MARKETING IDEAS FOR PROMOTING THE BOOKS CATEGORY IN YOUR BUSINESS

If your business is not well known for offering books it is important you promote outside the business to attract book lovers and those who buy for them to your business. Here is a list of low and no cost marketing ideas to get you thinking:

1. Encourage reading. Offer kids a discount if they come in and read a certain number of pages to others in your shop. This could be at a set time, in a space you create. Or, it could be as part of an event that you create. It encourages kids to read aloud. This is something a local school may want to support. The reward you offer does not need to be big.
2. Encourage writers. Make it known that any local writer is welcome in for a book signing event. This, hopefully, sees them leverage their network to drive traffic for you.
3. Encourage writers II. Invite writers to read from something on which they are working. It gives them a small audience for new work. Some writers would appreciate this.
4. Consider secondhand. You could create a separate section of the store that buys and sells secondhand books.
5. Reward. Book shoppers can be loyal, if you offer rewards for purchase.
6. Support Book Week.
7. Staff picks. Let shoppers know which books your people like and why.
8. Start a book club. Gather around you, connected with your shop, people who love to read books.
9. Setup a free exchange place. Have a place where people can take and leave books for free. Don't make it too big. While this may seem counterintuitive, it is designed to show you as supporting of book lovers.
10. Encourage browsing. make it easy for people to brows with comfort. The challenge here is that this is a different pace to what could be usual in your shop. Your approach needs to reflect this.
11. Socials. Talk about new books in on social media.
12. Book of the week. At the counter. Easy.

Promoting outside your shop is critical to attract locals who will not think of your shop as being a place where they can buy books.