IMC Plan:

University of Guelph McLaughlin Library

Facebook Page

Ashley Gehrke

Emilie Paquette

Nicole Jorge

Nicole Rahmel

Professor Timothy Dewhurst

Marketing Communications

MCS 3620, Section 1

April 9, 2012

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………..

Introduction…………………………………………………………………...

Background…………………………………………………………………..

Market Analysis……………………………………………………….

Marketing Environment……………………………………………….

Consumer Analysis…………………………………………………….

Competitor analysis…………………………………………………….

SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………….

IMC Plan……………………………………………………………………

Marketing Objectives………………………………………………….

Marketing Strategies…………………………………………………

Basis for segmentation…………………………………………..

Target Market…………………………………………………...

Positioning………………………………………………………

Competitive Approach…………………………………………..

Proposed Budget……………………………………………………….

Overall Communication Objectives……………………………………

Overall Creative Strategy……………………………………………...

Creative Executions……………………………………………………

Overall Media Strategies and Executions………………………………….

Flow Chart……………………………………………………………..

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………

References…………………………………………………………………….

Appendices………………………………………………………………..

Assessment and Evaluation…………………………………………………..

Executive Summary

Introduction

“Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study

and live around them,” (Facebook). Facebook was invented in 2004 and has been going strong

ever since it launched. Over the past 8 years, Facebook has grown to be a part of many people‟s

everyday lives and people use it for many different sources of information. Facebook has become

a very powerful source of information for all its consumers. The brand we decided to work with

is the Facebook page for the McLaughlin library on the University of Guelph campus. Although

many people on Facebook may “check in” to the library, there has never actually been a library

Facebook page. The University of Guelph McLaughlin library Facebook page will be an essential

page for students and faculty to find all the information they are looking for, all on one page.

Although we believe this idea to have many advantages, there are some limitations. Some key

issues with this idea is that many students or faculty may not feel they need a Facebook page

necessarily. There are hundreds of thousands of Facebook pages on Facebook, so people many

not feel like the library needs to be one of their pages. People may also feel that they receive

enough information about what‟s happening at the library on the actual library website or on their

email. We believe that this Facebook page will be a beneficial page to check out on a daily basis

for students and faculty. We will address all our marketing objectives and strategies and will fully

convince consumers that they need this page on their Facebook.

Background

Market Analysis

Market Definition: The Market that we are looking at is people who are related to the University

of Guelph: current students, faculty, alumni, and the City of Guelph community. McLaughlin

Library is located on the Guelph Campus; this campus has a large impact on the socioeconomic

lives of Guelph citizens.

Target Market: Our specific target market is University of Guelph students and Alumni. The

primary target market that is going to be communicated to is current Guelph students. It is current

students that have access to and use the Library services. This includes undergraduate students

and graduates students. The Alumni and faculty are the secondary market. They may view or

receive any of our various communication methods but the message is more directed towards

current students.

Current Market Size and Trends: Enrollment in Guelph has been increasing over the years; the

current student population is 19 400 undergrads and 2515 grad students (University of Guelph,

2012). This is comparable to the population in 2006 with a population of 17,332 undergraduates

and 2076 graduate students (University of Guelph, 2012). In the last five years Facebook groups

with University of Guelph related topics have become very popular. Guelph has several very

large and growing Facebook groups. Overheard at Guelph has over 6000 members, Guelph Party

Info has over 800 friends, Guelph Memes has over 8000 likes and these numbers are growing

everyday (Zuckerberg, 2011).

Anticipated Market Trends: The market size has been increasing and is seen to be increasing even

more. Guelph has started enrolling more first year students. This number is increasing so much

that a new residence-building project is being considered (University of Guelph, 2012).

Market Environment

Key Demographic: Grad and undergrad students at the University of Guelph are the primary

demographic being looked at. As well, University staff and alumni. In addition another group that

would benefit from the university having a Facebook page could be the residents of Guelph. They

would know what events are being carried out, and if any are of interest to them.

Technological Environment: Social Media is becoming more and more popular and many

universities have already jumped on the social media bandwagon. These networks appeal to

current students, future students and alumni. “With so many key populations embracing social

media, universities almost have no choice but to integrate these platforms into their marketing

and communications plans” (Klamn, 2011).

Consumer Analysis

The primary users of the McLaughlin Library are university of Guelph students.

