- Categories:Indies First [1]Events [2]
The Countdown to the 10th Annual Indies First is On! [3]
- By Courtney Wallace [4]
The 10th Anniversary of Indies First on Small Business Saturday is just over a month away! In addition to in-store and window display posters [5] to promote the November 26 event, here are some other resources and tips to get the word out for your store.
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Log into BookWeb to see a range of special publisher offers for booksellers [6].
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Visit ShopSmall.com [7] for materials to promote Small Business Saturday and your store. You can also find Indies First specific marketing materials on BookWeb.
- Libro.fm is doing a “Shop Small, Give Big” Sale! Audiobook credit bundles [8] will be 10% off for customers starting November 23–28. Libro.fm has provided a Selling Audiobook Gifts guide [9] which includes a holiday checklist and calendar. Booksellers can direct customers to the Libro.fm Holiday page [10] and reach out to the team with questions at bookstores@libro.fm [11]. For October and November, here are to-dos for booksellers to promote audiobook gifting at their stores:
- Personalize your Libro.fm homepage: add a cover image, update your bookstore description, and create or update playlists which are featured on your Libro.fm home page. Watch this video [12] to learn how.
- Promote credit bundles via your website, in-store handouts, email, and social media. Use these assets [13] to promote.
- Tell your customers about the special holiday offer: when they buy a Libro.fm credit bundle, they’ll get to choose a holiday listen for themselves!
- Send an audiobook gifting email. Get started with draft copy [14] and graphics [15] and add your Libro.fm customers to your email distribution.
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Post photos of your events on social media using #IndiesFirst. We plan to “like” and repost as much as possible. We’ll be sharing the news on IndieBound’s Facebook [16] and Twitter [17], as well as on ABA’s Instagram [18] account.
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Do your local newspapers, bloggers, and radio stations know your plans? Look through your community’s event listings (online and in print) and consider who might be doing a holiday story, or who would have an interest in covering independent retail, bookstores, or the authors coming to your store.
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Do any local media outlets have Facebook pages that you can add a comment to, or accounts you can interact with via tweet?
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Now is a great time to use your social media channels to boost the importance of shopping local this season. See AMIBA's Shop Indie Local [19] and American Express' Shop Small [7] programs for partnership opportunities and assets, or reach out to ABA if you need assistance.