Proven Tactics for Children's Bookselling Cafferky's Bonus Handouts from the 1997 ABA-CBC Book Fair in Chicago How to find and inspire "Market Havens" How to find and inspire "Product Aficionados" What Gets Children Enthusiastic about Books?
The constant challenge in word-of-mouth marketing is identifying, inspiring and then thanking opinion leaders. Below is a sample list of where to find these opinion leaders and the types of things you can do to inspire them to recommend you to others. Though it is low-cost, word-of-mouth is not free. It does require your commitment to become the place to turn for value on children's books.
1. Establish a frequent buyer program such as "The Page Turner's Club", "Book Binders", or a catchy title you want. Manage consumer expectations by informing customers ahead of time if you are going to place any time limits on the program.
2. Interview customers to determine who has the largest collections of children's books. These are "product enthusiasts" and are looked up to for advice on where to get good value in children's books. Conduct a contest to help you find these people. The prize can be first, second, and third prize for the households with the most children's books. Use an in-store point of purchase display describing the contest and giving the rules. Ask your customers to recommend their friends to sign up who have large book collections.
3. Conduct a "Story Hour" reading in the store. Use some of the other ideas in this list as guidelines for selecting and featuring books.
4. Put up a point of purchase display comparing the values and prices you offer with other sources for books. Market mavens and product enthusiasts are interested in this type of information to pass on to others.
5. Record a short video tape containing information about the newest books available. This information can be in the form of short book reviews, suggestions for activities that parents can do with their children along with the book, etc. Loan the video to your most loyal customers. When they return the video, give them a certificate good for a discount off any book on the tape.
6. Conduct a summer reading program but make it more exciting than any other reading program in the community. Punctuate various points in the program with special arts and crafts day at the store (for a fee to cover supplies). Give prizes for the reading accomplishments. Arrange for the prize-winning children to be featured on a local radio station. Ideas include interviews with children, letting children read a story on the radio. Here's a bonus idea that can be added to any reading program: Have the children who regularly attend the Story Hour to vote on their favorite stories. If a child attends the story hour he or she gets to vote and in so doing is entered into a free drawing for a gift book. Be sure to check out and abide by your state or local laws regarding drawings, raffles and sweepstakes. Ask older children to read to younger children (with adult supervision). This will help you identify the best readers.
7. Someday do a small group comparison reading of the different versions of one of the popular children's stories such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Ridinghood. Find cross-cultural versions of the stories to read. Engage the children in a compare and contrast discussion of the similarities and differences.
8. Have a "staff dress up" day or week a few times each year where each employee is encouraged to dress like a character in a "favorite" book. Announce this event to your loyal customers and encourage them to bring their children dressed as characters. Have the books on display that correspond with the characters. Celebrate the children's costumes. Give a prize for the best dressed character of the day.
9. Post in your store a current copy of your "Suggested Reading Lists" that you give to schools. Inform customers of how you are supporting local education professionals in this way. Assist customers in finding or ordering books on the list.
10. At the beginning of your Saturday Morning story hour, light a simple candle as a symbol of what a special time reading is. Let the candle remain in view during the reading of the story. Children are fascinated with candles and love to watch the flame as they listen to the story. Observe common safety precautions with the open flame.
11. Organize a "bus trip" into your store or into the children's section of the store. The bus trip can work for any organization, however you may need to limit the number of bodies coming into the store. Ask the collaborating organization to send one adult for every two or three children to assist in maintaining decorum.
12. Develop twelve monthly themes to use throughout the year. With some research, you may be able to find out the themes that a local school uses in the classrooms. Feature books that correspond with the theme for that month. Advertise ahead of time in the local newspaper "community bulletin board" section. Decorate your children's book store to match the theme. Plan special activities that reinforce the theme's values. Let children make decorations. Of course the Seasons offer many options, but don't limit yourself to the what comes to mind first. Think about these as themes: "How To . . .", "Humor", "Science Experiments", "Family Traditions". You will be able to think of a lot more.
13. Collaborate with local authors for book signings.
14. Co-sponsor a "Children's Book Writer's Conference" for youth and adults with the local community college or local writers club. Ask to have someone from your store on the faculty to give a presentation on some aspect of children's books. Host the conference in your store.
15. For your six or eight week Summer Reading program: Every Monday morning mothers can stop in the store to pick up that week's activity sheet free of charge. (See "Using Other Media #3 below). Hand out the activity sheet with every children's book sold. These activity sheets should contain information about a craft or art activity, a game or other activity, a choice of several good books to read.
