Thomas Kozak

LIS 688: Marketing of Library and Information Services

December 2010

Marketing Proposal:
Text-Message Extension to
Virtual Reference Services
Executive Summary
• Objectives and Existing Situation
◦ Rollout of SMS Text Message Reference Service to supplement
existing chat/IM reference offereings
▪ Additional access point improves learning environment
◦ Draws on existing infrastructure and staff resources
◦ Assessment of Current Library situation:
▪ Physically in excellent condition, some minor concerns with space designated
▪ Website in need of minor improvements to interact smoothly with the new service.
▪ Generally high standards of customer service, with room for improvement with existing
digital reference
◦ Demographics: 17-25, middle-to-upper class, diverse regional backgrounds
◦ Usage trends show very strong growth for digital reference services

• Analysis and Recommendations

◦ Competitors are online search applications and other library services
▪ Therefore, position the library as leaders in expertise and authority, available on-call for
student needs
◦ Primary obstacle to increased use of the service is lack of awareness of its existence
▪ Therefore, design on-message promotional materials to provide ubiquitious reminders of
the service in key areas
Thomas Kozak
LIS 688: Marketing of Library and Information Services
December 2010

Marketing Proposal:
Text-Message Extension to
Virtual Reference Services
Introduction
• High Point University Libraries offer academic services to the
University's students and faculty, ranging widely from standard (or
perhaps old-fashioned) face-to-face reference work to rapid interlibray loan to training in
research and writing methods. Recently, the library has developed technology-based extensions
to these services (particularly reference), including online chat and instant-message
communication options. This initiative corresponds to the library's mission, which includes
providing students and faculty with “an information rich environment in which to pursue
research topics or to complete the research studies that are pertinent to their discipline.”
• The library's current focus is on a new service which only recently went public. The chat and
IM utilities mentioned above have been extended to include the ability to contact a librarian via
SMS text message from a mobile phone or smartphone. The goal of this report is to outline the
potential of the service and suggest options for promotion and further marketing.

Objectives
The focus of this proposal is based on the values and missions discussed above. Specifically,
promotion and marketing of the SMS text message service are the primary consideration.
Improving awareness of the library and it's services ultimately goes towards improving the
quality of educational support provided by the library. Specifically, the ufinal objective of this
marketing effort is to produce the following key benefits:
• Central Benefits of the Service
High Point University Libraries have introduced a new service, offering text-message
communication for reference questions and other informational transactions. This supplements
existing library resources and serves as an additional access point for students and faculty.
• Community Benefits
The campus community (consisting of students, graduate students, staff, and faculty) will
 benefit from improved research abilities and knowledge for students, resulting in improved
performince on class assignments. This will create a better learning environment, enhancing
the value of tuition as an investment by the parents, who are a very significant stakeholder
group

Data And Current Situation

This section outlines assessments of the existing status of the High Point University Libraries,
with an emphasis on factors that are relevant to the texting service. This information provides the basis
on which this proposal was designed.
• Existing Resources
The library currently pays for a subscription to the LibraryH3lp service, which allows us
to access the joint account from any computer on campus. All computers involved also have
installations of the Pidgin chat software. Staff are on call 24/7 to handle questions. What is
needed for the new service is primarily the activation of text-message option, which involves a
slight cost ($0.03) per text message sent. In addition, it may be necessary to provide a certain
level of staff training for the specifics of providing excellent service under the new text message
format.
• Physical Assesment of the Library
Overall, all library locations are in very attractive physical shape, with well-maintained
furniture, up-to-date signage and a generally opulent atmosphere. In the main library, this also
includes ample power outlets, computer access, and seating for both quiet individual study and
group work. The University Center Learning Commons suffers somewhat from a lack of power
outlets, and a design that lends itself to group work but is designated as quiet-study-only by
University policy.
Specific to chat service and the upcoming text-messaging service, it is significant that
the university offers true ubiquitous wireless internet connectivity. Furthermore, cellular
reception is strong across the entire campus for most service providers.
• Virtual Environment Assessment
The library website is well-designed and usable but has some minor formatting
problems due to interactions between the web site style sheets and catalog software. Students
sometimes indicate problems finding some resources (this is a common chat reference query)
but this probably has little to do with the virtual environment itself since these resources are in
fact visible from the front page. Specific to the services currently under examination, it is
 notable that the online interface for interacting with a librarian is visible from multiple locations
on the website, including the front page. This is findable by students, as indicated by the fact
that about a third of queries do come in through this interface.
• Assessment of Customer Service
The library, as the University in general, places a strong emphasis on customer service,
resulting in a high level of performance. Telephones are answered promptly and politely, and
every user receives in-depth help. An unofficial motto for library staff is that telling a user
their question can't be answered is unacceptable – resources are made available to provide
thorough service in this regard.
Unfortunately there is some room for improvement for virtual reference services – at
certain times, low levels of staffing can result in slower response times, and some staff members
may be insufficiently alert and consequently miss incoming questions, leaving them
unanswered.
• Service's Stage in Technological Life Cycle
Currently, this service could best be described as an experimental application of an
established technology. In other words, text-messaging is a well-known and highly functional
communications method, but the specific use for library reference is still being refined by this
library and other libraries worldwide.
• Demographics of Target Market
The target audience for the service consists primarily of university students averaging
17-25 years of age. Students at High Point University come from diverse backgrounds, hailing
from many states (and also including a small populations of international students). Income
level is generally middle-class to upper-middle class (again, with some outliers). Education
level for underclassmen is a high school education. Secondary populations are graduate
students and to a very small degree (based on current usage) university faculty and staff.
• Current Perceptions of the Library
High Point University Libraries are currently engaged in surveying students (graduate
and undergraduate) and faculty to assess perceptions of the library and library services.
According to informal customer interviews, the library is seen as a valued source for
information and answers to questions. In fact, many students come to rely primarily on the
library for academic answers to the exclusion of independent research. This speaks well for the
positioning of the library as a provider of first-sought services.
• Significant Library Usage Trends
As can be seen in the included charts, expansion of chat reference usage during the
previous fiscal year has been sizable. Peak pre-exam usage for the fall semester is roughly
quadruple exam-time usage in the previos spring, when the service was brand-new. In-person
reference questions have not shown significant decrease, however, which indicates that chat
reference is capturing new users, or allowing for more frequent use of the service.
 • Existing Promotional Techniques
Currently-available services are being promoted largely through the library website and
physical signage. The library administration is currently approving surveys to assess the
effectiveness of these marketing methods, which will have a strong impact on what methods
should be used to promote the new text-messaging service.
The library is also engaged in promotion via the University's daily “concierge” system
which delivers poster-like images to various locations on campus as well as via email to
students and faculty. This is currently being used to promote new fiction and media available at
the library. Circulation data on the advertised items suggests that customers are absorbing
information presented in this context.

