Book of the Month: Boxes for Bookworms
I don’t know about you but I’m always ready to read. It’s my preferred pastime, especially when I’ve got a newly released piece of literary magic. Add a blanket, some coffee, and rain and you’ve got my perfect Sunday.
There really isn’t a way to beat the physical weight of a book in your hands. It’s tactile in a way that an e-reader just doesn’t compare to, and I still absolutely use my iPad and book apps.
Luckily, in the world of subscription boxes, there are many options to have books sent to your front door monthly. They’re all slightly different from each other, capitalizing on the niches presented by different genres. However, I’ll be looking into the target market of the most overarching, longest-running book subscription box: Book of the Month.
Book of the Month is self-described on their website as, “an innovative startup with a rich history — founded in 1926, relaunched in 2015, and growing at a breakneck pace ever since.”
Book of the Month is a subscription box that sends a book to subscribers each month for $14.99. The great thing about it though, is that Book of the Month curates a list of five books to choose from every month across multiple genres. Once that list is made, you’re asked if you want a book that month and choose one from that curated list to be sent to you. You can also add on up to two other books you find on the site if you’re interested. They take the guesswork out of searching for a book in a bookstore or online yourself. Instead of spending time reading jacket description after jacket description, a team of readers finds the best releases of the next month for you.
They “find the best new reads — with an emphasis on early releases, fresh perspectives, and debut authors.” Book of the Month offers a list to widen your reading horizons and explore new worlds and perspectives.
Looking at Book of the Month’s Target Market — Here’s a Breakdown
Demographics
- Age — Adults of any age
- Gender — Any
- Education — High school or more
- Marital Status — Any
- Race — Any
- Religion — Any
Geographic
- United States
Psychographics
- Values new perspectives, quiet time, efficiency, education, quality over flash, and reading
- Is self-aware, emotionally intelligent, curious, enjoy reflection and discovery, and feels the desire to travel or escape on occasion
- Is able to find time to read but values time-saving options; is busy with life events but uses reading to reflect, learn, and as a form of self-care, spends too much time perusing bookstores
Behavioral
- Is loyal to brands; will purchase from brands that interact with them; will purchase out of convenience
- Is willing to invest in or splurge on something that they love or feel is of important value to their life
- Logs onto the Book of the Month website once a month and follows on social media
Opening the Book of Great Marketing
As a fast-growing company, Book of the Month has done a good job identifying their target market and enacting a strategy on social media to meet potential readers where they’re at online. The company has a presence on Facebook and Twitter but focuses mainly on its Instagram account. The content posted is dynamic, engaging, and features not only the books they have selected but utilizes user-generated content and posts about books and reading to make it more enticing for an audience to return when there are only five books to feature each month. While I think that their approach to specifically Instagram and their social media as a whole, below I have outlined some ways for Book of the Month to elevate their social media presence:
Create a content series that features other offerings of the company, specifically Bookclubs!
Bookclubs is a new feature and is in beta testing on the Book of the Month website. However, this is an awesome way to bring people together in a time of distance that could be sustainable when we’re able to meet in person again.
Post more consistently on Facebook.
Matching the consistency the company has found in their Instagram strategy could help grow their Facebook page even more. The release of Bookclubs would also be a great opportunity to bring engagement and community to their Facebook page. By creating a Book of the Month members Facebook group, people could find Bookclubs to joining and everyone could discuss the latest Book of the Month selection.
Start a Book of the Month blog or podcast.
Blogs and podcasts are a great way to engage your audience outside of your product offering and off of social media. Blogs could provide staff reviews, guest writers, and even a note from highlighted authors to audience members who are interested in the process of selecting the books and why. Further, a podcast could be an extension of their Virtual Book Tour on Instagram Live where Editorial Director Siobhan Jones interviews authors with enthusiastic engagement from viewers.
Engage with followers in comments.
A great way to help create a relationship between followers and a brand is by engaging in the conversation with them as opposed to simply asking the question and tuning out. Book of the Month would earn more trust, greater engagement, and get to show off their personality for anyone looking at their social media if they responded to followers who comment more often.
Overall, I’m interested to see where this company goes and excited to engage with them as they grow. For a company that has been around for as long as Book of the Month, adaptation is in its core and as books grow on social media, I hope they adapt and follow to keep people in cozy reading nooks exploring a new story.
References:
Birkett, A. (2020, March 13). Psychographics: What They Are & How Marketers Use Them. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://cxl.com/blog/psychographics/
Book of the Month. (2020). Read more, research less, save money. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://bookofthemonth.com/vbt
Keep calm and bookclub on. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://clubs.bookofthemonth.com/