16. Start a mail order business from the back of the store. This will not only bring in additional revenue. It will help you identify the market mavens and product enthusiasts.
1. Get permission to send one of your employees as a volunteer to a local elementary school once per month to read new books to students in the library or in a class room.
2. Invite parents to be on a mailing list where they receive a recommended book list for their child in a certain age group. Automatically "age" the list every year and supply updated book lists based on children's new ages. Distribute the registration form at school and in your store. Kick the program off with a donation of a few books to the school who supports this program with you.
3. Offer to assist teachers and librarians to keep their "Suggested Reading Lists" current. See #9 above.
4. Co-sponsor the spring or fall science fair with a school and give science-related books to the blue ribbon winners.
5. Feed teachers with ideas on learning activities they can do in the class room that corresponds with favorite books. Yes, this will require you to constantly search for creative ideas. Over time, you will become known as the "expert" on integrating reading with learning activities.
6. Offer to collaborate with a local teacher or two to help them develop learning unit themes. Brain storm together learning activities that involve a variety of skills such as reading, writing, drama, math, social studies, etc.
7. Ask the local school when they plan to have children's book authors to visit their campus. Contact the author and offer to host a book signing event around the same time.
8. Inform all elementary school teachers about your Themes, Special activities, Summer Reading Programs, Special Radio programs, and collaboration with other organizations such as the community theater. Teachers are tremendous opinion leaders. The more they are educated about your passion for reading, the more they will support you.
9. Offer a book search service for local elementary school teachers. The teacher gives you a topic, you provide a list of good books the teacher can use in the class room and can recommend to parents. Teachers are not your competitors unless you treat them that way. They can be some of your biggest allies.
1. Supply a few books to a local pediatrician office in exchange for the physician's office giving book lists to mothers.
2. Organize a reading tutoring program with a local organization. Recruit and train volunteers (local community college or high school students). Collaborate with the host organization on promotion.
3. Co-sponsor a "Story Hour" reading with the YMCA, YWCA, Brownies, Cub Scouts, or any other organization that prizes learning.
4. Collaborate with a community theater group to co-host a special dramatic reading program. This could be the opening act for one of their popular plays or as a stand alone program. Recruit and audition children as the readers and ask the theater troupe to help you select the best readers. Feature readers of different age groups and give certificates of appreciation plus lots of recognition in the press and in your store before and after the event. Work with the theater stage director to set up the dramatic reading "set" including props and lighting. In the lobby display or sell the story books that were read during the performance. If you sell the books offer to give a per cent of the net to the theater group for fund raising. Invite the local media in for the event including photographers, local radio and TV personalities and news gatherers.
5. Collaborate with a local college: Elementary Education students look for opportunities to interact with children. Plug these students into your reading program, your reading tutoring program, and the drama. Supply book lists to college faculty to distribute to students. Offer to give a guest lecture on children's books. Offer to give a guest lecture on blending reading with other fun learning activities. Give demonstrations on "how to read to children".
6. Co-sponsor a children's writing program and publish some of the children's work in connection with the local newspaper or with a local printer. If you publish a story book, ask a local printer to partner with you. The printer can display and sell these books in his print shop, too. Create writing contest application forms available at your store and at the local printer or newspaper office. Include children's illustrations with the stories they write. Divide children into various age groups for prizes. For young children ask them to simply dictate their story for an adult to write down for them. Older children and youth can write a story from scratch or you can supply the main characters and they create the story. A variation is to give the basic story to the youth and ask them to re-write the story from another character's perspective. Display the children's writing in a prominent place in your store.
1. Send to the local newspaper your list of monthly in-store "Themes" and services to the community that you will be doing for the year. Tip off the newspaper photographer that the stuff and activities in the store will make great photo pieces.
2. Offer to coordinate a local "Radio Story Time" program of either 5, 10 or 15 minutes long. Your store supplies the stories and the trained reader as a community service. Feature a variety of books.
3. Sponsor a "Children's Activity of the Week" with a local radio station or local newspaper. If on radio, record a 60 second or 120 second community service spot that contains information for parents on an activity they can plan and do with their children. Each activity should be tied in some way with a story to emphasize the importance of reading to children. (See "In-store Activities" #15 above.)
Proven Tactics for Children's Bookselling Cafferky's Bonus Handouts from the 1997 ABA-CBC Book Fair in Chicago How to find and inspire "Market Havens" How to find and inspire "Product Aficionados" What Gets Children Enthusiastic about Books?
Get your own Free Home Page