12 
Marketing a service 
Andrew Booth
Introduction
Marketing is a long-established feature of the special library (Coote, 1997; Batchelor, 1997). Its entry on to the health library and information service (LIS) agenda was signalled in the first issue of Health Libraries Review (van Loo, 1984). As the health LIS moves from the ‘service’ ethic towards cost-consciousness, this topic merits greater attention. Healthcare LIS operate in a competitive environment where precedence is often given to other demands, not only from patient care, but also from other information providers within the organization (Bonnett, 1997). Health LIS have moved from comfortable monopoly to almost an open information market. Challengers include IT departments, R&D support personnel and clinical effectiveness staff. The library must focus on ‘niche’ marketing, on value-added services rather than the traditional ‘brand awareness’. Furthermore the LIS should develop a portfolio of information products to emphasize different features of the service, letting go of non-essential services or, at least, acknowledging the value of complementary partnerships with other providers.
After briefly discussing the concept of marketing, this chapter examines techniques for marketing services such as professional events and open days, posters, leaflets, newsletters, press releases and the provision of a web page within the specific health context. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how the success or impact of such strategies might be evaluated.
Marketing and its importance
A popular view would have it that marketing is ‘selling goods that don’t come back to people that do’ (Anon). The most prevalent of many definitions of marketing is probably that preferred by the Chartered Institute of Marketing: ‘The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ requirements profitably.’ The concept of marketing has been extended from the traditional commercial world to include service organizations, charities and not-for-profit bodies. In this context ‘profitable’ represents a form of exchange where both parties feel that they gain benefit (Adcock et al, 1995). This is appropriate to a library setting where LIS manager and client engage in a number of transactions (borrowing, information requests and even training) which aim to satisfy the user and to contribute to fulfilment of organizational objectives.
The marketing strategy must complement and support the global strategy the organization has chosen. Jobber (1995) distinguishes between a market-driven approach and an internally oriented approach. Do all your library services reflect a customer concern or are certain services at the convenience of the library staff (eg opening hours)? Do you formally obtain feedback on library services or do you rely on anecdotes and received wisdom? Do you always look out for new markets, reaching non-users or unmet user needs, or are you happy to stick with the same services?
The so-called ‘marketing mix’ describes those elements that can be manipulated in order to maintain competitive edge: product, place/distribution, pricing and promotion (the 4Ps). Typically libraries focus on product, using the trad itional image of the library as their ‘brand identity’. Attention is now being rightly diverted to the other elements. Are products distributed from a physical place, or is the intranet, or even Internet, used as a delivery medium? How do prices for library products or services compare with electronic Internet based current awareness, document delivery or bibliographic services? Price can be seen in terms of a fee based service or in how individual users ‘value’ the service, the focus of ‘value and impact’ studies. Finally, will the library actively promote its services or risk losing business to new information providers? With the expansion of marketing into service delivery, the 4Ps have been augmented by a further three Ps (Dibb and Simkin, 1994):
•	people – staff selection and customer care training
•	physical evidence – décor and ambience
•	process – the efficiency of the process, eg it is not enough to deliver interlibrary loans but the library should ensure that they arrive, at worst, no less than one day before they are no longer required.
With an increasingly customer-orientated approach the 4Ps are losing their appeal. The marketing mix is now commonly expressed as the 4Cs: customer value, cost to the customer, convenience for the buyer and communication. All these emphasize what the customer really wants – for example, the one-way push of information known as promotion is replaced with the two-way dialogue of communication.
Marketing services
Marketing services, as opposed to products, presents particular problems given the intangibility of what is provided, the inseparability of production, consumption and distribution, the variability of quality and the perceived risk of use. How can one quantify benefits to a doctor who walks into the library, looks up a textbook or electronic text and is thus equipped with the knowledge to treat a patient effectively? How can one compare the quality of two literature searches, one with a large amount of information and the other with very little?
It is perhaps artificial for a health LIS to talk of a single ‘product’ as they usually operate through a portfolio of services. A diagrammatic representation of a portfolio, the growth-share matrix, was constructed by the Boston Consulting Group in the early 1970s. This plots products against popularity and demand (see Figure 12.1).
In an example of such a grid, used for an information audit in Thames region, existing information services such as the library, e-mail and the Videotex system were positioned in the grid for a presentation to the region’s directors. So, for example, the library was a cash cow in that it was quite heavily used but demand was now static. 
