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According to the Public Policy Institute of California, Latinos are projected to become the largest racial or ethnic group by 2011 and to constitute a majority by 2040. They are now the largest group of residents under age 30, and almost half of the births in the state are to Latina women. They are an important part of the state constituency, but as a group they are not using library services proportionate to their numbers in the population. How can libraries reach and help the Latino community?

Marketing to Latinos is a necessity. Would you like to:

  • Learn how to better identify Latino community needs?
  • Improve your ability to reach the Latino community?
  • Increase library usage by Latinos?
  • Understand how to develop a marketing Action Plan targeted to Latinos?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this workshop is for you!

Workshop Description: This all-day hands-on workshop is an introduction to creating an Action Plan to market library services to a culturally diverse Latino population. Through individual and group exercises, and interactive activities, you will reexamine your library's goals, devise strategies to achieve new goals, and learn how to monitor the advancement of these strategies so that you will develop long-term credibility in the community you serve. Case scenarios and specific strategies will be discussed and evaluated.

Pre-workshop assignment:

  1. Participants should try and obtain a copy of their library's mission statement and bring it to the workshop.
  2. The instructor has asked for some background information on workshop participants to help her customize some of the workshop content. To help us collect this information, please complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=177733516390 before the workshop. Survey results will remain confidential and no individual information will be disclosed.

Preliminary Course Outline

  • Why Market to Latinos?
    • Benefits to community and library
    • Equity of access/equity of service to the Latino Community
    • Diversity goals
  • Launching a Latino Outreach Action Plan
    • Elements of an Organizational Action Plan
    • Launching a Latino outreach committee
    • Advocacy: What can I do?
  • Tools to Develop a Basic Market Analysis
    • People and geographics of Latin America
    • Qualitative and quanitative information
    • Strategies and tactics to gather information
  • Positioning Your Library Services
    • Incentives for Latinos to use library services
    • Who is your competition
    • Overcoming cultural obstacles and limiting beliefs
  • Tools to Assess Your Latino Community Needs
    • Understanding how marketing really works "backwards"
    • Creating incentives for Latinos to use library services
  • Promoting Your Library Services to Latinos
    • Planning and promoting outreach activities
    • Parameters: Market channels, customer predisposition, motivation, competition, cost vs. resources and amount of advertising needed

Workshop Instructor: Susana Baumann