Promote, Promote, Promote (and Winners)
Last month I conducted a little experiment. Not once did I mention our ongoing monthly display contest. Not once. How many entries did I receive?
Not one.
The contest was in its fourth month. The rules had been posted in the newsletter and on our website. The momentum was strong. So why didn’t I receive a single submission? Because I didn’t ask for one.
Too often programs are developed with a launch deadline in mind, and then they’re left to the elements. I used my display contest as an example. I can’t adopt an “if you build it they will come” attitude. Instead, I need to build it up. And then build it up some more.
So… if you have a display you’re particularly proud of, submit it to our May Display Contest. Each month, one of the photos submitted during that month will be declared the best display, and the bookstore will receive a $100 Visa or Mastercard card. Submit as many entries as you’d like, but each display can only be submitted one time. (If you’re participating in a publisher sponsored display contest, you should probably wait until that contest has ended before you submit the entry here.) The idea is to share and borrow ideas. And to make it easy.
To submit a display photo, just take a picture with your smart phone and text it to me. 316-208-3438. Be sure to include your name and the name/location of the bookstore. If you’d rather, attach the display photo to an email.
Since I consciously did not mention the display contest in April, I’d like to congratulate the winners of the March Display Contest:
- Window: The Fairy Garden, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
- In store: Guess the Book Display/Contest, The Homer Bookstore, Homer, AK