Demographic: Their ages typically they range in age from about 18-25. A larger percentage of

the users are female this is based on the fact that the University of Guelph has a higher

percentage of female students compared to male students (University of Guelph, 2012). Students

do not have a large amount of disposable income and therefore are more inclined to be persuaded

by free or informative information instead of having to purchase help elsewhere, students rely

more heavily on them for help then outside sources. This economic standpoint of low income for

students doesn‟t necessarily impact communication planning as students are almost always

connected to the Internet.

Geographic: Students are all geographically located in the Guelph area, but originally students

come from all over Canada, as well there are students from many different countries around the

world. Many students use social media like Facebook to connect with friends.

Psychographics: Students are generally very tech savvy, can navigate around a webpage and find

exactly what they are looking for, however; convenience is a big factor since a lot of projects are

time sensitive. The easier it is for them to find the information they need quickly, the more likely

they will be to use the Facebook page for the library.

BEHAVIOURAL??

Competitor Analyses

Other Libraries: The McLaughlin Library itself does not have a lot of competition when it comes

to our chosen target market. It is conveniently located for the target as well it has specific

programs catered towards University of Guelph students. There are other large libraries in the

area however. University of Waterloo‟s libraries can be considered a competitor for the

McLaughlin library. They have already launched successful Facebook accounts for all four of

their libraries. They often give free stuff to students to engage their participation and awareness

of the library. Waterloo has given away cash prizes as well as iPad‟s for students giving feedback

and for entering contests communicated through the Facebook page. Another strategy Waterloo

Library uses is to advertise various events happening in the library as well as updating and

posting a newspaper that gives much information about the events and new happenings

(University of Waterloo Environment, 2012). Also posted are various workshops and winners for

the various awards. Pictures are also posted of what is inside the library as well as collections of

books. Waterloo library also informs students on the changes of hours. There is also the Guelph

Public Library which is in closer proximity, this library does not offer the same type of learning

services as the Guelph library but students can still use it for resources and study space. The

Public library has it‟s own website with updates of events and all of the services they have to

offer. More directly related the Guelph Public Library also has a Facebook page with 83 likes

(Zuckerberg, 2011).

Noise: More then just the direct library on library competition threaten the library Facebook page.

They also have to worry about noise from other Facebook pages. There are the directly related

Guelph pages like Overheard at Guelph as well as all the other pages people could potentially

like instead. Facebook is populated by other businesses hoping to build large fan bases, the

Library has to compete with other pages for student interest and attention.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

57 people “like” the library (without even having

a Facebook page), and 1042 people "checked

into" the library there are many people interested

in a social media aspect of the library

Many services offered including learning

services, writing services, research, book

borrowing etc.

Many people visit the library on a daily basis to

group study, single study, use the computers and

to borrow books

Organized website which has many online

resources including journal articles and course

reserves

A lot more students go there during exam times

then any other time of the year

Awareness through campus tours and it‟s in the

middle of the campus

Weaknesses

Many students never visit the

library

People may not know what

services the library offers or

how/why to use them

It can be hard to find a seat in the library

especially during exam times

The library website is very large

and a little confusing

Many people ignore the emails

the library sends out

Students may not be interested in

a Facebook page for the library

Creating and updating a

Facebook page is a lot of work

and takes time

Not every student has Facebook

Opportunities

Gained awareness and involvement of events,

Threats

Runs the risk of falling into the

updates and offerings from the library

Ability to have quick faculty to student

conversations, responding to questions and

inquiries

Ability to have quick two-way, student to

student communication, displaying a community

feel

Gives the opportunity to post library how to's on

the page for easy access such as writing tips

Allows the library to communicate information

that are of interest (ex: workshops, seminars,

networking events, job postings), allowing the

library to get awareness out through Facebook

Events

A source for frequently asked questions, students

can ask questions, rather than asking in person

Brings awareness in a social media setting which

is becoming ever more popular

Updates on changing hours of operation and

other library changes

Student and faculty can access the page and find

all the same information

Facilitates engagement of other on campus

organizations, allows other students to be aware

of other opportunities on campus

"noise" and background of

student minds if it just falls into

the student‟s News Feed

Many students might feel that

they get enough information

about the library through the

Library website or through Gryph

mail

There are already a lot of Guelph

Facebook groups and websites

such as Overheard at Guelph, the

cannon.ca, webrevisor etc.

