This Spring, the Multnomah County Library Levy Campaign Committee and consulting firm Winning Mark created and ran a successful place-based advocacy campaign to pass a library-preservation ballot measure. Emphasizing check-ins, recommendations, and making personal connections online, the campaign strategy paid off in a 4:1 win. This presentation walks through the strategy, complete with screenshots, lessons learned, and approach.

1. The Libraries Yes! Campaign:
Innovation in place-based advocacy
Multnomah County Library
Levy Campaign, Spring 2012

2. Background
• On January 5, the Multnomah County Board of
Commissioners voted unanimously to place a renewal of the
Library Levy on the May 15, 2012 Primary Election ballot. The
three year extension replaces the current levy which expires
June 30, 2012.
• 65% of the money it takes for the library to operate comes
from the Library Levy.
• Winning Mark (a consulting firm) approached Libraries Yes!,
the library levy campaign committee about running a
campaign for “Yes on 26-125.” The library was receptive.
• Winning Mark created a place-based campaign strategy to
support the Library Levy renewal to kick off in March 2012.

3. Assets and background
• Libraries are well-loved and respected in the
community
• Libraries are well-reviewed on place-based networks
• No one is managing those reviews
• The library is not interacting with reviewers or
members who check into place-based networks
• Large number of inactivated fans to pull from

4. Primary goals
1. Increase awareness about measure 26-125, the Library
Levy measure
2. Promote the library system itself
3. Build a base of engaged library supporters for the future
from people who self-identified as supporters
Secondary goals
1. Long tail of positive reviews and community building
2. Higher SEO for the libraries (specifically with Google
Places)

5. “Without any formal strategy by the libraries, there is so
much proactive support on the networks of people who
love the brand” – Jeff Lennan, Winning Mark

6. Launched advocacy campaign site
http://librariesyes.com

7. The Ask:
Review and rate libraries on Yelp, Foursquare,
Google Places, and Facebook Places
http://www.librariesyes.com/

8. Developed “how to” videos and tips
specific to each network
http://www.librariesyes.com/show-your-library-some-love/yelp-tips/

9. Platform-specific tips on website

10. After a check-in or review,
organizers would:
Message through Facebook
Message and connect on Yelp
Friend on FourSquare
One goal was for the campaign to be
personal

11. It is critical to use the networks as they are meant to
be used. The second you try to mold it to your own
whims, they will cry ‘foul.’
- Aly Sneider, Winning Mark

12. “We wanted to connect with people who
took the time to say they loved their
libraries”
1. 1,000+ identified supporters through the campaign
2. 300-400 people took an action to say they loved their
library across the different place-based networks
3. The campaign then had over 100 conversations with
those who took an action in order to bring them deeper
into the campaign
4. 15 volunteers from this group came into the office to
work on the campaign

13. Facebook community grew the fastest:
5,000 fans in 6 weeks!

17. Offline supports online:
80 people took photos with the “My Library”
heart around Portland

18. Offline: Library Lovers Unite event

19. Posted My Library photos to Instagram

20. Yes for Our Libraries Foursquare:
over 200 friends in four weeks!

21. Encouraged check-ins, created lists

22. Multnomah County Libraries
Foursquare list

23. Google Places strategy: reviews are
great for SEO
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=180594445063
27362687&hl=en

24. Facebook Places strategy: check-ins
and recommendations
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-
Library/113189438696130

25. Yelp
Targeted reviewers who had reviewed the libraries, and
reached out to Yelp Elite Squad. A few Elite Squad
members helped with the campaign, and one member
was very helpful in connecting to the local Yelp
community manager.

26. http://www.yelp.com/biz/multnomah-county-library-
central-portland

27. SCVNGR
http://scvngr.com/places/29558659?ref=atw

28. SCVNGR stats

30. Library Levy passes by over 4:1
margin!
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=133713781520038800

31. Post-vote FB thanks:
292 Likes and 45 Shares

32. Campaign Lessons and Takeaways
1. Yelp is not optimized for public advocacy.
2. Make the campaign fit the culture of the networks, not the other
way around.
3. Organizing is time-tested. You need to approach it from an
organizing mindset with a plan for IDs, activation, and metrics.
4. Google Places is the largest network, with the lowest network
barrier to entry, making it very accessible to all.
5. Because so many people were already on Facebook, asking them
to write recommendations was easily accomplished.
6. About Yelp Elite users: These guys know more about the network
than we do. Ask them what they think. Learn from them. Also, you
can be fairly certain that Elite users are active on other social
networks.

33. Read more about this campaign at
Community Organizer 2.0
Email: debra@communityorganizer20.com
Website: communityorganizer20.com
Blog: http://communityorganizer20.com
Linkedin: linked.com/in/debraaskanase
Twitter: @askDebra
Other slides: slideshare.net/debask
Telephone: (617) 682-2977