Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

You know your students better than anyone. Everything you need to know to reach them on social media is at your fingertips. Why guess at what platforms they are on when you can simply ask them as they come into the store. Start that dialogue with students and use it to offer them a service they want through your social media efforts. Today we are going to discuss how to determine where to find your audience and how to make your page an asset to them.

In an effort to drive more traffic into their store and away from online retailers during rush, the staff at UC Davis Stores was struggling to come up with ideas that would meet those goals. Last year, they tried giving away t-shirts to entice students to come visit the store, which worked in the sense that that event was popular, but ultimately came up short of expectations when the store underestimated its audience and ran out of shirts in about 10 minutes. Back to the drawing board.

Building a fanbase on social media isn’t as hard as you think. It boils down to knowing how the platforms work, understanding your audience and offering a variety of content. Once you master these elements, apply consistently. Your posts can experience what I call the web effect — a reach that builds itself as friends influence each other’s choices. Over the next three Fridays, we’re going break down how each of these aspects — platforms, audience, variety — should influence what you do on a day-to-day basis.

Welcome to the social media spectacular!

Inventory feels like a four-letter word for many bookstores. After all, you only get so many opportunities a year to take inventory. It needs to get done to help ensure you order enough used books to serve your students and there never seems to be an easy way to do it.

But what if there were ways to make everything in your physical inventory process go more smoothly and with fewer problems? Thankfully with these tips in mind, it's easier than you might think to make the inventory count less stressful and time-consuming for you and your staff.

College stores are in a hard position. Stuck in the middle, everyone wants something. Students want lower costs. Faculty want their students to have their books in time for class. Administration wants to see the store make a profit. Making all three channels happy isn’t an easy task. Utilizing the principle of economy of scale can help you achieve that.

For many college stores, summer means a slower pace and less foot traffic. Though it can be tough to come up with new ways to make your store stand out,  knowing what other stores have tried can be a big time-saver. That was the case for Director of Campus Stores Margo Ketels of the University of Dubuque's Babka Bookstore, who found inspiration right here on Foreword Online.

“There’s always that stigma of the bookstore trying to gouge the student,” said Aztec Shops’ Campus Stores Division Director Kathy Brown. Establishing customer trust has been key to the San Diego State University college store’s success.

Since "A New Hope" premiered in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has been one of the most successful and beloved media franchises in the world. In fact, the unofficial holiday "Star Wars Day" is celebrated by fans on May 4 — a pun off of the phrase "May the Force be with you."

It gave University Stores at Kennesaw State University something to celebrate as well. The store took the concept and ran with it for the week of May 2-6, offering a sale for 25% off Star Wars merchandise, and using a Star Wars theme to spruce up its display windows and advertise its rental returns.

Coming across a fun marketing idea when it is too late to implement is disappointing. As the year progresses, there are naturally times when setting up marketing events is easier than others, but the good ideas rarely seem to fall in those moments. Take advantage of one of the slower times of the year by making a plan. This month, instead of offering a single idea, we have 10 social media marketing events you can personalize and line up throughout the year to fit your schedule.