Demco: “…Putting Big Data to Work for Libraries – At EveryLibrary, we build datasets and use targeted messaging to rally support for libraries using a fairly small budget. There are a few great sources of data about supporters, and, undeniably, one of the biggest sources is Facebook. We use the Audience Insights tool on Facebook for Business to identify trends in the group of people who have already identified themselves as people who “like” libraries. Using this tool, we can also identify the audience’s ages and genders, consumer trends, households, purchase habits and top-liked pages.

These data points allow us to create ads that target the most active and supportive groups of Americans with messaging about libraries designed just for them. This model is based on the Ladder of Engagement theory of activism. In this model people lie somewhere on a range (ladder), and the higher they are to the top of the ladder, the more likely they are to take the deepest actions, such as donating or volunteering. The lower they are on the ladder, the less likely they are to care about the cause when they are first engaged. That means by targeting groups of people who are already high on the ladder, we are able to yield much higher results and spend less money than if we paid to send our message out to everyone…”