Connecticut Book Club Case Study
Opportunity:
In February 2024, I started a book club with the vision of creating a space to meet new people and make friends. Despite my enthusiasm, the book club struggled to gain traction. Since it wasn’t a traditional book club but functioned more like a social club, branding and marketing strategy were challenging to define. Because of this, I had several key objectives:
- Increase attendance at in-person events and create a dynamic, engaging atmosphere.
- Build a loyal, connected community of book lovers.
- Develop a sustainable lead-generation strategy.
- Ensure that our book club events benefited local businesses—primarily breweries—where we hosted our gatherings.
Solution:
To make the book club a welcoming space for book lovers, I launched a marketing strategy focused on building community and connecting with local businesses.
I began by reworking our messaging to redefine our identity: instead of just a book club, we were a free social club for book lovers. While not much reading happened at our meetings, there was an abundance of meaningful conversations and connections. We gathered at a brewery, shared a meal, discussed the books we brought, and let the conversation flow naturally. Finding connection and friendship as an adult can be challenging, but the club provided an easy way to engage in authentic discussions with like-minded people. Although I initially started the club to create space for reading, our gatherings evolved into vibrant, engaging discussions where friendships were genuinely formed.
With this new messaging, I was able to expand our presence on social media—primarily through Facebook and TikTok—and, by creating a memorable experience, we gained a loyal following of members who kept returning and inviting their friends. CT Insider even featured us, which further grew our community. I also launched an app to keep everyone connected between meetups, which proved to be a great way to continue conversations and build anticipation for each new event.
Overall, this friendly and inclusive approach successfully grew our membership, created a lively community, and established a sustainable way to connect with both members and local businesses.
I began by reworking our messaging to redefine our identity: instead of just a book club, we were a free social club for book lovers. While not much reading happened at our meetings, there was an abundance of meaningful conversations and connections. We gathered at a brewery, shared a meal, discussed the books we brought, and let the conversation flow naturally. Finding connection and friendship as an adult can be challenging, but the club provided an easy way to engage in authentic discussions with like-minded people. Although I initially started the club to create space for reading, our gatherings evolved into vibrant, engaging discussions where friendships were genuinely formed.
With this new messaging, I was able to expand our presence on social media—primarily through Facebook and TikTok—and, by creating a memorable experience, we gained a loyal following of members who kept returning and inviting their friends. CT Insider even featured us, which further grew our community. I also launched an app to keep everyone connected between meetups, which proved to be a great way to continue conversations and build anticipation for each new event.
Overall, this friendly and inclusive approach successfully grew our membership, created a lively community, and established a sustainable way to connect with both members and local businesses.
Outcome:
Online Engagement:
- App: 300+ members
- Facebook Group: 1,300+ members
- Newsletter: 500 subscribers
- Instagram: 300+ followers
- TikTok: 3,000+ new followers
- February: 8 attendees
- March: 12 attendees
- April: 40 attendees
- May: 60 attendees
- June: 40 attendees
- July: 102 attendees
- August: 80 attendees
- September: 40 attendees for our bonus event, and 130 attendees for our main event.
- October: 40 attendees for our bonus event, and 100+ attendees for our main event.
- https://www.ctinsider.com/recordjournal/article/anti-silent-book-club-reading-social-ct-19541280.php
- https://www.ctinsider.com/living/article/connecticut-book-clubs-social-media-19844841.php?fbclid=IwY2xjawGWTqNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVsKEVKSI-kaxYA9ZJckGDAwcuXqGiHsjF0zsYM0z4Bt3iWen2d4JuNEXw_aem_gcaNl9MQ6fFRixLMlDGt4Q
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