libraries, we make them available to schools and non-staffing libraries, and look to hand them out at every opportunity (business expo, NJLA, etc.) 

    1. Original Bookmark

    2. Dog Bookmark (Original concept and artwork created and shared by Oregon State Library. Thanks Oregon!)

    3. "Open All night" bookmark
       

  5. Professionally designed Posters:  We distribute multiple copies of posters to all staffing libraries and provide more to them (and to non-staffing libraries) upon request.

    1. Original Poster

    2. "Dog" Poster (Original concept and artwork created and shared by Oregon State Library. Thanks Oregon!)
       

  6. Professionally Designed Stickers:  We created the stickers as part of the initial marketing campaign.  We've distributed them to libraries, but I don't think we've maximized their effectiveness.  Finding a way to get them into the hands of the kids/teens would probably improve their value as a marketing tool. 
     

  7. Banner Ads: Banner ads are one of the least expensive and most effective ways of generating usage--provided they are on the homepage, "above the fold".   In the beginning, all staffing libraries agreed to put the banner ads on the homepage above the fold.  Over time we've seen the banner ads move below the fold, find their way to sub-pages, and/or disappear.  Each year we audit the homepages of our libraries and send messages encouraging them to put the banner back on the homepage.  To that end, we've designed new banners, including a "proudly staffing" banner, and a banner that tied the service in with our first MTV commercial, to inspire libraries to get that banner ad out there.

    1. Original Banner ads

    2. "Proudly serving" banner ads

    3. MTV commercial banner ads

    4. Sample message to webmasters (to help libraries get banner ads on the homepage)
       

  8. Pens:  Like bookmarks, pens are versatile.  They're highly portable and can be handed out at many occasions.  People snap them up, and they have the benefit of hanging around desks and backpacks, whereas bookmarks (I'm guessing) have a shorter life before they find their way into the waste bin.
     

  9. Mints (proof):  We just had these made to distribute at the South Jersey Business Expo in September, 2007.  They were a huge hit!  Here's a picture of the actual mints and pens in our booth.   Note, the final version also had our tag line, "Got A Question? About Anything? Get a Live Answer 24/7".
     

  10. QandANJ Screen:  This screen comes in very handy when we staff a booth at the SJ Business expo.  We also used it when we staff a booth at the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) annual convention. It's light, portable and eye-catching.  The key message is on the top half of the banner, so even when the bottom half is hidden behind a table it's noticeable and informative.
     

  11. Presentations: Presenting at the business expo and at NJEA is a lot of time and effort, but we think there's a real return on investment; especially staffing a booth at the NJEA (our teacher's conference) with lots and lots of bookmarks, pens and posters, plus a handout of what the service is all about and how to schedule a "class visit." We also have a smaller banner reading "Free 24/7 Homework Help Online."  We've previously presented programs at NJEA and seen great ROI. 

    1. New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Conference - Presentation: In 2002, we offered a conference program at the New Jersey Teacher's Association Conference.  We had 100-200 attendees.  It was an effective way to build awareness with teachers who were happy to pass on the news to their students.

    2. South Jersey Business Expo:  We've staffed a booth at the SJ Business expo for three years running.  Nothing stops people in their tracks and gets them to talk to us more than QandANJ.  As soon as we mention 24/7 help for research and homework they want more information.  That's our hook for telling them about all the other great library services that they can avail themselves of.   It really blows expectations out of the water.

    3. New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Conference - Vendor Booth: We returned to the NJEA conference in 2007, however, this time we decided to pay for booth space and get the word out by working the crowd and giving away pens, posters, bookmarks, mints, etc.  This was HIGHLY effective!  Over two days we were able to connect with easily over 1000 teachers and their children.  It also gave us an opportunity to highlight our new commercial.  Which brings us to...
       

  12. Television Commercials: We had two commercials on cable TV. Both premiered during MTV's Video Music Awards show in 2007 and 2008 across the state.  Afterwards, the 2007 commercial showed in limited markets on MTV and during the Phillies playoff games.  It was also shown in select movie theaters (see below). The 2008 commercial was shown statewide for only a few weeks, but it aired on many more networks: MTV, VH1, E!, and during "Adult Swim" on Cartoon Network, and "Project Runway" on Bravo.  

    1. Hosted on QandANJ, with poll (611 customers say they saw commercial on MTV in first 6 weeks)

    2. On Youtube (over 2800 views in first six weeks--most of that came in the first 3 or 4)

    3. DVD was distributed to Schools, Libraries, and Cable Access stations across the state.

    4. Movie Theaters:  Showing the same :30 spot that currently showing on MTV in select movie theaters across the state.  (March 2007 Update: Movie theater advertising was not found to be effective use of our marketing dollar.)
       

  13. You Tube Contest:  In March of 2008 and 2009 we ran a contest asking QandANJ student users to develop our next commercial.  The commercial had to be 30 seconds or less and were judged on how well they represented what QandANJ was all about. The contest page is still viewable: http://www.qandanj.org/contest, and the winners from year one are posted here: http://www.qandanj.org/contest/winners.html. This contest was largely borrowed from the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, who generously shared their idea and materials.  We're a collaborative group!
     

  14. Addenda

    1. Article for Marketing Library Services Newsletter

    2. Flickr photo pool of marketing items

 For more information please contact Peter Bromberg or QandANJ Project Coordinator Beth Cackowski