Analysis and Identification of Problems

• Demographics With Marketing Implications
The primary demographic (college students) are likely to be digital natives and, given
the (high) socioeconomic averages of the university, tend to be adopters of technology. This
means that marketing initiatives must take into account a certain level of technological
proficiency and availability.
• Demand and Sources of Demand
The target population's desire for connectivity and flexibility of options is driving
demand for this service.. Based on the usage of chat reference, there is a growing demand for
this class of service.
• Sources of Competition
For reference services in general, the main source of competetion is online search engine
technology and internet resources in general. For the newer services (chat reference and, soon,
text messaging reference) there is a possibility of some competition from peer communication
(that is, in situations where there is time pressure, students may ask peers rather than referring
to the library for assistance). This is an opportunity for promotion of the speed of current
technological options. Finally, there is internal competition between library services, which is
actually a strength for the library but can skew results for specific services.
• Barriers to Use Associated With Service
The primary barrier to chat reference in general (and the future text-message reference
service ) is unfamiliarity with the service. In other words, educationg students about the range
of services offered by the library is a current marketing priority. There is also the potential for
 some digital-divide-based access issues. Fortunately these are rare due to student demographics
and the availability of public computers and internet access across campus.
• Special Training
Minimal additional training is needed for these services. The primary skill needed is
simply how to use the chat interface, and staff in the relevant positions are hired partly based on
familiarity with similar technologies.
• Customer Service Training
Again, the University does not provide significant customer service training, but hiring
takes experience with providing customer service into account.
• Monetary and Nonmonetary Costs
As mentioned above, the library incurs a small fee possible for text messaging service.
Users obviously are also paying for their own telephone usage, but this cost is truly minimal per
instance of communication with the service. There is also a certain time investment involved in
using any library service, to allow for the librarian's searching and response time. There is a
posssibility for user frustration at pac and richness of responses (limited characters per text
message), but it is hoped that this can be balanced by the convenience of the service. In
addition, setting expectations is part of the marketing process for the service.

Proposed Strategy and Implementation

The new text-messaging service is being incorporated into existing marketing and promotional
schemes. Primarily, it will be announced to students via the Concierge service, and added to the library
website as part of an improvement to the search page. Based on the results of planned surveys
(discussed above) indicating how students learn about library services, additional promotional materials
will be developed, such as (hypothetically) dorm-specific signage and bookmarks/fliers distributed with
checked-out materials.
Based on the information summarized above about current usage and user demographics, it will
be advantageous to focus on digital promotional methods for chat and text-message reference services,
since the primary users of these features will be comfortable with those communication methods.
• Dealing with Competition
The library has a powerful strength when compared to the primary sources of
competion, web search and other online resources. Fortunately, libraries are positioned as
leaders in this area due to our demonstrably authoritative information and our ability to align
services with faculty expectations of students Students are already guided to use library
 services by the nature of their class assignments.
However, part of the ongoing strategy for the library's digital reference services, and the
library as a whole, must be to reinforce these strengths, and to maintain visibility with the user
population. The primary hurdle is to remind students in need of reference or other
informational assistance that the library is their most reliable and convenient option.
• Overcoming Barriers to Use of the Service
Again, the main barrier to the goal of widespread use of the SMS reference service, as
with other library services, is simply familiarity. Students who know about the services
generally use it. The chief goal of this marketing effort is to make reminders of the availablity
of the service ubiquitous in areas where students are likely to encounter a need for the service.
However, it is also important to properly design the impact of these promotional products, as is
outlined in the next section.
Promotional Materials
• Emotional Response Design
◦ Product: Text Message/Chat Reference
◦ Features: access 24/7, from anywhere
◦ Perceived Benefit: “on-call”
◦ Emotion/Belief: Feeling of support and backup from team of experts
• Keywords and Concepts
◦ User Base
▪ Wants: Authoritative Answers
▪ Fears: Missing Information
▪ Situation: Time Pressure, unusual situation or location
◦ Brand Personality
▪ Expert, knowledgeable professionals
▪ “Mission Control”
▪ Prepared
◦ Active Verb
▪ “The Library answers your questions”
• Media Considerations
◦ Target users need quick, visual reminders
◦ Print media seen as slower, less flexible
◦ Infrastructure for electronic publication
◦ Need to integrate with prior promotionals
• Choice of Media
◦ Website Banner Advertisements
◦ LCD “Poster” Displays in library branches and across campus
◦ Large posters and signage in library branches
◦ Tabletop information signs in all study areas
Designs for Promotional Media
Campus Concierge/Monitor Display Images:
Banner for Library Website:
Double-page print sheet for display on table-top signs in study areas:
24”x36” Poster for display in library branches