300 Seconds: Storytime Awareness
When visiting with customers, sometimes it’s difficult to bring everything the bookstore offers into the conversation. Take 300 seconds today and look around your store, especially in the kids section. If you forgot to mention that your store offers storytime, are there other opportunities for customers to find out about it? Here are a few options for spreading the word without opening your mouth.
- Place a semi-permanent sign in the kids section of your store. If you place the sign in a frame, this signifies that the day and time indicated are not likely to change often.
- Create a bookmark with a storytime theme that lists the day and time, store information, and appropriate ages for the event. Place one in every purchased childrens book that leaves the store.
- Don’t forget about your restroom walls. Parents and grandparents will often read what’s on your walls while they wait for Billy. (And so will Billy.)
- Even if you’ve offered storytime for years, don’t assume your regular customers already know about it. Mention the event in your store newsletter and give it placement on your website. You never know when a customer might be looking for activities for visiting nieces and nephews.
- If you know the books you’ll be featuring at storytime, create a display with upcoming selections along with a sign promoting the day and time.
Telling customers through face-to-face interaction is the best form of promotion. But it’s a good idea to have these other reminders in place as a back-up.
