The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

Social networks influence children

13.10.08 Caroline Horn

Online retailing, social networking and supermarkets are growing influences in children's book sales, according to speakers at last week's 'What Children Want' conference organised by The Bookseller.

Research group TGI said that 96% of homes now have computers and that 85% of seven to ten year olds have a videogames console. Internet sales of children's books have also risen from 5m units in 2005 to 8m units in 2007 said Elizabeth Dare, new media marketing manager for Transworld. However, there is a large gap between the buyer and reader of children's books, even among older children. Some 72% of 11 and 12 year olds said that their books were bought for them by their parents.

"We are marketing to adults for children," said Dare, who believes that pester power, through the building of strong brands, is key. Publishers should use dedicated brand websites to support brand loyalty, as well as more general retailer websites and Wikipedia.

"The bigger the brand, the broader the reach," said Dare, but publishers needed to get all departments involved in building a brand. Marketing, publicity and editorial should all work together to develop online content for specific branded websites, including downloads, video and audio content as well as teachers' resources.

"Children spend a lot of time online and see advertisements as content rather than as advertising, so publishers can use editorial tools such as competitions, tagging or mini clips to engage them."

Social networking sites and blogging are increasingly important for the teen market with world of mouth interest in Jenny Downham's 'Before I Die' driven by comments on blogs, she added.

Retail Caroline Horn children's Home digitisation

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