Measuring the impact of social media marketing in libraries

Background to the project

This research is the result of a dissertation undertaken at Aberystwyth University. The main aim of the project was to measure what impact, if any, the Judge Library’s social media presence was having on its users. Users completed a short questionnaire in May 2012 to give their opinions.

Conclusions

Social media is having some positive impacts: there is a greater impact on user perceptions than actions but

this should not be underestimated. Positive perceptions can lead to positive actions

social media is having more of an impact on use of the online library than the physical library

BUT a significant number of users don’t use library social media – mainly because they don’t know about it. We need to make sure that we let our users know about our social media presence in order to reap the rewards

What users say….. Makes the library more accessible

Makes me think of the library in a more

positive way It gives the library a

better understanding of its user base

Makes them seem more modern and

approachable Makes the library seem

more friendly Results

77.2% like the library’s social media presence 89.5% think that social media is an effective communication method 88.2% find the content posted useful to their studies 89.5% think that social media use affects their perceptions of the library in a positive way 68.4% use online resources more as a result of their promotion on social media but only 10.5% used the physical library more 63.29% have found out about a specific resource on social media and then gone on to use it BUT only 42.6% of users surveyed access library social media, even though most use it for personal reasons

This poster is based on an as yet unaccepted dissertation submitted to Aberystwyth University. Image credits: Twitter bird/Matt Hamm, Delicious logo/topgold, Facebook logo/dear anxiety