April 14, 2025, Monique Sherrett presented at the BC Books publishing summit in Victoria BC | Session 4: Finding your community in marketing and publicity. The below provides a comprehensive overview of the “That’s Wild” collaborative campaign, offering practical strategies and guidelines for implementation.

“That’s Wild” — A Collaborative Marketing Case Study for BC Book Publishers

Introduction

This post provides a detailed overview of a collaborative marketing campaign designed for BC book publishers, focusing on the theme of BC’s wild wonders, whether it’s the literal wilderness captured in a stunning photography book or the wildness of a plot twist in a novel set in the Interior. The case study below expands on the presentation, offering actionable strategies, benchmarks, and time commitments.

The Example: Groundwood Books’ The Feeling and Healing Collection

Groundwood Books collaborated with Tania DaSilva to curate a collection of children’s titles focused on social-emotional development. DaSilva is a child, youth, and family therapist and the clinical director of Behaviour Matters in Canada. The collection was put together with therapists, parents, and educators in mind. The complete library is $850, and there are 6 themed bundles within the collection that can be purchased individually. The themes are relate to family, death & loss, emotional awareness, emotions, culture & identity, and inclusion and acceptance.

Goal: Increase discoverability and sales

Channels & Tactics:

• Dedicated collection on the website; homepage and section banners promoting the collection
• Print and digital versions of the catalogue
• Enhanced metadata around themes
• Shopify integration with Google for Google Shopping Ads
• Shopify integration with Meta for tagging items in the Instagram Shop
• Significant publicity push
• Upcoming outreach paired with email campaigns with curated classroom materials
• Upcoming promotion of educator landing pages
• Subject-specific email campaigns

What is replicable here?

• You need a theme around which you can build clear, consistent communications
• You need collaborators and partners who can help you expand your network beyond your existing audience
• You need to create a marketing ecosystem with a central hub (landing page and content hub) that helps you connect and sell
• You need good hygiene on Socials: tag partner accounts, use hashtags that promote search and discovery, focus on multiple posts over a long period of time vs. one-off posts
• You need to run targeted digital advertising, with a clear target for CPC (cost per click) and CPA (cost per acquisition), which means you know the target profit margin for the collection or bundle being promoted.

Other example:

BC Books initiative Books for Schools leverages their catalogue program for schools and libraries. The current selection of titles (+/- 1,300) will grow cycle by cycle as the catalogue program continues. The collection repurposes ONIX data with custom data that is imported in parallel with each title to capture a bunch of additional data points (evaluator’s assessment of appropriate grade level, catalogue subjects aligned with curriculum, descriptive review from the catalogue vs. publisher-supplied long description).

The Opportunity: “That’s Wild” #exploreBCbooks

British Columbia boasts a rich and diverse natural environment, attracting a large and engaged audience interested in its landscapes, wildlife, and related stories. This campaign builds off long-running BC Tourism campaigns “Super, Natural British Columbia” and “Explore BC” because these will be familiar to the audience present at the BC Books publishing summit. The point is to tap into local pride while still being able to scale the campaign to an international audience. The other advantage is that the tourism industry relies on audience research so we can reverse-engineer some intel that’s useful for reaching new audiences.

“That’s Wild” is an imaginary campaign to highlight how BC Books could build a collaborative campaign.

That’s Wild goal:

• Attract British Columbians curious and passionate about their province by showcasing the beauty and diversity of BC books (ideally building long-term connections with this audience)
• Support industry growth (sell books) by delivering unique, themed reading experiences
• Foster collaboration among BC publishers and various partners including regional, community and Indigenous groups
• Emphasize the importance of sustainable marketing practices that offer flexibility and scalability
• Also attract readers from other markets, such as Alberta, Ontario, US, and international

Collaborators (aka participating publishers) example:

• Publisher A focuses on nature guides and photography books
• Publisher B specializes in children’s titles with environmental themes
• Publisher C publishes literary fiction and non-fiction exploring BC’s wilderness (or wild-ness)

Campaign Strategies

The “That’s Wild” #exploreBCbooks campaign uses a multi-channel approach to maximize visibility and impact:

1. Joint Landing Page & Content Hub

Description: A centralized online resource showcasing participating publishers and their relevant books.

• Platform:
  • Dedicated page on the Read Local BC website.
  • Alternatively, a simple, jointly owned domain (but it’s better to build on what you have).
• Content:
  • Book displays with compelling descriptions and purchase links.
  • Themed blog posts and articles (e.g., “Best Hiking Trails Featured in BC Literature”).
  • Author features and interviews.
  • Excerpts from literary works.
  • Educational resources, such as activity sheets for children.
  • A map highlighting locations featured in the books.
• Benefits:
  • Provides a one-stop destination for readers.
  • Enhances discoverability of participating publishers’ books.
  • Offers valuable content that attracts and engages the target audience.
• Benchmark:
  • Aim for 500-1,000 sessions per month within 3 months.
  • Track page views per book and click-through rates to purchase links.
• Time Commitment (per publisher):
  • Initial setup: 10-15 hours (collaborative effort to select theme and titles).
  • Ongoing maintenance: 2-3 hours per month (for content contribution).

