[Publib] Marketing efforts/Measuring Success

[Robert L. Balliot]

Greetings Mindy,

 

I think the fundamental difficulty of measurement is collecting the

information.  We are all used to getting survey forms at the end

of meetings and seminars to rate the content and speakers. 

 

To me, that process has always seemed awkward.  You ask

for a survey when people are trying to leave and move on to

the next thing.    Think of parents leaving with two or three kids

in tow and trying to get them to write down their thoughts.

And, I often felt that results could be skewed

based on the fact that the person or entity being reviewed was

still there.

 

When I conducted a survey on user satisfaction about library

services a few years ago,  I created an Access database

to measure various criteria.  The forms to fill out were provided at Circ

and distributed to various other locations.  It went well and I felt

that the statistics we were able to generate were relevant and

could be manipulated and managed after input into the Access

file.

 

The one thing that was lacking was a on-line survey.  Had that

also been available, I believe we would have received more information

from more people and it could have been directly fed into the

Access database.  I think it is important to provide multiple

means of harvesting the information.  Having input available

by oral, paper, and online means is especially important. 

I think it can be much easier for a parent who wants to give

their feelings and comments about a program if it is online.

 

If you don't have the in-house programming capability to 

generate an on-line survey, you can always do small surveys

using http://www.surveymonkey.com <http://www.surveymonkey.com/>   or pay
for their service

to create larger surveys.   However, commercial hosting 

services now provide scripts so that you can fairly easily

generate your own survey through your own web site 

and link it to a manageable database.

 

 

*************************************************

Join: http://gotbooks.ning.com/

Robert L. Balliot

1-401-441-5763

Skype: RBalliot

Bristol, Rhode Island

http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm

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From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Mindy Kittay
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 9:24 AM
To: Nancy Polhamus
Cc: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] Marketing efforts/Measuring Success

 

This sounds great.  I have a question about it.  Right now we are working on
our programming budget for next year and staff is submitting Program
Proposals outlining the purpose, who will do the work, the budget, etc.  I
am asking for them to also create some method to measure the success of the
program.  Do you measure the success of this marketing effort and if so how
do you measure it?  

 

I am interested in hearing from other libraries as to how you measure your
programming success above and beyond statistics such as head count. This
seems to be the most difficult part of the process and I would like to be
able to give the staff some examples.  

 

One suggestion that I have given them for a similar program as you describe
was:  Include a short survey with the information that asks what they like
and don't like about the library, what materials they would like to see more
and what kind of programming they would attend, etc.  On the survey it
states that they will receive a free gift when they return it to the library
(so this actually gets them in the library building - it is a lanyard or a
keychain with our name on it).  There is also a gift basket on the table at
the event full of a new bestseller, coffee mug, gift certificate to a local
restaurant, etc.  When they return their survey to the library their name
goes into the drawing for the gift basket. 
 

Thanks and I look forward to hearing your ideas,

Mindy Kittay

Finance Director

Rangeview Library District
 

 

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