Librarians' Experiences of E-Marketing in Academic Libraries Using Social Media

• Main Authors: Senining, Monaliza M., Arcadio, Geraldine B., Laurete, Charlie B., Morilla, Mary Alsuzanne D.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_dlsplc/2024/schedule/10
• Institution: De La Salle University

ABSTRACT Purpose/objectives. This study aims to explore librarians’ experiences of e-marketing using social media comprehensively. Design, methodology, approach. Employing a mixed-methods research design the study integrates quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. The primary data collection tool was a survey questionnaire, whose reliability was validated through rigorous testing. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 24 academic librarians from academic libraries in Misamis Occidental, ensuring participants had relevant experience and insights. Findings. The study found that respondents evaluated the motivations and goals for using social media for e-marketing as very important. The librarians' motivations for adopting social media in e-marketing were to expand the library's online presence and reach, promote library resources, services, and events, attract new library users, and enhance user engagement. The goal was to showcase the library’s unique resources. Meanwhile, the respondents strongly agreed on the major challenges such as keeping content relevant and engaging, limited budget for advertising, lack of support or training in e-marketing strategies, and staying up-to-date with trends and platform changes. The strategies to overcome these were to create engaging and shareable content and engage with the audience through comments and suggestions. Improving brand awareness is the key to enhancing the challenges and to measure the success there is a need to improve community awareness and perception of the library. Moreover, the respondents also strongly agreed on the opportunities such as increasing visibility and brand awareness for the library. Facebook is the most effective social media platform to utilize in e-marketing. The benefits were evaluated as very important, such as enhancing user involvement, promoting services and programs to a broader audience, and opportunities to showcase the library’s expertise and resources. Further, the respondents strongly agreed on the perceived impact on library services and user engagement because it increases visibility and awareness of library resources and services and enhances the promotion of library events and workshops. Research limitations and implications. One significant limitation is the potential for a limited sample size or demographic, which may not fully represent the diverse experiences of librarians across different institutions in Misamis Occidental. Additionally, the rapidly evolving nature of social media platforms means that the findings may quickly become outdated, necessitating ongoing research to keep pace with technological advancements and changing user behavior. Despite these limitations, the study has important implications for academic libraries, providing valuable insights into effective e-marketing strategies and highlighting the need for continuous professional development in social media skills. By understanding the challenges and successes faced by librarians, academic institutions can better support their staff and enhance their digital outreach efforts, ultimately improving user engagement and access to library resources. Originality of the paper: The study may provide evidence-based practices that can be adopted or adapted by other academic libraries, leading to more effective and efficient e-marketing efforts. Keywords: e-marketing, e-marketing strategies, social media, academic libraries, academic librarians, librarians’ experiences