Marketing is associated with the ability of the LIS manager to identify, or even create, opportunities. This quality, known as entrepreneurship, is characterized by a willingness to be proactive rather than reactive. LIS managers use their special knowledge of their own organization, the information needs of their users and their preferences for format and method of delivery to identify new opportunities to emphasize their particular contribution to organizational objectives. Much of the success of the entrepreneurial approach is down to personal characteristics and not learnt through textbooks. Nevertheless, descriptions of this approach, though few in number, are informative. Vine (1998) uses the market for ‘classroom instruction’ to generate a list for aspiring entrepreneurs. Lemkau, Burrows and Stolz (1991) explore the nature of entrepreneurialism, defined as ‘when an innovative solution involves calculated risk taking’, and describe two entrepreneurial programmes in a traditional library setting. 
Successful marketing at a local level
What are some opportunities for using marketing techniques? The list is almost endless. However, contrasting contexts might include the building and/or refurbishment of a library (Walker, 1995) or the production of a new database or electronic service (Cox, 1995). The LIS might target a particular professional group such as doctors (Cooper, 1991) or nurses (Bunyan and Lutz, 1991), either because a group is already a heavy user of some services and not others or because they are poorly represented among the library’s membership. It might target external bodies such as commercial organizations as a means of generating income. 
For an LIS manager the first practical step, after using the above conceptual frameworks, is to conduct a marketing audit. A marketing audit provides a structured approach that allows an LIS to look at its audiences, services and products (Olson, 1993). The audit examines LIS activities and provides a framework for ongoing decision-making, evaluation and long-range planning. Wakeley, Poole and Foster (1988) present a case study of such an approach. Hernando (1997) describes a similar ‘community profile’ approach by which she was able to find out:
•	what proportion of the community uses the library service
•	whether use is related to status/job title
•	whether use is related to location of base
•	which particular services are used for patient care services.
This study demonstrates the benefit that a local library can derive from applying marketing principles. The use of focus groups (see Chapter 7) is another technique from the marketing sector gaining popularity in the health information field (Robbins and Holst, 1990; Mullaly-Quijas, Ward and Woelfl, 1994). In fact any exercise to establish LIS needs may heighten awareness among users being surveyed – a process measure independent of any actual outcome (Crabtree and Crawford, 1997).
Examples of successful marketing in a health library context are regrettably few. Accounts from related settings merely highlight the potential. Hilton and Gold (1998) describe how the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine created a working party to look at how the library could be promoted. Its remit included the potential for attracting new readers from areas other than the history of medicine (diversification) and whether the user-base could be extended beyond its geographical concentration (expansion). 
Specific marketing techniques
The range of techniques available to the health LIS manager, either to promote their service as a whole or a specific service or product, is, in fact, impressive. Selection of appropriate techniques will be governed by a knowledge of the local context, the LIS manager’s ability to seize opportunities as they present themselves and the need to keep approaches innovative and fresh. Certainly it is important to be aware that even tried and tested methods that have proved successful in the past can become stale and ineffectual if repeated without modification. The following techniques are presented as exemplars but represent a small proportion of the potential toolbox available. Regional networks, features in the professional journals and visits to neighbouring services, poss ibly even in other information sectors, will all serve to augment the techniques described briefly below.
Organizing an open day
Health service staff will not normally choose to go to a library event in preference to other demands on their precious time. Open days should, therefore, be carefully designed and used selectively. It is good to accompany existing events or opportunities (perhaps in conjunction with a regular lunchtime meeting slot or major study day) and to offer something for both the serendipitous and the purposive visitor. An open day could have displays or posters that will be available throughout the day and also have a timetable of demonstrations. Printed reminders will not normally suffice so posters and, more importantly, personal contact should be used to recruit visitors to the event. Many healthcare LIS managers have used National Libraries Week (facilitated by The Library Association) as a focus for local initiatives and many imaginative thematic displays have been developed in response to this.
Getting your message across with posters, resource guides and leaflets
The design of posters, resource guides and leaflets requires the LIS professional to combine generic information processing skills with those specific to a LIS context. There is a ready supply of books and materials of a ‘how to do it’ type (Wolfe, 1997; Maxymuk, 1997) whilst the health literature often includes useful features on marketing and publicity, especially in health education. The LIS manager must manage the balance between informational content and presentation – leaflets or posters with a large amount of text impair the visual aspects of display. On the other hand a visually stimulating poster is of little use if people cannot recall what it is for. 
