Strategic Marketing for Information Management

In this economy, organizations are looking at ways to trim budgets, and some executives may wonder why they need a library when they have Google. In addition, we have seen over the years a continuing trend toward self-service – although our research shows that the search failure rate for knowledge workers who seek information on their own is 36%. Libraries can add tremendous value in organizations, but in this do-it-yourself information age, many knowledge workers and executives do not know what they are missing when they bypass the library. This report reviews the key points in Outsell’s previous marketing reports and puts them into context for the library and the information management environment. It contains:

- Analysis of the components of marketing and how they apply to information management;
- Marketing thoughts based on Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”;
- Case studies of how three library and information management functions approach marketing their services (Qualcomm Library and Information Services, Export Development Canada, and National Institutes of Health), based on interviews with Outsell;
- Imperatives for information managers who need to market their services to their organizations.