Perception is Reality: Creating Your Elevator Talk and Nine other Practical Marketing Ideas to Promote your Information Function

On May 12, 2004 immediately following the SLA WCC AGM, various locations hosted a virtual presenation from Factiva called Perception is Reality: Creating Your Elevator Talk and Nine other Practical Marketing Ideas to Promote your Information Function.

Elevator talk is a 30 second spontaneous opportunity to create an impression which can open the door to further dialogue. Have a key message to communicate ready so when you share an elevator with a more senior person or someone with whom you want to have further interaction, you can express a factual, condensed, positive message with impact. Use one sentence to introduce yourself, create a goodwill moment, ask for advice or a further conversation.  The important thing is to have a compelling elevator message ready so that you are not scrambling and trying to think of one on the spot.

So prepare and practice!

Identify specific adjectives and adverbs which label ways you and your service want to be perceived.  Survey your users for their needs.  Check the image rating of your materials, staff and service timeliness.  How do they look to others?

Practial marketing ideas discussed included:

• assembling an advisory group of champions,
• writing case studies of selected success stories,
• gifting branded giveaways,
• using a compelling email signature,
• collecting testimonials from satisfied customers,
• giving new employees a kit to guide them through the info-maze at their workplace
• practice one surprising action every day to make your info centre's name and function known to people you meet,
• watching the retail industry and adapting their practices,
• and above all, working to make a positively and consistently branded image of you and your department's services.

Thank you to Anne Caputo and Barbara Burton for their excellent presentation.

Gael Blackhall is Manager, Web Services and Resources at Calgary Public Library.