Advertising on the Cheap
This story originally appeared in Children's Bookshelf on Mar. 16, 2006 Sign up now!
by Judith Rosen, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 3/16/2006
Today marks the launch of a new column, with tips from booksellers on how to build traffic, sales and customer loyalty.
Too often when booksellers consider advertising their store, they think only in terms of costly newspaper or radio ads. Joan Belongia, owner of Brown Street Books in Rhinelander, Wis., a general bookstore with a strong children's section, prefers branding her store on the cheap.
"Whenever we do an offsite event, we always put our business card in the books," Belongia says. She also adds a coupon, often 20% off the next book purchased or 25% off a specific title. Although Belongia doesn't keep an ongoing tally of how many coupons have been redeemed, she knows they're successful—they bring new customers into her store.
At offsite events, Belongia often offers goodies like a tray of lemon bars or cookies, to which she adds a tent card: Compliments of Brown Street Books. Even donations have a business card taped inside. And she keeps a big metal stand for large venues and summer street sales, which holds a laminated piece of tagboard paper with the store name in four-inch letters. To reinforce the store name at offsite events, Belongia and her staff wear magnetic pins (no telltale holes) to identify that they're with Brown Street Books.
In today's busy world, it's easy for people to forget where they are. So Belongia makes a point of ensuring that the store name is visible when customers step inside. A huge sign with Brown Street Books hangs at eye level behind the front counter, and Belongia is planning to add the store name to more signage throughout the store, including sale signs. She already stamps BookSense flyers and other give-aways with the store name, which she highlights in yellow, before putting them out for customers.
Booksellers: have any tips you want to share? Email your suggestions to Judith@twodogs.net.
