Marketing the academic library with online social network advertising
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121211279849 |
| Published date | 19 October 2012 |
| Pages | 479-489 |
| Date | 19 October 2012 |
| Author | Christopher Chan |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Marketing the academic library
with online social network
advertising
Christopher Chan
Hong Kong Baptist University Library, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative effectiveness of different forms of
Facebook advertising in promoting the collections and services of academic libraries.
Design/methodology/a pproach – The results of several Face book advertising campaig ns
conducted by an academic library in Hong Kong are presented and analyzed. Statistics were
gathered from the advertising application integrated into the social networking platform. Conclusions
are drawn based on a comparison of the performance metrics of the different advertising approaches
that were employed.
Findings – In line with an earlier study, the results provide further support for the view that social
network advertising has the potential to be a cost-effective means of marketing academic libraries. It
was also found that advertising strategies that draw upon the social features of Facebook were more
effective than traditional approaches.
Research limitations/implications – Since only the experience of a single institution is
considered, it cannot be definitively stated that social network advertising will be effective in every
institutional context. However, the results provide a basis for academic libraries to consider
experimenting with this form of marketing.
Originality/value – In contrast with the business and commercial sector, the potential of paid social
network advertising has received scant attention from professionals working in non-profit making
organizations. This paper provides evidence that such initiatives can have a significant and
measurable impact in their outreach efforts with minimal financial outlay.
Keywords Marketing, Socialnetworks, Facebook, Online advertising, University libraries,
Advertising effectiveness, Academiclibraries, China
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Over the past half-decade, the online social networking phenomenon has continued to
grow exponentially. A growing number of people visit various social networking
platforms as an integral part of their daily routine (Anon., 2011). Service providers
have naturally sought to monetize their products. Given their millions of users and
billions of page views, online advertising is one area where much effort has been made.
Commercial entities have found success in using social networks to promote their
brands. This paper will explore how non-profit organisations like academic libraries
might also benefit from paid advertising on social networks, and will investigate
whether such activity can generate an acceptable return on investment.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
Marketing the
academic library
479
Received 4 July 2012
Accepted 11 July 2012
Library Management
Vol. 33 No. 8/9, 2012
pp. 479-489
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/01435121211279849
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