At Least Seven Touches: One Academic Library's Marketing and Outreach Strategy for Graduate Professional Programs. Issue 3 (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Munro, Karen
• Is Part Of: Public services quarterly. Volume 13:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 200
• Page End: 206
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: graduate students -- marketing -- outreach -- professional programs; Public services (Libraries) -- United States -- Periodicals; 025.5
• DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2017.1328297
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1522-8959

Abstract

Abstract : Column description. The Marketing column features essays about a variety of creative and innovative marketing strategies used to highlight collections or promote services in all types of libraries. Its purpose is to provide real examples of how libraries are using marketing and outreach techniques in interesting ways. The column offers practical insight from libraries engaged with marketing. In addition to marketing, the column also features essays on successful programs and events that promote the library. Readers are invited to suggest topics or projects by contacting the column editor, Katy Kelly. Abstract : Graduate students in professional programs such as law, journalism, architecture, and business can be challenging for academic librarians to reach because of the nature of their curricula. The University of Oregon Portland Library and Learning Commons meets this challenge by adopting a "seven touches" outreach campaign model for important communications. While there is little evidence that seven means of reaching users is a magic bullet of any kind, the model is supported by the established psychological principle of the mere exposure effect. Setting a goal of creating at least seven communication channels to users helps create an aspirational but achievable framework for outreach. In the example discussed, library staff saw more than a three-fold increase in user responses to a library survey, following a modified "seven touches" campaign.