Social reading and the creation of customer loyalty clubs or communities to improve communication with our users and reduce costs in marketing and advertising

Abstract

Purpose

The so‐called customer loyalty clubs or communities are a proven marketing strategy used by companies to create positive commercial and emotional relationships between companies and their actual or potential customers. In the world of libraries the use of social networks has become institutionalized as a communication tool, and alongside the library's website and its profiles on Facebook and Twitter, the library has reduced costs on marketing and advertising to a minimum. However, the use of the so‐called loyalty clubs and communities as well as social and collaborative reading is still not widespread in libraries worldwide. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines social or collaborative reading, a practice that has always existed, but it has become particularly relevant given the digitization of texts and the rising popularity of e‐readers. In essence, social reading consists of sharing recommendations, dates, notes and comments, and highlighting the important parts of books together with other people. What previously took place in meetings with friends or in public readings, can now be done at any time on the internet, and is extended to include readers that we do not know and perhaps even the author of the work. Not only is this a new reading experience, it is also a tool which can be used by the library to greatly increase loyalty.

Findings

Despite the enormous potential of the practice of social reading at present, a serious problem has to be faced: the quagmire of closed and mutually incompatible devices, platforms and formats. Unfortunately, companies such as Amazon, Apple, and many others have decided to partition knowledge and deliberately limit the functions of their equipment to maintain control and attempt to monopolize the book business. Any technician with global management knowledge is aware of the benefits represented by the articulation and maintenance of one of these clubs for the purpose of expanding or diversifying the group of users who choose to make use of such services.

Originality/value

This paper highlights that fact that, without doubt, social networks can be an excellent alternative or an effective complement to traditional loyalty clubs, which in the area of libraries could be associated with the so‐called reading clubs of yesteryear. Moreover such clubs do not necessarily have to be replaced, because they can support their operation by maximizing their impact and minimizing costs. After all, a traditional loyalty club is no more than a social network that uses traditional communication media. Regardless of whether they are considered as an alternative or exclusively, the initial advantages offered by online social networks may be their lower overall cost, ease of management and high growth potential.

Citation

Romero, N. (2012), "Social reading and the creation of customer loyalty clubs or communities to improve communication with our users and reduce costs in marketing and advertising", The Bottom Line, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 63-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/08880451211256388