Posters are usually most effective when associated with the launch of a new service or a special event. The wealth of graphic content available in electronic form, as clipart for example, makes production of posters so much easier today. However posters should be reviewed regularly to make sure that they are not out of date, that they have not outstayed their welcome and that they have not become crumpled and dog-eared.
The challenge of producing a resource guide is whether it is to be resource-led or user-led. A single guide will have to make assumptions about people’s use of the resource and will perhaps choose a familiar example to illustrate its use. In contrast a range of guides for the same resource aimed at different user groups can be time-consuming but will have heightened appeal to each group. Many libraries compromise by having a house style and some standard paragraphs while inserting user-specific text in appropriate sections. The availability of word-processing and desktop publishing (DTP) packages makes this option all the more feasible.
A common mistake made by LIS managers when designing leaflets is to try to incorporate too much information. Frequently, this makes the text time-limited and requires more frequent updating. Lists of databases held or types of stock acquired are of little interest to a user who wants a work-related question answered. Here a customer or market focus will require that the leaflet indicates the sort of purposes for which the library or information unit may be used or the sort of questions it may answer. Many LIS managers now purchase ‘blanks’ of leaflets in a standard style, often with bright colours, and with colour printers, a variety of fonts and desktop publishing equipment they produce leaflets that compare very favourably with those of professional printers. Some form of local logo or motif is desirable – an early attempt at the William Harvey Hospital involved a redesign of one of William Harvey’s original drawings with library facilities incorporated into the various veins and the caption ‘Keeping you in Circulation’. 
Exploiting a library newsletter
DTP, or even the quasi-DTP facilities of the standard word-processing packages, have opened up imaginative prospects for newsletter production. A typical Microsoft Word newsletter template with clipart can meet many purposes of monthly newsletter publishing. However, it is often good to experiment with additional clipart or logos where available as the overuse of the same packages can lead to a new symptom of ‘clipart fatigue’. Maxymuk (1997) provides a good overview of the main issues to consider.
Writing an effective press release 
A press release is an opportunity to present information to the media in the way that you want it. It can also be useful for keeping other stakeholders informed of what you are doing. Writing a press release is an acquired skill – it should be professionally written, and communicate effectively. Nevertheless a few key principles can be followed to increase the likelihood of success. An effective press release should be:
•	Brief. No more than two pages in length, typed double-spaced, and with a wide margin for notes.
•	Well-introduced. Begin with an opening sentence or short paragraph summarizing the contents. This is called ‘the lead,’ and should answer the basic questions ‘who, what, where, why, when and how’.
•	Structured. Stick to only the basic information in a logical sequence. Further information should be available through follow-up with a well-briefed contact.
•	Personalized. One or two very short quotes from someone who can speak with authority (eg Chief Executive, NHS Library Adviser, etc) will help authenticate your story. A good news release includes a strong quote in the second paragraph to support information given in the first paragraph.
•	Informative. In addition to the main statement, it is helpful to give, very briefly, any critical factual background. This might include details of you or your library, the political importance of the context and facts and figures that illustrate the context. This is illustrated in Department of Health press releases where accompanying notes usually contain supportive factual information.
Finally, a press release should include clear and reliable contact details. It is helpful if the contact has experience of being interviewed. The aim of the press release is to tempt journalists to follow it up with a more detailed investigation so your representation is critical. A follow-up phone call to journalists will further stimulate a response. 
Designing and promoting a library web page 
Health LIS managers have already established a distinctive presence on the world wide web and there is every reason to believe that they will continue to do so. Although many of the initiatives are small-scale and dependent on local enthusiasm and acquired skills, the web is an important shop window – one that primarily attracts the local browser but which, as an attractive by-product, allows access to serendipitous viewers from the other side of the world. The Internet particularly lends itself to being a public relations medium. Whereas in the past libraries would issue printed resource guides, or possibly a library newsletter reporting current service developments, it is now feasible to broadcast to a far greater audience through publicly accessible web pages. What is more, the incremental effort involved in migrating from the parochial to the global is almost non-existent. A formatted Microsoft Word document can be saved as a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document and, with a minimum of revision, be loaded on to a web server. Although it is arguable whether products designed for the printed page should merely be translated into a machine-readable version rather than transformed, the development of ‘what you see is what you get’ (WYSIWYG) browsers such as Netscape Composer means that would-be web authors no longer have to experiment with text files and coding tags. The development of this cheap dissemination technology allows other powerful marketing options. For example, publications can be placed on the web – forestalling the need to cover postage, production, distribution and administration costs – available as downloadable Microsoft Word documents. Such an approach does, however, bring into sharp focus the raison d’être of an organization and the tension between income generation and public profile. 
