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Join ABA’s April 23 Marketing Meetup to Learn About Virtual Events Planning
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On Thursday, April 23, at 11:00 a.m. ET, following up on the success of the April 9 meetup on the same topic, the American Booksellers Association will present a Marketing Meetup on virtual events.
With readers staying home and bookstores in various states of closure due to COVID-19, staying connected with customers and the local community is vitally important. Virtual events are quickly becoming one of the main ways to keep that connection. In this session, booksellers will hear from three guest speakers who have held virtual events recently, using three different platforms, and who will offer tips and recommendations.
Guest speakers will include:
- Liz Decker of Caprichos Books in Bel Air, Maryland
- Kimberly McNamara of Read It Again in Suwanee, Georgia
- Cassie Riva of An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts
- Roseann Backlin of Love’s Sweet Arrow in Tinley Park, Illinois
The following week, on April 30, ABA will host a Marketing Meetup on virtual events but with publisher panelists, who will share what online platforms they are using, any tips/tricks/best practices they have come up with, what types of events are being held, how they are deciding whether to ticket or offer free events, what they are contributing to bundles, and how they work with the bookstores and the platforms they are using.
The May 7 Marketing Meetup will focus on retaining new customers, as stores are seeing an increase in online sales. For this two-part session, Jordan Brannon of Coalition Technologies, who previously partnered with ABA for an SEO session during Winter Institute, will return to offer expert guidance on this subject. “We’re interested in helping independent bookstores achieve sustainable growth and an engaged, loyal audience through proven digital marketing techniques,” said Brannon. “The session will focus on message-based marketing, SEO, SEM, social media, and more.”