Dear Quantum2 Member...
In a time of economic and financial constraint, articulating the value that you bring to your organization becomes even more critical. Marketing yourself and the service you provide to the organization requires using just the right words that will resonate with stakeholders and financial managers to tell them exactly what it is that you bring to the table — what do you do that adds to their bottom line?
In this issue:
|
|
|
|
|
Quantum2 Web Sessions
Our Quantum2 web sessions for leadership development are provided to you at no charge. As we round out the final quarter of sessions, we are offering "Gaining Commitment" in three languages — French, German and Dutch — to widen reach. To register, please visit the Quantum2 Workshop schedule and use the attending registration link beside your session of choice. We look forward to welcoming you.
And of course, if you find them useful, why not recommend them to a colleague or two?
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing Your Library or Information Service
In a climate when everyone else is competing for your clients' attention to make them recognise the value that they offer, what techniques can you adopt to make your message heard above the rest of the "noise"? We are all having to make our reduced resources stretch even further than before, so it is very unlikely that there is a budget for any kind of flash advertising or marketing campaign. The answer?
We need targeted, high-impact, low cost ways to reach and engage our customers and users — to build relationships with them for the long term, not just as a one—time interaction.
Our ProQuest colleagues have put together a video presentation resource to help you in your marketing efforts. Whilst the focus of this video is the academic library community, the techniques are applicable in the corporate setting as well. In fact, it is a perfect example of leveraging best practices and the borrowing of tips across all kinds of information communities. Using examples and case studies from a variety of organisations and settings, as well as "clever" public advertising campaigns not directly connected to the information industry, the result is a blend of insights, tips and the instigation of new ideas on the many ways that it is possible to promote your information service. You can view the Marketing Your Library video here.
The presentation includes perceptions on how the younger generation is using social media tools, and how we can connect with younger communities in some of these spaces. These tips on how to segment your customers so that your message can be tailored specifically for them is not just applicable to librarians serving youth libraries, but for the corporate librarian. Members of your staff who are in this social media generation, may be able to help build websites that are more interactive.
Other tips include how to "persuade" your users about the value of your service, and when to use what type of message — a "push" message of advertising, publicity, events and so on, for short term results such as promoting a new service or resource , or a "pull" message that generates longer term engagement eg websites, newsletters/blogs, training guides.
The importance of measuring the metrics for each of your preferred methods of marketing and outreach to your users is emphasised as a means of measuring the return on investment in your marketing campaigns.
This last point cannot be overemphasised, particularly in a time of cost-cutting. According to one of the resources quoted — Kathy Dempsey, in the Marketing Library Services May/June 2009 newsletter, "...marketing is one of the last things you should cut from your library budget", and it goes on to summarise five ways in which Marketing can actually help you cut costs. Read Kathy Dempsey's full article can be read at here.
For more tips on Marketing Your Information Service, visit the Quantum2 website for tools and templates on putting together a strategic marketing plan for your service, including:
|
|
|
Nominate a Quantum2 InfoStar
It's time again to nominate an information professional you know (maybe yourself!), who is an inspiring example of creativity and innovation. InfoStars are enthusiastic and positive about the value and future of information services regardless of their level within their organizations, and act as catalysts for change to champion and support their information centre. Through their example and initiatives, their stories enable them to serve as role models for others by being passionate in one or more of these spheres of activity
- Strategic involvement in organization
- Proactive relationship building
- Innovative information services
- Continuous change and development
Dialog is now seeking nominations in EMEA—AP for the InfoStar Awards, to be announced at the forthcoming ONLINE Conference in London in December.
Nominate an InfoStar here.
|
|
As always, your suggestions for workshop topics, and ideas for improving our content, are welcomed. If you know a friend or colleague who would benefit from Quantum2, please encourage them to visit quantum.dialog.com.
Liz Blankson-Hemans
Director, Market Development
Dialog
|
|
|
|
|
What is KM?
And finally...ever wondered if Knowledge Management is a "past fad", or whether you even ever understood it at all when it was "flavour of the month"? If you are answering "yes" to any part of this question, then I have a revelation to share with you.
Apparently, KM is not a "thing" that we did or still do. It was a "how", a "means to an end", a "process". It led to the "outcome", which is what we should have been focusing on all along. It seems many of us were focusing on the "how", so no wonder we found it difficult to get our heads around it. So, in a single statement...
..."The purpose of knowledge management is to provide support for improved decision making and innovation throughout the organization"
Revelation — This is simple enough to grasp! Then, the "how"...
..." This is achieved through the effective management of human intuition and experience [reinforced] by the provision of information, processes and technology together with training and mentoring programmes"
I got this insight because David Gurteen, a well known independent KM consultant, speaker and facilitator posted on his blog a couple of weeks ago that to him, this was "the best definition of KM yet!". He in turn, had seen it on a blog posting by David Snowden of the Cognitive Edge Network. David Snowden, a leading edge consultant in the field of knowledge management, had been moved to post the definition, despite resisting it in the past, because of the "cynicism and...fatigue" around traditional KM understanding.
Why did David Gurteen like it? Because...
"It starts with the purpose; the business outcome that you wish to achieve. And then follows through with the "how". To my mind, all definitions of activity should take this format. So if I ask "What is your KM project about?" The reply should not take the form "We are implementing COPs" but "Our aim is to improve innovation in R&D through the use of COPs". Start with the specific purpose and then the how.That way you don't get to take your mind off what you are really aiming to achieve!"
To my own mind, I wish I'd seen these definitions earlier, but as the old saying goes, "it's never too late..."
|
|
|
 |
RSS: subscribe to the Quantum2 Highlights RSS feed. |
|
|
|
|
