Social media is a vital way for bookstores to connect with their communities. It’s also a way to attract customers who aren’t local but want to shop with you virtually! Whether you’re just starting your social media accounts or are looking to give your existing ones a boost, here are ideas for how to use your social accounts in ways that highlight all your store has to offer.
Goals
Social media is a tool for reaching a wider audience and amplifying the fantastic work you’re already doing. It can be used in a variety of ways, so it’s important to have a strong understanding of what your goals for each platform are (because they might be different!). If you’re just starting, your goal might be based around growth and community connection. If you have an established account, you may be focused on honing in on the best way to share information with your audience. If you’re juggling multiple accounts, your goal might be how to best utilize each for different results (such as using TikTok for engagement through funny and relatable videos and using Instagram to share local events). Your goals should be personalized to your store and your platforms.
It’s also important to understand the amount of work that goes into creating and maintaining a presence on social media. Your efforts should be scalable and not overwhelming for you or your staff.
Dos and Don’ts
Do start small
From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram to TikTok to Pinterest to YouTube, the number of social media accounts your store could potentially use may seem endless. Don’t be afraid to start small by building up the content and engagement on one specific platform. You do not need to be present on every single platform.
Don’t assume all of your patrons are on one platform
Readers are selective about which social media platforms they spend their time on. While starting small is a great first step, limiting your store to a single platform indefinitely could be cutting you off from valuable opportunities to connect with your community.
Once you have the bandwidth, consider expanding to a second social platform. Ideally, choose one that offers something different. For example, if you have a Threads account, you likely don’t need your second one to be an X account. These are both text-based platforms that function in similar ways. Instead, try expanding on Instagram or TikTok, which offer more opportunities for photo and video sharing.
Take a look at other businesses in your area to see which platforms they seem to be finding the most success with when it comes to engaging with patrons in the community. Don’t forget to use your in-house knowledge and see where your bookish team spends their time online.
Do streamline
When managing multiple platforms, you should always be looking for ways you can save yourself time and energy. It can be easy to feel pressure to create completely original copy, graphics, and campaigns for different social media platforms. But streamlining your process as much as possible will make it easier to consistently post across multiple platforms.
For example, try crossposting a Reel from Instagram to TikTok or using the event graphic and text you made for your website on Threads. Essentially, there’s no need to rewrite text you’ve already written or create a new image when one already exists!
Don’t wing it
Consistency is key on social media, and having a schedule and method for planning out your content will help to ensure that every post you make is creating forward momentum. Here are tips on how to get started!
Do find fun ways to engage with your patrons
Sharing information about your store and events is important, but focusing solely on that means that you could be missing out on opportunities for different kinds of engagement. There are tons of creative ways to connect with your followers: set up a specific time each month to offer custom book recommendations in your Instagram stories, ask followers on Threads to describe the book they’re reading in a single GIF, or challenge viewers on TikTok to duet your video with one of their own (like this one!). These small moments of interaction add up and help to create a stronger and more genuine connection between your store, staff, and patrons.
Don’t forget about accessibility
Your social media accounts should be as inclusive as possible. Some apps have built-in capabilities such as automatic captioning for videos, while others still require workarounds. Here’s a look at ways to make sure your accounts are up to par.
Draw inspiration from external sources
Pay close attention to what other bookstores, libraries, authors, and readers are using their social media channels for. This is a great way to stay in the know and to get inspiration for your channels. You may see an event hosted by an out-of-state store that you’d like to recreate at your own, or you could find a library participating in a fun trend online that you’d like to jump in on.
Just remember, if you decide to create something (be it a Thread, TikTok video, or Instagram post), be sure you give credit to the person you got the initial idea from.
Psst: Sometimes the best option is to simply share a post from another source in your stories to see how your audience engages with it—such as a reading challenge like Bookish Bingo on Booktrovert!
Don’t be afraid to take chances
Every trend has to start somewhere, right? Whether you’re testing out a different style of graphic or offering a unique spin on one-minute book reviews on TikTok, it’s important to let your creativity free and take chances when it comes to different approaches. You may be surprised by what sticks!
Do make sure you’re excited about what you’re doing
In some ways, the most important part of running a social media account is to have genuine excitement for what you’re doing with it. Don’t feel pressured to stay on top of all of the trends or to try to match the vibe of a different account. If you and your team are excited about the content you’re sharing, then your audience will be too!
Content Ideas
Promote events
From book club meetings to storytimes to conversations with authors, your bookstore likely hosts tons of events you want patrons to know about.
First, you’ll want your event promoted across every platform that you have. Think about promotion in three stages: the initial announcement, reminders, and a final boost the day of. This will help to keep your event at the forefront of people’s minds and is a great way to ensure that your audience sees your messaging. Be sure to tag any guests so they’re easily able to promote the event to their followers.
A social media graphic should include all of the information readers need: time, date, how to attend (especially if it involves registering by email), as well as relevant author photos or book covers. Create a graphic that’s easy to alter based on the different platforms you’re using, this is because the size you’ll need to use on TikTok compared to Threads will be very different. Canva is a free and excellent tool to use, and you can read our Canva tips here.
It should be posted to your feed. This ensures that it can be shared easily without losing any of the information potential attendees need (which could happen if the information is solely shared in something like an Instagram Story, which disappears after 24 hours).
If you need tips for hosting a virtual event, check out our advice here!
Take your Staff Reads online
The staff recommendations table is a beloved section of any bookstore and can easily translate into virtual content. Your team undeniably loves to read and likely enjoys offering up book recommendations. As the multitude of reader communities show, there is no shortage of ways to share book recommendations on social media. While some team members might be comfortable talking about books on video (such as in Instagram stories or TikTok), others might prefer to have theirs come in the form of a caption of an Instagram photo. You can even use a pre-made template, such as the bookshelves on Booktrovert, to create a shelfie of your team’s picks for your Instagram stories.
This sort of feature is also a fantastic way to introduce your team to even more of your patrons. Sharing recommendations consistently can help readers identify which of your store’s staff members they have the most similar reading tastes to.
Show off fun displays
Sharing in-store displays online is an excellent way to share your bookstore’s ambiance—local readers will recognize why they love your store, and non-locals will be inspired to stop by. The Ripped Bodice often shares their new window displays on social media, and sometimes takes followers behind-the-scenes in the days leading up to the big reveal to show how their windows go from idea to showstopper.
Reveal new merchandise
Consistency helps followers stay engaged with your social media channels, and it helps to ensure you don’t need to come up with unique ideas every time you’d like to post. Sharing a stack of new releases every Tuesday can help you show off what’s been added to your shelves since a follower’s last visit.
You can also make posts highlighting new items in your store like candles, mugs, and gifts! These posts are particularly helpful around the holidays to remind followers that your store can be their one-stop shop, even if they’re (heavens, forbid) buying for someone who doesn’t want a book.
Bring readers behind the scenes
Readers are fascinated by the inner workings of bookstores, so what might feel like an average day to you could be the exact thing your audience wants to see. Consider sharing small moments such as shelving new releases or big ones—like when Serendipity Books shared how they used the power of their patrons to help move to their new location.
READ NOW: Download NetGalley’s Social Media Handbook for even more tips!