High student turnover

Its hard to control what people

post, you will have to check for

inappropriate posts frequently

IMC Plan:

Marketing Objectives: The marketing objective of the integrated communications plan is to launch a successful

Facebook page. More specifically we are determining this success off the „likes‟ we receive on

the page. Our overall goal os to obtain 5000 likes within the first academic year that this page has

been launched. This is a fair goal because this is about a quarter of the population of our target

market. Our current campaign is focusing on just the first year of the Facebook page. After this

first academic year the success will be evaluated and then a new plan will be developed. Ways to

help us determine our success during the campaign include the websites Klout and Crowdbooster.

Klout: This is a free service that rates influence within all social media sites. Once a profile is

created, it will allow us to link to the Facebook page. Obviously the higher the influence the

better, but this site will tell you if, and when you do something right and gain influence or do

something wrong and lose it. Klout will also tell you the style of user you are, specialist, creator,

and sharing. Overall this is a general measure of if the Facebook page is successful. “Klout

provides powerful analysis and tools to help you more clearly understand your own influence,

your network's influence, and the topical interests that make each of us special. Using Klout, you

can improve your use of social media and better reach your network” ("Understand and

improve," 2012)

Crowdbooster: Crowdbooster records and measure every single tweet or Facebook post you

make. It also records the number of people who see the post, comment or it, re-tweet it or like it.

Then it makes suggestions about when during the day is the most effective time to tweet based on

the performance of posts in the past. This will help you manage your multiple tweeting and show

you your most effective posts so that in the future you know the best way to write them.

“Crowdbooster helps you achieve an effective presence on Twitter and Facebook. We show you

analytics that aren't based on abstract scores but numbers that are connected to your business and

your social media strategies: impressions, total reach, engagement, and more” ("About

crowdbooster," 2012)

Marketing Strategies Marketing strategy is “a plan of action that shows how the various elements of the marketing mix

will be used to satisfy a target market‟s needs,” (Tuckwell, 52). It is always important to have the

right strategy from the beginning and then just work on the executive as time goes on, (Tuckell,

52). Marketing strategies are what set you up for success, regardless of what you‟re marketing. In

the case of the library Facebook page, it is very important for us to form a marketing strategy

because the page does not exist yet. Therefore, it is more important for us to have a well-formed

plan before launching the page.

Basis for segmentation Segmentation is defined as “the art of dividing a mass market into identifiable subsets in

order to meet the needs of specific consumers and to match the product and the user more

clearly” (Rothschild, 1987, p.42). These subsets of smaller parts of the market are generally

called segments. These segments are commonly divided into; demographics, geography,

psychographics and behavioural. For the library Facebook page, we will be targeting these

segments more carefully.

For the segment demographics, we will be targeting undergraduate and also graduate

students at the University of Guelph. These students are generally in the age range of 18-30. We

will also be targeting faculty, mostly professors and teaching assistants, at the university.

The geography segment will be targeted at the students and faculty at the University of Guelph.

Clearly, this page will be mainly for the use of the students who go to the university; therefore,

we will only target that region.

For the psychographics segment, we will be targeting people at the university who like to

get involved with the school. We will also be targeting the students who are very academically

focused because they will be the ones wanting to attend any student learning groups (SLGs).

Overall, we will be still mainly focused on the large market of all the students at the University of

Guelph.

And finally, for the behavioural segment we will be targeting the students who will be

looking for help around the exam period. Students around the time of midterms and exams may

find they need some extra help. In that case, the library page will be there will all the offerings at

the library for help.

For us to successfully segment the market properly, we must ensure that the market for

the library Facebook page is substantial and meaningful. This means we need to make sure that

the segment is large enough that the page will last in the long-run. There needs to be enough

interest for the page to be feasible for development and maintaining in the long-run. We also need

to ensure that the market for the page is reachable and marketable. This means that we need to

make sure that the targeted segments will accept our marketing efforts and comply. The

Facebook page needs to reach students and be useful so that students pass it on their friends

through word of mouth. To summarize, the University of Guelph Facebook page will be mainly

targeting students and faculty at the university in the hopes that our marketing efforts will reach

these segments.

