Foreword Online

Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers



What’s Your New Year’s Anti-Resolution?

Posted by Dean Asher on 12/1/15 2:36 PM

Why start the year off with a to-do list that often never gets done?

Let’s be honest. More often than not, resolutions fall apart before the end of the year. We make every effort to get to the gym, eat better or travel more, but by the end of the year, we’re back to where we started.

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How Twitter Makes It Easy to Pick Your Students' Brains

Posted by Dean Asher on 11/17/15 11:00 PM

In the past, it was totally possible to find out exactly what you wanted to learn from your students over Twitter — if they took the time to write out an answer, and if you tracked replies, followed hashtag or got your followers to favorite or retweet corresponding tweets.

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'Up' Sales Using [Down,] Periscope!

Posted by Joe Clarkin on 11/1/15 1:07 PM

If you haven’t heard of it before, Periscope is a new app that uses live streaming video to reach followers anytime, anyplace. All a Periscope user has to do is pull out his or her phone, open the app, and start filming. Their followers will get a notification on their phone saying that User X has just gone live, thereby encouraging them to tune in and see what’s happening.

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Laugh Off Bookstore Misconceptions by Reading Mean Tweets

Posted by Kate Seat on 8/1/15 12:00 AM

In a perfect world, every customer interaction would be… well, perfect. Satisfied shoppers would leave your store with a smile, vowing to return soon to purchase more. Then, they’d promptly tweet, like, post and rate their experience on any/all social networks they patronize, encouraging their friends and family members to also visit your store to buy copious amounts of merchandise.

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In UMBC Bookstore Twitter Contests, Everyone Wins

Posted by Kate Seat on 3/29/15 11:00 PM
Are you active on Twitter? Whether you tweet several times a day or are just getting started, many stores out there could take a lesson from the efforts of the UMBC Bookstore. There’s always something happening on their Facebook page and Twitter feed, thanks in large part to Erin McGonigle, the store’s marketing and online sales coordinator.
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Old Post Bookstore Offers Prizes for Spring Break Pics

Posted by Kate Seat on 3/9/15 3:11 AM

It's March and you know what that means: All over the country, campuses are beginning to empty as students make a beeline for their spring break destinations. No matter where they travel, you can bet that they’ll have their phones in hand — so a great way to keep interaction up is by running some kind of giveaway (like a photo contest) through your store’s social media accounts. This is the third year that the Old Post Bookstore has invited their customers to share spring break pictures featuring Vincennes University gear for a chance to win gift cards to the store.

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What Will Social Media Look Like in 25 Years?

Posted by Joe Clarkin on 10/6/14 11:00 PM

In an article from CNBC, Director of Social Media Mary Catherine Wellons polled experts from around the social media industry about what they think will social media will look like in 2039, 25 years from now. Check out the excerpt from Wellons' article below, and read her full article here. What do you think social media look like in 25 years?

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Elizabethtown College Store Flashes Back to the ‘90s

Posted by Kate Seat on 9/22/14 3:16 AM

The ‘90s may have been, like, the coolest decade ever. (You don’t have to convince us; just check out this marketing plan.) And we aren't the only ones flashing back — the Elizabethtown College Store dedicated a whole day last week to celebrating the ‘90s, with special sales, games, prizes and plenty of social media interaction inspired by everything fresh from back in the day.

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URI Bookstore Welcomes Freshmen with Great Prizes

Posted by Kate Seat on 7/20/14 11:00 PM

URI orientationWant a fun way to welcome incoming freshmen? Why not give them the chance to win great prizes? The staff at the URI Bookstore opened their doors and made the newcomers feel right at home by holding a raffle during Freshman Orientation.

With prizes including an iPad Air, a gift card to the bookstore and free textbooks for the fall semester, both staff and students were excited and engaged. This was a smart way to introduce the incoming students to the store and also kicked off a school year that promises to be chock-full of customer interaction with other targeted promotions and contests scheduled throughout.

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The Blue Colt Bookstore Switches Gears During Buyback

Posted by Kate Seat on 6/15/14 11:00 PM

Buyback can be a tense time for everyone, so why not switch gears and make it a little more fun? The Blue Colt Bookstore did just that when they decided to offer their students a chance to win one of eight retro-styled bicycles, just for coming in and selling back their textbooks.

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