Bookshops. Social engagement starts at the door.
There is an independent bookshop not far from me which has a way to go before they are properly socially engaged. There is the local engagement with the customers, there is Twitter and of course Facebook but let’s not forget Foursquare, Gowalla or any of the other location based services.
One of my gripes is that when walking into the shop they will happily sell you a book, as long as they don’t have to break off their conversation with each other for too long. This isn’t really how to get the best out of your relationship with the customers who support you.
I’ve spent a lot of time, in the past, working in a retail setting where I was taught that you don’t sell anything unless you communicate with the customer. This was my father’s shop where he sold antique furniture (mostly restored Pine, much of it restored by me) to people from all over the world. Engagement with and education of the customer were vital to keeping the money flowing in.
I also used to sell second-hand cookery books in a local cookshop and it was remarkable how the decision to buy is affected by how attentive you are to the customer. Too much attention and you can lose the sale, too little and the customer will just wander away money unspent. You know your subject why not help you customer with that knowledge.
Make the link between talking with customers, creating loyalty and the online equivalent of finding new followers/fans.
You get lots of chances as a local bookshop. People will always be passing by. However, have you created a strong bond with them so they think of you, not Amazon, first. Online you may not be so lucky, once you’re unfollowed that’s usually it, you have to maintain the conversation.
Check out what others are up to. An excellent example of an independent making good use of Twitter is @gutterbookshop in Dublin. Lots of chat and they always respond to mentions on Twitter. What are the big guns like @Waterstones up to and check out the smaller chains like @Foyles.
Does your literature show your social networking places? Whether it is bookmarks, postcards, posters or flyers you need to tell people in the ‘real’ world about your presence in the virtual marketplace that is the Web.
Are you on the map? Can potential visitors get your location and directions easily? This is where your website, or Facebook page can come in very useful.
How well do you support local authors? Not all local bookshops do as much as they can for their locally based writers. It may be down to the writer, their publicist or the haughty response you give them which puts them off. Do yourself and your community a favour and promote local writing.
Don’t just chat to your colleagues, it’s downright rude. Quite often people will want to talk about what they are buying. You can help validate that decision and ensure repeat business.
Unfamiliar face? Say hello, make yourself available to chat. Not very good at that sort of thing then employ someone who is. Remember, first impressions last. If you get the double entendre there then you will know that it works both ways!
If you’re on Twitter or Facebook then make sure you are keeping the conversation going. @Foyles have fun competitions running every week and people just adore winning books!
There is a distinction between organic growth and SEO based growth so it is worth discovering what they differences are. I’m largely organic myself.
I should run a course on this really.
What is your experience of independent bookshops as a customer and if you run an independent bookshop you can use the comment forms to tell me I’m wrong or that it’s just too difficult and you’ve given up. Success stories to inspire others are encouraged!
Why #FridayReads is such a cool idea.
If you can read then you have the potential to escape into other worlds, to teach yourself new things and to gain new insights into the world around you.
Looking around the tube train carriage on the way to and from work I often see about half of the passengers reading something. Magazines, books, documents and so on. It’s like a vast travelling library.
FridayReads is another great way to get an insight into what everybody is reading at the moment. Not just those near to you but from all over the world. I think that makes it a very cool thing to be involved in.
Anyone can join in. It doesn’t matter what you are reading, or listening to in the case of #FridayListens.
Sharing what we are reading provides great real time feedback for authors and publishers.
We’re not looking at sales of books we are seeing the actual books that people are reading. This is different to the live best sellers lists you see on Amazon or other book sites.
You get to meet many people who love reading and literature as much as you do. I’ve met many lovely people on Twitter and look forward to meeting many more. You don’t have to be enjoying what you are reading to join in!
Many people participate for the fun of #FridayReads and many join in because there are regular giveaways. Some are the official, organised by Bethanne Patrick (@thebookmaven) and there are many others from publishers, publicists and authors chipping in and offering free eBooks.
FridayReads participation is huge. There are over 5000 people take place each week and over time our participation is – easily – over 25,000 people (I promise to work that figure out one day). You can join in on Facebook or Twitter by using the #FridayReads hashtag. Avid audio book fans can use the #FridayListens hashtag.
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