Communication Plan

Detailed BHL Outreach & Communication Plan

By Grace Costantino
BHLOutreachandCommunicationPlan.pdf

Link to Google Doc: http://ow.ly/nlHFU

excerpt from the BHL Strategic Plan
Communications Plan
A formal launch of the BHL was announced in June 2007. The BHL will continue to develop a communication plan designed to reach all potential target audiences including library staff, faculty and researchers, consumers, potential partners, and the general public. With the support of the BHL Consortium members’ public relations and communications offices and the office of the BHL project director, regular updates and information will be disseminated through a variety of channels such as on-line and print publications, conferences, workshops, and appropriate media outlets. Coordinated activity allows the members to share expertise, facilities, equipment, and data; makes most efficient use of resources; and provides consistent information to the public.
Do we need to define our audience beyond this?

Here are few things we discussed at the IC meeting in March
Prepare press releases and/or or brochures/postcards, etc and send to media outlets for inclusion in blogs, rss feeds, listserves etc (See suggested list attached…for starters)
• to announce the ALCTs Award in addition to the one from ALA
• to market the BHL (what is the BHL?)
• circulate the ALA (ALCTS award)
Submit more articles about BHL to professional journals and newsletters
Offer BHL as a searchable database to include (for free) as part of package such as OCLC FirstSearch??
Include testimonials in the mailings and on the website.
At the meeting we discussed SWAG to be distributed at meetings … in the form of fieldbooks.
Martin followed –up with some excellent suggestions including "a nice BHL vertical banner (sort of like this SIL one behind Brewster: http://bit.ly/8XNfk5) and used the money to send BHL staff to key meetings (i.e. botany staff go to Botany & Mycology; someone goes to the Zoological Conference); make sure there’s a BHL presence at important library functions, etc.

Nancy Gwinn suggested we redesign the logo (she thought whatever firm we hired to put a publicity package together could also do this).
Bianca mentioned at the time she gave her report that the survey had yielded 58 messages of praise for the BHL. We should use these as testimonials.
We also agreed to look over and prepare a list of our professional groups which would receive the BHL message, and a list of professional meetings we would try to have a presence at. (a booth presence, poster session or presentation) Once these lists are created we need to decide on the message each one gets.

To do List

Hire Consultant to put publicity plan together.(Does any one have a recommendation?)
Responsibilites: Write and distribute multiple press releases
Organize a press packet
Oversee the redesign of logo and banner
In preparation, this team should:

Pull together lists of organizations and or institutions to send release ( I started a list....so please add to it, create other categories etc.
Pull together list of upcoming (professional) meetings BHL members should have a presence at….(Library meetings, botanical/zoological meetings, taxonomy groups, etc

Either presentation, poster session, symposium, banner display etc.

Pull together list of publications/blogs in which BHL should publish (an) article(s)
Pull list of testimonials (check testimonials on wiki -- enlist Bianca’s help?)