Target market

An essential part of every marketing plan is a “precise description of the target market,”

(Tuckwell, 44). The target market is a group of consumers “to whom the company wishes to

appeal to. They market a product or service that specifically meets the needs and preferences of

that group,” (Dewhirst, lecture). As described in the section above, the target market is based off

of the four segments; demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioural. To market the

University of Guelph library Facebook page, we will be targeting primarily undergraduate

students, graduate students and faculty and secondly alumni. Students are generally very tech

savvy can navigate around a webpage and find exactly what they are looking for. However,

convenience is a big factor for students as everything they do is time sensitive. The easier it is for

students to find the information that they need quickly; the more likely they will use that resource

again. That is why a library Facebook page is exactly what students need. Facebook is a resource

most students use on a regular basis; therefore, they know how it works and how to navigate the

pages. If the library were to have a page, students would automatically assume that the

information is readily available for them.

Faculty is also one of the target markets for the library page. It is not as important for

faculty to use the page as must as students, but it would still be beneficial for them to use the

page as well. The faculty can be a range of ages that may not potentially use Facebook. However,

for those who do use Facebook it can be a useful place to gain information that can be beneficial

for them as well.

Positioning

Positioning is “the selling concept that motivates purchase, or the image that marketers

desire a brand to have in the minds of consumers,” (Tuckwell, 75). Positioning involves

“designing and marketing a product to meet the needs of a target market and creating the

appropriate appeals to make the product stand out from the competition in the minds of the target

market,” (Tuckwell, 75). Positioning will be a very important aspect of the marketing strategy for

the library Facebook page. We want the students of the University of Guelph to think of the

library Facebook page as their number one place to find information about the library. That is the

image we want to have in the minds of the students. The library Facebook page must meet the

student‟s needs 100% and stand out far more than the actual library webpage or else students

won‟t use the page. In summary, the positioning of the library Facebook page is a very important

part of the making the page a success. There needs to be no doubt in the student‟s minds that the

library Facebook page is the best place to find information.

Competitive approach

There isn‟t one direct competition with the library, but there is other minor competition.

The University of Guelph library competes with the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) library,

Guelph Public libraries (GPL) and potentially the libraries at Waterloo University or Laurier

University. Although the OVC and GPL don‟t nearly have the resources that the University of

Guelph library has, they still can be considered competition. The big competition for the

University of Guelph library Facebook page is all the other pages on Facebook. Students and

Faculty may feel that they do not need to have the library Facebook page on their Facebook

because they may already have many other pages. Because of all this competition, it just means

that the library Facebook page needs to be marketed in the most effective ways possible to ensure

students pick up on it and use it. As a means of information, the library Facebook page will be in

direct competition with the actual library webpage. What we will prove is how much easier the

Facebook page will be for students. We will show that the library webpage is more for research

tools rather then information about what‟s happening at the library. That is where the Facebook

page will come in and be more of the social side to being at the library. Students are already on

Facebook all the time; they may as well use the library page to find out any updates and what‟s

happening at the library on a day-to-day basis. In summary, although there is some competition

for the library Facebook page with marketing efforts, the page will be a

success.

Proposed Budget

Overall communication objectives

In order for the University of Guelph McLaughlin library Facebook page to be

successful it will need to be well linked to its target audience. The main communication

objectives that the Facebook page wishes to achieve are, to connect and communicate effectively

with students and to add convenience and value to library resources. To achieve these

communication objectives, it is important that the creative and media strategies used in

positioning the Facebook page be conducive to the way in which the target audience interprets

the product. By properly communicating the main advantages the Facebook page brings to

students, they are more likely to identify with the product and use it as a part of their study tools.

In the end, these two main objectives success will be based on a targeted 5,000 Facebook page

“likes” within the first year of launch, as well as statistics and insight. In order for these

communication objectives to achieve long-term success it is important that they be measurable

and allow for shared problem solving amongst all concerned parties (Public pharmacovigilance

communication, 2011). It is also essential that there is evidence-based design and a cyclical

process of planning, implementation and evaluation of the creative and media strategies

implemented based on the objectives (Public pharmacovigilance communication, 2011).

Overall Creative Strategy

Creative Strategy

The Facebook page for the McLaughlin Library will have a creative strategy central

theme based on being relatable. Since the primary target for the Facebook page is current

students, the Facebook page should cater to the various needs of students. The Facebook page

plans on being relatable to students through providing them with information on their points of

interests. Points of interests for students include giveaways, study tips, and ways to save money.

The Facebook page plans on being relatable through an informational style and tone. It is

important for the Facebook library page to inform students on changes in hours, new workshops

and any events happening within the library. The way that the Library Facebook page will

display this information is through a positive appeal technique. By displaying information that

students need to know about the library in a positive, uplifting and stress-free way, students may

feel better about all the work they need to get done until examinations

(http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/positive-appeal/4963525-1.html). Positive appeal

approaches are very common and would be the best way for the library to be relatable while

keeping the students positive about stress, and examinations (textbook).

