The beauty of online social networks is that they can create a strong sense of community among your customers. Like bookstores themselves, social networks can be places for discussion—and it’s up to you to engage people. Don’t just tell them things; seek their input and stand back while they unleash it. People love to identify themselves by what they read. It’s your job, as a retailer, to listen. Put aside your desire to sell books—your goal should be to start a conversation. Succeed at that and the sales will follow.
At Powell’s, if we’ve learned anything from our Facebook efforts, it’s that our fans expect us to share unique information. They don’t want us to tell them about the gigantic blockbusters (sorry, Dan Brown), and some of them even appear to be insulted when we do. They are more interested in the titles flying under the radar—the diamonds in the rough. And that makes sense, since that mirrors the experience of getting lost in the stacks at our brick-and-mortar locations.
A good example of something that worked well for us was when we linked to a book called Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials. It was the perfect Facebook storm. The post, about a relatively unknown title that combined a passion for books with DIY craft culture, saw more clicks and sales than any other product page we’ve posted. Seventy-six people clicked on the “Like” icon, and a month later we’re still selling books through that post.
We also ran a “Fan Appreciation” promotion, where we asked people to enter to win a bundle of books by telling us why they were a fan. Self-indulgent? Sure. Successful? Lord, yes! We got 226 comments, which included some pretty moving anecdotes. Many shared what we’ve meant to them during hard times, and one woman even recounted how she met her husband in our literature section—near Iris Murdoch.
If I were to offer one piece of advice, it’s this: throw all of your expectations and traditional marketing reflexes out the window. Operate under the assumption that you don’t really know anything about your customers until they tell you. Obviously, they’re not carbon copies of each other, but trends will surface. It’s your job to try out different things and measure the results.
| Author Information |
| Megan Zabel is marketing and promotions coordinator at Powell’s Books, Portland Ore. |
More articles from PW's Viral Issue:The Viral Loop
by Adam L. Penenberg
The Networked Agent by Kate LeeSharing Is Caring by Ellen ArcherVirtual Book Tours by Kevin Smokler and Chris AndersonCreating Your Viral Loop on Twitter by Rachel SterneBlogging as Multiplier Effect by Adam L. PenenbergSoapbox: Where Ideas Go to Die, Not Spread by Seth Godin
