PR Hint of the Week - 6/23/03 - Self Introduction

This week's marketing tip, I promise will be easy and painfree....
With the arrival of summer in Montana, emerge new venues for library marketing....farmers' markets, garage sales, outdoor concerts, etc.
As we meet people in these different places, a powerful, positive self-introduction can be a great marketing method for our institutions and ourselves. It conveys in a concise manner what our library and ourselves can offer others.
If you want to see people's eyes glaze over, go on at great length about the varied aspects of your daily job with a detailed explanation of your library collections. If, however, you want to keep the focus on the other person, limit your introduction to the recommended 7 seconds including:
1) your name
2) your library and your position
3) and the distinct service or value that you provide the community. (of course, tailor this last part, if possible, to the perceived information needs of the individual you are talking with. Skip the library jargon!)
Enjoy the fleeting summer warmth!
Jim Kammerer
MLA PR/Marketing Committee