Creative Executions

The message of being relatable through a positive, informative approach can be best

shown through creating awareness of the Guelph McLaughlin Library‟s Facebook page. The

more “likes” that the page can receive, the bigger the audience the page will have and therefore,

more influence as well.

The techniques that will be implemented to convince students and alumni that they should

“like” the Library Facebook page include: painting the Cannon, gift cards, contests and

giveaways, flash mobs, desktop computers, tour groups and word of mouth marketing.

The Cannon: The Library Facebook page would receive plenty of awareness through obtaining

Peer Helpers, Staff or other Students to paint the Cannon. The Cannon is a University landmark,

which is painted almost daily throughout the year by various groups of students

(http://studentlife.uoguelph.ca/parents/campus-traditions-painting-cannon). The Cannon would

be painted once in September and once in March. September would be an effective time to paint

the Cannon because is it important to remind students about the services that the library has to

offer. It is also vital for the Facebook page to obtain “likes” from students at the beginning of

their university careers as many students enjoy exploring campus in their first month of

university. March is an effective time to paint the cannon because with winter exams fast

approaching, many services can be offered around that time. September and March are also tend

to have some of the warmest temperature averages throughout the fall and winter semesters,

which are the times when students enjoy spending time on campus the most

(http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CAXX0181). With the

Cannon being almost at the center of campus, the library could use this to their advantage.

Students often walk past the Cannon on their way to and from class and many are interested in

seeing how the Cannon is painted each day. Painting the Cannon is an inexpensive way to create

on campus awareness for the Library Facebook page that each student can relate to.

Gift Cards Contests and Giveaways: Since being in university is a very big expense for many

students, many of them would love the opportunity to obtain free giveaways. For the Facebook

page, an arrangement could be made throughout the first eight weeks of the launch to give away

something for free to a random student or alumni who “likes” the page. The free giveaways

could include gift certificates from hospitality, which would not incur many costs for the

university, or the library could receive sponsors such as Chapters to receive a free Kobo E-

Reader.

Flash Mob: Another way to gain attention from students would be to create a flash mob. A flash

mob consists of a large group of people whose objective is to gain attention through dancing or

an act (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/flash-mob-participate-examples/). The Library could

obtain various students or Peer Helpers interested in creating a flash mob to perform it on the

busiest parts of campus. This will create much needed attention for the Library Facebook page,

while creating a feeling of on campus spirit.

Library Desktop Computers: The Library computers are open to use for any students, giving

them access to the Internet and document creating software. An easy way for the Library to

obtain “likes” would be to change the backgrounds of the desktop computers in the library saying

to “like” the page as well as putting a link to the page on the desktop for easy access. An

example of what the computers could say is: Like the Library Facebook page for study tips and

giveaways! This way an incentive is given for students to like the page and since they are

already on the computer a link could be posted which would lead to the Facebook page.

Tour Groups- In order to get information out to incoming students about the Library Facebook

page, it is vital for the tour guides to be educated on what the Library has to offer and to tell

prospective incoming students about the page. Incoming students are often very excited about

starting university and they often enjoy finding out about various on campus activates. The

Library Facebook page would also help display Guelph‟s great campus spirit and would perhaps

facilitate the student‟s decision when picking which university they want to go to. Capturing the

attention of incoming students with a Facebook page is important because they will be likely to

“like” the page with the excitement of university and entering a new chapter of their lives.

Word of Mouth Marketing- A great and effective way to create awareness for the Library

Facebook page is through word of mouth marketing. Word of mouth marketing builds trust

through sharing information through relationships (http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-

media-marketing/word-of-mouth-marketing/). One is more likely to trust a friend or a co-worker

telling them to “like” a Facebook page for a library than a random group of people telling them to

“like” the Facebook page. By getting students, staff and Peer Helpers to like the Library

Facebook page and by telling their friends, a great starting fan base can be established, growing

each day through word of mouth marketing.