What are some of the purposes for which a healthcare library might use the world wide web? In their analysis of academic medical centre libraries in the USA, Tannery and Wessel (1998) summarize numerous present uses and give suggestions for future applications. Examples range from basic information such as description and access to library services, through access points to commercial databases, to use of interactive forms (such as for literature search, interlibrary loan or photocopy requests). Chu and Chan (1998) have focused on the tremendous potential of the world wide web in the design and creation of applications specifically for medical education. They rightly caution that these should not be seen merely as a means for translating traditional modes of collaborative medical education (eg voice, presence, print, motion) into web applications. Similarly the LIS manager should try to evaluate the potential of a website, not merely in terms of ‘How can we do what we do now’ over the web but rather can we do what we do now more effectively or more efficiently’, or even more ‘How can we do what we can’t currently do by using the web’? The three dimensions to innovation that can facilitate this type of development are information (the types and formats available), interface (how it presents to the user) and interactivity (how the user relates to the system). 
Halub (1999) describes how users value web based library services because they save time while the library appreciates its increased visibility within the hospital system and the facility to provide a 24-hour service. In creating and maintaining a website, LIS managers should be mindful of the following: consider the design carefully, weigh the advantages of providing services against the time required to maintain them and make the content as accessible as possible. A website, although itself a medium for marketing, should be promoted at every opportunity, including putting its URL on stationery, letterheads and other printed products (Kerr, 1999). 
Published instances recording the use of websites for marketing purposes are becoming increasingly plentiful (Shedlock et al, 1996; Stephenson and Fowler, 1997). Donaldson and MacKay (1997), for example, describe the development of the important web presence for the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBSWEB). Significantly, the skills needed to manage a website are not confined to those of a technical nature, such as interactive media production, HTML programming, and server management. The web manager also needs to possess a better than working knowledge of marketing strategy (Savard, 1998). Increasingly, there is an emerging consensus concerning criteria for a website to include content, design and aesthetics of site, disclosure of authors, sponsors or developers, currency of information (including frequency of update, freshness, maintenance of site), authority of source, ease of use, accessibility and availability (Kim et al, 1999). Several authors (Quintana and Bardyn, 1996; Harvey, 1998; Schnell, 1997) provide a basic introduction to principles of web design in a healthcare context. Hukins (1995) describes the practical steps by which Hope Hospital Library, Salford, UK, set up a home page on the world wide web while McGowan (1997) describes how library staff can use their organizational, indexing and cataloguing skills to establish an effective institutional web presence.
Evaluating your market strategy
As with all the areas covered in this book, there is a need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. A marketing plan, drawn up around the dimensions mentioned above and accompanied by a small number of specific key success indicators, will be the basis for establishing the relative progress of the information service. Achievements should relate to the objectives of the service, but should also be aligned with those aspects of the service that are important to the customers (Pinder and Melling, 1996). If the service is deviating significantly from the marketing plan, then the information manager will need to take corrective action to realign it with the objectives. Questionnaires, surveys and focus groups can all be used in the context of evaluation as well as in those previously described. 
Conclusion
Marketing, though previously a neglected area in the health information sector, is now well and truly established as crucial to the success of any service. A major key to such success is for marketing not to be seen as a bolt-on extra, a luxury that is done when the LIS manager has the time, but rather as an essential component of service delivery. With the growth in expertise and the sharing of know-how through informal and published experiences it is likely that marketing will become one of the essential defining characteristics of management of the knowledge base of healthcare. 
Key points 
	Marketing is beginning to command its rightful place in the management of all types of health information service.
	The traditional ‘marketing mix’ comprises product, place/distribution, pricing and promotion (the 4Ps), with libraries, typically, focusing on their product. 
	Contemporary marketing has an increased emphasis on the customer and this can be used to realign all types of library service.
	Successfully designed printed publicity materials will pay attention both to informational content and presentation.
	A library web page can be used not only as an effective marketing device, but also to enhance service delivery.