2. Collaborative Social Media Campaign

• Description: A coordinated effort across social media platforms to promote the “That’s Wild” theme and participating publishers’ books.
• Platforms:
  • Instagram (visual focus on photography and scenery).
  • Facebook (community building and engagement—it’s still possible).
  • Potentially TikTok (short, engaging videos).
  • X (for those still participating in this channel)
• Tactics:
  • Cross-promotion: Regular sharing of other publishers’ books, tagging accounts, and using campaign hashtags.
  • Themed weeks: Focus on specific aspects of BC’s nature (e.g., “Coastal Wonders Week”).
  • Joint live sessions: Q&As with authors from different publishers.
  • User-Generated Content contest: Encourage readers to share photos using a campaign hashtag (e.g., #ReadLocalBC or come up with a contest specific tag #BCWildReads).
  • Short video series featuring book excerpts and author insights.
• Benefits:
  • Expands reach to a wider audience.
  • Increases engagement and interaction with readers.
  • Builds a sense of community around BC nature & books.
• Benchmarks:
  • Increase follower count by 10-15% within 2 months.
  • Achieve an average engagement rate of 2-3% per post.
  • Track the number of unique posts using the campaign hashtag.
• Time Commitment (per publisher): 3-5 hours per week (for content creation and engagement—in most cases this work is already happening so it is concentrating on tagging collaborators consistently).

3. Targeted Digital Advertising

• Description: Use paid advertising to reach specific demographics interested in BC’s nature and books. In particular, run partnership ads as a way to amplify impact.
• Platforms:
  • Facebook and Instagram Ads.
  • Google Ads.
• Targeting:
  • Interests: nature, hiking, wildlife, BC, books, specific authors.
  • Demographics: location, age, etc.
• Key Metrics:
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR):
    • Aim for 1-2% on Facebook/Instagram Ads.
    • Aim for 2-4% on Google Search Ads (5-7% for well-targeted campaigns).
  • Cost Per Click (CPC):
    • Expect $0.50 – $1.50 on Facebook/Instagram Ads.
    • Expect $1 – $3 on Google Search Ads (highly variable depending on targeting and quality score).
  • Conversion Rate:
    • Track the percentage of users who complete a desired action (e.g., website visit, click retail link, book purchase, newsletter sign up).
    • Aim for a purchase conversion rate of 1-3% and a key-event conversion rate of 5-7%
  • Cost Per Acquisition (CPA):
    • Calculate the cost to acquire one customer (total ad spend / number of conversions).
    • Set a target CPA based on book price and profit margin.
    • Example: If the average book price is $25 and the target profit margin is 5%, a target CPA would be less than $1.25
• Benefits:
  • Reaches a highly targeted audience.
  • Drives direct traffic to purchase points.
  • Provides measurable results.
• Time Commitment (per publisher):
  • Initial setup: 5-7 hours.
  • Ongoing monitoring and optimization: 2-3 hours per week.

4. Cross-Promotion with Related Organizations

• Description: Partner with BC tourism boards, environmental organizations, and other relevant groups to expand reach (farmers’ markets, Porsche clubs, comicons).
• Tactics:
  • Feature books in their newsletters.
  • Collaborate on social media campaigns.
  • Co-host online or in-person events (especially if you are the only book presence).
  • Offer discounts to members or incentives like a free tote bag with first purchase
• Benefits:
  • Access to established audiences with aligned interests.
  • Enhances credibility through association with reputable organizations.
  • Creates opportunities for unique and engaging promotions.
• Benchmark: Track website referrals and sales originating from these partnerships.
• Time Commitment:
  • Initial outreach: 3-5 hours.
  • Ongoing relationship management: 1-2 hours per month.

Example: BC Books ran content on The Tyee (18 Nov 2024) as part of their “Tyee Presents” initiative ($750). Paid placement and partnerships with sources that let you reach a likeminded audience, especially overtime, can be beneficial for visibility among new-to-you audiences.

5. Joint Events & Author Appearances

• Description: Organize events to connect authors with readers and promote the “That’s Wild” theme.
• Tactics:
  • Joint author readings or presentations.
  • Locations: libraries, bookstores, nature centers, community events.
• Benefits:
  • Creates direct engagement with readers.
  • Provides opportunities for authors to connect with their audience.
  • Boosts book sales and visibility.
• Benchmark: Track event attendance, newsletter sign ups, and book sales at events.
• Time Commitment: Varies per event.

Much of this already happens but it is a matter of thinking through the full journey. For example, at events during your welcome address say, “Hey, if you’re taking photos for your socials, we are using the #readlocalBC hashtag for this event.” Remind them at the end to share. If you are doing book sales at the event then AFTER the purchase (not before as it kills the sale), ask if they want to be added to your newsletter. Then when you upload those new contacts the next day, send them an onboarding “Thanks for Attending” email with photos from the event and pop in some “author also recommends titles”.

Note the hashtags and tagged accounts in the below post from Russell Books. Reach out to partners to ensure they are tagging you.

Overall Time Commitment (Estimated per publisher)

• Initial Setup: 15-22 hours (*I’ve never met an underworked marketing team. Remember this is meant to be a long-running initiative so the point is to take the time upfront to plan your overarching theme and relevant titles or bundles)
• Ongoing (Monthly): 8-14 hours (depending on campaign activity, shared across participating publishers)

Key Considerations for Success

• Collaboration: Effective communication and coordination among participating publishers is essential.
• Resource Sharing: Pool resources for design, marketing materials, or other campaign elements.
• Tracking and Analysis: Implement robust tracking mechanisms to monitor results and inform future strategies. Be sure to use UTM parameters for ad campaigns, QR codes, and social posts where attribution may not be clear in your existing analytics.
• Flexibility and Adaptation: Be prepared to adjust tactics based on performance data and audience feedback.
• Long-Term Vision: View this as an opportunity to build lasting relationships, promote BC books, and sell your amazing titles.

Want more marketing ideas and analytics tips?

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