We are on a mission to make sure every school
who wants to access the services of an SLS is able to have the option.
And that every school in the UK understands the unique benefits of School Library Services.
Campaign Results
(Autumn 2023 & Spring 2024)
We can't control everything,
but we can make waves of influence.
School budgets, competition for resources and access to school leaders is outside of our control. What we can do is increase awareness of SLSs, influence school leaders by educating them about the value of using an SLS and routinely inspire visitors to send an enquiry.
Over four years of the running the SLS UK we have invested in sophisticated planning, built up a wealth of insights and now have a campaign that is punching well above its weight compared to industry averages.
Here is an overview of this year's two term campaign:
SNAPSHOT
Generated 77 referrals to 30 different SLSs
The SLS UK campaign became a national campaign three years ago. While we can't control where the enquiries come from (wouldn't that be nice), we do use advertising and sophisticated campaign planning to ensure the broadest reach.
76% of referrals 'Useful or Very Useful'
After every referral to an SLS, we send out a quick follow up questionnaire. According to this year's results, over 3/4 of SLSs are rating referrals as useful or very useful. So we must be doing something right.
Poor responsiveness reduced by 55%
Every enquiry is now qualified, which means we have been abe to improve the quality and reduce poor responsive rates by 55% on the previous year. Also everyone wants something for free, which is why we're working hard to manage expectations better.
86% of Schools 'Satisfied or Very Satisfied'
When an enquiry is made by a school, they receive a series of automated emails from the campaign to help convince them of the value of the service. The final one is a satisfaction survey.
Membership has grown at a slower pace
An area to watch is a slight reduction in the pace of membership growth amongst schools. We think this connected to the drop in the webinar series and have new ideas for 2024-25.
Webinars attendance has declined
We use webinars to act as an incentive to join as a member of the website and receive monthly newsletters. However, reflecting the national picture, webinar attendance is struggling.
ENGAGEMENT
48% web visits from organic search
In total, there were 7,475 unique web visits over the Winter (2023) and Spring (2024) terms. What's remarkable is that 48% were from organic search and organic social results - this shows the website is being seen as a trusted source by the likes of Google and Facebook.
Search result profile is working
Google searches for 'SLS', 'School Library Service' and 'SLS UK' generated 14,213 results over the two terms. This indicates that the campaign is building a great profile and is being recognised across search engines.
Historic content punching above its weight
Content produced as far back as 2020 is still generating high levels of landing page results. For example, Lighting the Way: The Match Girls Strike of 1888, published in 2020 contributed 2.3% of all visits.
43% average open rate
The open rates of our monthly membership newsletters to teachers is above the industry benchmark of 41.31%. It shows the campaign is clearly valued as relevant amongst the membership.
High 6.3% average engagement rate
Across social media, our engagement rate is well above the industry average for a B2B campaign of 1% - 3.5%. It might feel shocking that numbers are this low, but social media is a very busy space.
Average session is 2m 05s
Again, this might feel like a very short amount of time (but remember, it's an average) and it is above the industry average of 1m 35s for B2B sites.
VALUE FOR MONEY
Low cost referral rate
The cost of the campaign divided by the volume of referrals works out at c.£150 per referral. We think this is good value for money, as you'd probably spend more if you were doing it on your own from scratch.
Enquiries cover a national picture
The campaign is focused on building awareness, engagement and action across the whole of the country. And enquiries match this reality - they come from everywhere and no one county or borough dominates.
Content is open to all
Many SLSs regularly thank us for producing content that they can share on social media or send directly to their schools. With limited budgets and even more limited resources, this offers everyone value.
Fair system for referrals
We have developed a sophisticated automated matching process (with a little bit of human help). When a referral comes in we'll always match it, in the first instance, to the SLS in the Local Authority area.
Gaining marketing knowledge
Every SLS who has been actively involved in the campaign has said they gained marketing knowledge, useful insights and felt more motivated as a result. We think this definitely represents value for money.
Subject to demand
If we had a magic wand, we'd use it to sprinkle fairy dust across the country. Alas...we don't and nor do we have much influence on where enquiries come from. However, we do keep try new ideas every year.
