Westlake Porter Public Library
CLIENT
CAMPAIGN
Community ballot issue campaign in support of Westlake, Ohio’s independent public library with a nearly $5MM annual operating budget (as of 2016).
SITUATION
The campaign’s goal was to raise awareness and drive community support to help pass Issue 6, a 2.8 mill operating levy renewal that provides 75% of the library’s operating funds for five years.
APPROACH
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy
- Developed a “Your Place to Connect” brand and core campaign messaging
- Created all campaign graphic assets including outdoor signage, print advertising, social media graphics, web graphics, direct mail, and more
- Developed a new website, communicating the library’s value to the community, explaining what the levy issue was about, and spotlighting support from key community leaders
- Set up social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, building an online audience from scratch
- Created a social media strategy and toolkit and provided training to a team of volunteers who implemented the strategy. Elements of the Social Media toolkit included:
- Best Practices Guide and sample content
- Set up of social media content management & scheduling system
- Branded visual content templates using online design software
- Crafted a social media “How do you connect?” campaign, encouraging library patrons to post, share, and comment on videos showing how they use the library to connect
- Developed a hashtag campaign, that included: #ForIssue6 #YourPlaceToConnect and #HowDoYouConnect
RESULT
The levy passed with an 81% Yes vote — the library’s largest win ever, and by the largest margin of any ballot issue in Cuyahoga County during the 2018 primary election cycle. When a sampling of voter feedback was taken after the election, it was consistently reported that the social media campaign, branding, and outdoor signage was a key factor in raising awareness about the levy issue.
