Products in the Mix

What do you offer your customers?

Goods and services

The term "product" refers to tangible goods and services offered commercially. Libraries have products: the services, resources, programming, events, or instruction, for example, that are offered to the community. Considerations that distinguish one product from another product include variety, quality, benefits to the customer, design features, and sizes (quantities).

One example of a product would be a library instruction program. Features would include the content covered, the quality or level of expertise of the instructional design, the convenience of the training (time and location it is offered), length of training, expected outcomes and uses of the training, accessibility for different learning styles, appeal of the instructional design elements (hands-on, lecture, projects, assignments, etc.), and even the appeal of the instructor!

Products and price in libraries

Business marketing considers products to be items developed for sale. In libraries the item produced is most likely a type of library service. Services are not usually purchased directly, but are funded by taxes and contributions, so the price might be considered as "how much tax am I willing to pay" or "is it worth a trip to the library" rather than a specific cash value.

What do you have to offer?

Consider the products or services that your library offers to the community such as reference and research service, interlibrary loan, access to print, multimedia, and online collections of information. Many of these services have market value equivalents in the business sector, e.g. video rentals, book purchases, or research services that are fee-based. Did your market research (Module 2) indicate the value your users put on library services that are also commercially available? It's necessary to consider the competition and capitalize on what your library offers that's unique, better than the competition, and definitely worth a trip to the library.

Businesses look at markets and then design products that users are willing to pay for. Libraries also need to design or tailor services. Sometimes, however, the product is there and the need is there, but community awareness is lacking. That's where marketing comes in!

Products are tangible goods and services of value to the user. Library products are services, resources, programming, events, or instruction, for example, that are offered to the community.

Describe your library's products:

• List the services, programs, or materials of value to your users.
• In your library marketing plan from Module 2, describe the features of the product you are targeting in terms of your users' needs and wants -- what do you think will make your product of value to a user?

Library products.