Library Marketing When You Are Doing It All Yourself

Many small and rural libraries don’t have dedicated marketing staff, graphic designers, or large budgets, but they still need to reach their communities, promote services, and demonstrate value. This session focuses on practical, realistic marketing strategies designed specifically for libraries where staff are balancing multiple responsibilities at once. We’ll explore simple ways to improve visibility, create consistent messaging, promote programs more effectively, and build stronger community awareness without adding overwhelming amounts of work. 

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Identify practical marketing strategies that work for small and rural libraries
• Create more consistent and effective library messaging
• Prioritize marketing efforts based on staff time and community needs

Speaker Bio:   Angela Hursh is Brand and Communications Director for the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. She leads the Library's strategic communications efforts, ensuring cohesive and impactful messaging across all platforms. This role is a homecoming of sorts: She spent nearly seven years as the Marketing Content Team Leader at the library, from 2013 to 2020. Between those two library stints, Angela worked for NoveList, where she spent seven years on strategic library marketing. She also has more than 20 years of experience as an Emmy-award-winning broadcast TV journalist. A 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, she is the author behind SuperLibraryMarketing.com and hosts a weekly YouTube series, The Library Marketing Show.

This project is made possible by grant funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the State of Michigan through the Library of Michigan.