Media strategies and execution In order to achieve the marketing and overall communication objectives there are four

main media strategies that will be implemented. The first of these media strategies is the use of

posters. Posters were chosen as part of the media strategy because they take an overall

perspective of the situation. Advertisers in general love to use outdoor advertising because it

offers tremendous impact, coverage and share of voice with the intended target audience (Ward,

1998). In order to ensure that this media strategy is properly executed the posters would ideally

be placed in the display cases in the lobby of the McLaughlin library, where students sit and wait

for their friends or partners for group projects. This is an ideal spot since it is the natural place for

people‟s eyes to wander as they wait. These posters would also be placed in residence halls and

elevators across campus, as well as in the coop bookstore, OSAP pick up and buss pass pick up

locations. These places will give the posters the best exposure to the target audience in a way that

students will be able to constantly be reminded about the library Facebook page. The second

strategy implemented would be the use of business cards and flyers. In order to execute this

strategy effectively these flyers would be slipped into books when students check them out of the

library, they will be handed out when the library hosts workshops or Student Learning Group

sessions, and they will be given to students after they receive help from library services such as

IT or research help. The main idea in handing these out is that students are often on the go and do

not necessarily have the time to sit down and talk to library staff about all of the resources

offered. These flyers that are handed to students are a great way to let students know about the

library Facebook page, without interfering with their busy schedule. Email notifications would be

the next media strategy. We would execute this strategy by attaching a message about the

Facebook page with CSA emails and by sending out specialized emails to student‟s gryph mail

accounts with the link and details about the page. As well, professors would be asked to email

their classes with the library link and information, as well as putting a link to the library

Facebook page on their course outlines at the beginning of each semester. Email notifications are

a cheap, fast and convenient way to announce that the library now has a Facebook page

accessible to everyone. By utilizing the gryph mail database these email notifications will reach

everyone in the primary target group. The last media strategy to be implemented would be to put

an announcement about the library Facebook page on the University of Guelph homepage under

the Campus News heading. Everyone who enters the University of Guelph website will have the

chance to see that the library now has a Facebook page. These people are already on the Internet

and could easily check out the Facebook page for themselves with a few clicks of the mouse. In

the end, with the implementation of these four media strategies the overall marketing and

communication objectives will be effectively met, and the library Facebook page will have a

successful future.

Flow chart/activity schedule After careful consideration it was decided that the advertising and media activity schedule

would follow a pulse schedule. This pulse schedule involves scheduling advertising in flights but

with different weights and durations (Tuckwell, 2011). Although the schedule may look random,

the weight and frequency of the spending patterns are carefully rationalized (Tuckwell, 2011). In

working with a tight budget of $1,000 it was best to spread out the weight and duration of the

advertising flights as can be seen in Exhibit 1.

Advertising will be at its highest levels during the months of August, September,

November, January and March. These months are the best time to reach, and grab student‟s

attention to the resources offered by McLaughlin Library. Starting to remind students in August

about all that is offered at the library brings the library once again to the forefront of students‟

minds. It also offers new first year students a chance to get involved and understand what the

library offers before they even attend their first class. September is an important month not only

for the library Facebook page, but also for students. Students want to start the new school year

off on the right page; by advertising at a high level during this month students will learn what the

library Facebook page can do to help. This is an opportunity for the Facebook page to attain a

high level of “likes”. In November, posters and flyers and other creative strategies will again be

put into action to remind students about how the library Facebook page can help them find

seminars and offerings to help students with exam preparation and getting final project finished.

Much like in September, January is an important month. Advertising and promotion of the library

Facebook page will be high, remind students to “like” the page in order to find resources and

information to make the winter semester a successful one. Lastly, in March it is important to

again peak students interest in “liking” the Facebook page, by doing so students will be able to

effectively prepare for their final exams with the aid of library resources.

During the months of October, December, February and April advertising will be at a

medium level. Advertising will not bombard students, however, there will be subtle reminders

such as posters and intermittent email notifications. During these months, students typically are

getting into their routine of studying and finding a pattern that works for them. There will

however, still be reminders throughout campus that by “liking” the library Facebook page they

could find their resources or finish projects more conveniently with the quick two way

communication achieved on Facebook. Additionally, in December, February, and April students

are not on the University of Guelph campus for the whole month. In December students go home

for Christmas break, in February students leave for reading week and in April students leave

almost as soon as they are finished with their exams. During these months it is important to not

waste advertising money from the budget when students are not on campus.

Lastly, in the months of May, June and July there will be no advertising for the library

Facebook page. The vast majority of students are not enrolled in classes during the summer

months on campus and thus will not be using the library offerings during these months.

In the end pulse medial scheduling was chosen because the highest amounts of advertising will

occur when students are on campus and in need of the library resources during the semester, and

cutting media when students are no longer on campus.