Many of us now know the nuts and bolts of how to use Facebook and Twitter. But how do you take that to the next level by engaging your customer base? The social media team at Lawrence Public Library (KS) shares concrete tips and examples of how we've used Twitter, Facebook and other social media to leverage our local community and build a loyal base of 6000 local fans and followers. (Presented at: State Library of Kansas "Library as Community Center" webinar, March 2012; Kansas Library Association Annual Conference, April 2012; NEKLS Technology and Innovation Day, August 2012)

1. GOING SOCIAL
TO GET LOCAL
How to engage YOUR COMMUNITY with SOCIAL MEDIA
Susan Brown
Rachel Smalter Hall
Jennifer Cook

2. HOW ARE WE DOING? ∙ 2800 Twitter followers
∙ 50-100 RTs /@mentions per week
∙ 460 RTs for our most popular post

3. HOW ARE WE DOING?

4. SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM

5. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

6. SOCIAL MEDIA FANS

7. • WE TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, NOT
JUST OURSELVES
• WE TALK ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING
IN OUR COMMUNITY
• WE GO OUT INTO OUR COMMUNITY
• WE GIVE OUR FANS BACKSTAGE
PASSES
ENGAGING OUR BASE

8. • WE GET PERSONAL
• WE MIND OUR MANNERS
• WE LIKE
BASKETBALL, CATS, PBR, AND
TATTOOS
• OUR COMMUNITY DOES, TOO
• EVERYBODY LOVES BOOKS &
ENGAGING OUR BASE
READING

9. Twitter School
• @ = “mention” (@lawrencelibrary) • RT = “Re-Tweet” (RT @heatherbraum)
• # = hashtag (#techday) • MT = “Modified Tweet” (MT @bananasuit)

10. Tweeting About Books, Music & Movies Lawrence Loves

11. Tweeting About #todayinhistory

12. Tweeting About #lawrenceblogs

13. Tweeting About What’s Hot in Lawrence

14. Live-Tweeting Events
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15. Tweeting With Lawrence Authors

16. Tweeting with Lawrence Businesses

17. Tweeting With Local Press
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18. Blurring Boundaries: Meet Our Staff
Rachel, Adult Programs:
Rebecca, Youth Services:
Tricia, Tech Services:
William, Adult Services:
Dan, Acquisitions:
Kevin, Interlibrary Loan:
Molly, Teen Zone:

19. What They’re Saying About Us

20. Share your Story

21. Summer reading finishers

22. Stories of library life… Lego Narnia

23. Numbers!

24. Meet Brad!

25. Event pics!

26. Get into the community (for real)
Get Caught Reading Month

27. Show our presence at local events
Sidewalk Sale
Liberty Hall turns 100

28. World Book Night

29. Highlight partnerships and local businesses
Tag and share posts and they’ll do the same

30. Audio Reader, Liberty Hall and many more
Engage community by promoting others

31. Tap into local excitement!

32. Victor!
-Victor Continental show

33. Find out what your community likes through “likes”
-Little Free Library in Lawrence- now we might
hold our own workshops

34. Post what your community “likes”, let go of the sleepers

35. Lawrence loves cats!

36. Further engage by turning “likes” into programs and services

37. Bring what resonates online into the library

38. “Interact with people, or risk becoming irrelevant.”
Ask questions to provide a community forum

39. Fill-in-the-blank Vs.

40. Readers’ Advisory

41. Have fun!

42. Cats and… Interact with your newsfeed

43. Community Love
“this is my kinda library”

44. Community Love

45. • ORGANIZATION
• DEDICATION
• TEAMWORK
• TIME
• TRUST
WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

46. • HIGH PROFILE IN OUR COMMUNITY
• PROGRAMS & PARTNERSHIPS
• DIRECT LINE OF COMMUNICATION
• UNSOLICITED, PUBLIC PRAISE
WHAT DO WE GET?

47. ROCK
CHALK
!
WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN!