NMRLS Marketing Toolkit

Welcome to the NMRLS Marketing Toolkit! Find help to:

Define marketing terms,

Learn the elements of a marketing plan,

Discover quick promotional tools.

What is Marketing? What Does All the Jargon Mean?

There's a much-quoted definition that relates marketing terms to a circus. It goes something like this.... "If you paint a sign that says, The circus is coming to town Saturday, that's called Advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him through town, that's Promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flowerbed and it makes the local newspaper, that's Publicity. If you get the mayor to laugh about it, that's Public Relations. If you planned the whole thing, that's Marketing."

Marketing is a planned Come to Our Library! invitation. It is a broad message that looks to connect your library programs and services to specific target audiences.

Where Do I Start?

The Stuff - Use a Marketing Audit to look at what you are already doing. Evaluate your present marketing environment, its strengths and its weaknesses.

The People - Use Marketing Research to understand how your community sees the library.

The Process - An overview of Marketing for Libraries prepared for NMRLS by Liz Doucett.

Remember: For good or bad, you're already marketing when users walk through your door. Make sure they see welcoming space and trained staff members who provide a great customer experience.

The Elements of a Marketing Plan

Your library's marketing plan can be long- or short-range, or specific to an audience, program, or service.

Use this worksheet to stay on track.

These marketing plan templates for school libraries are from Sacramento County, CA.

Quick, I Need a...

Press Release

Promotional Idea

NMRLS Public Library Marketing Plans

Beverly Public Library

Boxford Town Library

Flint Memorial Library, North Reading

Peabody Institute Library, Peabody