MSUM Bookstore

Public Relations Campaign Proposal

MC 304: Public Relations Principles

Professor Lok Pokhrel

December 8, 2014

Tyrel Filley

Liz Hayden

Jake Antolak

Jared Fischer

Mitch Cottew

Executive Summary:

College campuses across the United States have certain mainstays without exception- the

campus coffee store, the sandwich deli, and of course, the bookstore. What sets the bookstore

apart from the first two is its nearly universal scorn from students. The stores are seen as

expensive money traps and inferior to online alternatives.

The bookstore department at MSUM carries this image problem as well. Students don’t

know about its services or simply feel they are not getting their money’s worth. As a result, more

are turning to competition from online retailers.

A campaign proposal was crafted to try and aide the store with its image problem and

increase traffic and loyalty from customers. Furthermore, web presence needed improvement

with relevant information added to social media. The primary focus of this campaign was to use

new tactics to create a positive opinion and reward repeat customers.

Before determining what tactics will be used, however, research was done and

information was harvested to create a better understanding of what could be improved and what

the target audience wanted and did not want.

The research used was both primary and secondary. Competitors and other institutions

were examined to see what worked and to find solutions to image problems. Furthermore, a

survey was released to a relevant audience and the information was used to formulate strategies

and tactics to complete the objectives.

The research indicated a weak public image of the bookstore, as well as little loyalty.

Students were 3 times as likely to buy from competitors. Most students were unaware of the

money the department gave back to students through scholarships, which lessened the image of a

money trap.

RATIONALE

The reason we chose this campaign was the fact that most university textbook stores get

the bad reputation as just another cash cow for the university and that they are only here to take

money from students. That is unfortunately the stereotype our university textbook store carries.

We also had one of our group members as an employee for the department so that made

information and meetings easy to set up and acquire information.

We also looked at this campaign as a great challenge to test our big group’s collective

ideas and thoughts. The main problem most students have with the textbook store is with its

prices. Unfortunately, we could not do much with prices. So we had to think as students what is

appealing to students outside of prices. With the help of a large and diverse group we came up

with great ideas that are creative and plausible for the situation.

In conclusion we feel that our campaign is strong and plausible to put into place. We plan

on keeping in touch with the textbook department in hopes for them to use some of our tactics in

the future. We are really proud of what we accomplished.

  SITUATION ANALYSIS

Most of our research was primary. As a group we first decided that we needed to

interview the manager of the textbook department and ask multiple business-orientated questions

regarding the following subjects:

Influencers of textbook sales

Influencers of student textbook purchases.

Primary competitors.

Social media presence

As well as other general questions about sales, and unknown facts about the textbook

department.

With already somewhat of a presence on social media with most of its posts being

centered on general merchandise and only a few mentions on the actually textbook department

we decided we would act on that and use that to our advantage in our campaign. We also asked

about recent tactics used by the textbook department to help with sales and image such as short-

term rentals and gifts. We also asked about some future tactics to be used such as text

notification program.

After finding a great amount of information we decided that to create a simple ten-

question survey for strictly Minnesota State University Moorhead students. We used questions

that were primarily focused on what students disliked and liked about the textbook department, if

there was interest in a text program and other questions that of common knowledge some

examples are:

Did you know that the bookstore gives a significant amount of its revenue to the scholarship programs ate MSUM?

What is your overall perception of the bookstore? Negative, positive, or indifferent. What are the two major factors when choosing a textbook supplier? Are you interested in a texting program from the bookstore, which would send out

notifications about textbook arrivals, price changes, updates on financial aid, and promotions?

From the information we gathered we then decided to create a campaign that would be

centralized on improving the overall image of the textbook department towards students. The

campaign would be using social media as one of the main tactics and other tactics to improve the

image of the textbook department towards students. We would create multiple other tactics that

would peak interest in students. As far as secondary research we did not really look into other

campaigns but used some creative tactics to help in the campaign. In conclusion we used a lot of

primary research to uncover what are campaign should be focused on and the variety of tactics to

use.

S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS

In order to learn more about the MSUM textbook department’s strengths and weaknesses,

we turned to the bookstore’s Course Materials Manager, Jason Werk. Throughout our 45-minute

interview, Werk provided us with valuable information from overall student opinion, to the basic

operation of the textbook department. By the end of the interview, we identified many

opportunities for our campaign and learned the textbook department’s strengths outnumbered its

weaknesses. Unfortunately, there are several potential threats for the department’s image.

Strengths

The textbook department operates under an “open door” policy, which allows students to

view and compare textbook prices on the bookstore’s website. Under this policy, students

are encouraged to visit with bookstore faculty in order to learn more about how textbook

retail prices and buyback values are determined.

The bookstore communicates with students via social media pages, including Facebook

and Twitter. Although Werk admits the bookstore should manage the pages more

frequently, these social networks provide valuable two-way communication between the

department and students.

Werk actively tracks the market (sometimes months in advance) comparing prices and

suppliers in order to find course materials at the best price

The percentage of rental materials is growing. According to Werk, rentals made up

almost 50 percent of all materials in the textbook department; twice the amount offered

during spring 2014 semester.

Werk provides students assistance during the buyback period. Each semester, Werk

offers to help students find buyers for their textbooks if their materials no longer hold

buyback value. Werk offers this service to help provides students with a positive solution

for a negative experience.

Weaknesses

Currently, Werk is the only full-time textbook department faculty member available to

meet with students and answer questions regarding course materials. Werk feels the

department’s image and student opinion would improve if more employees were

available to help students understand the processes through which textbooks are ordered

as well as how prices and buyback values are determined.

The department’s efforts to inform students of textbook support services are poor. This

includes both traditional and social media channels. The bookstore Facebook and Twitter

pages do not display any information regarding the services mentioned above.

Opportunities

With some guidance from Jason Werk and time to evaluate the textbook department’s

current strengths and weaknesses, we identified several opportunities and facts to utilize

throughout our campaign proposal.

A large portion of the textbook department’s profit funds student scholarships and other

University programs.

Werk believes a texting program would allow the bookstore to reach students faster and

improve communication. He sees the program as an effective way to send students

notifications regarding price reductions, order arrivals, and buyback values. We believe

the program could also be used to increase the textbook department’s reputation as a

service center.

Holding an event or meeting with the purpose of teaching faculty about the textbook

department’s operation and processes may decrease current textbook requisition issues

and improve both faculty and student opinion of the MSUM bookstore.

Re-branding the bookstore is currently under consideration. Werk does not believe

changing the bookstore’s name will improve company image, however, our team feels

doing so will help differentiate the bookstore’s two departments: the textbook department

downstairs and the merchandise department located on the main floor.

Threats

Faculty members have a powerful effect on student opinion of the bookstore’s services,

which is why educating MSUM staff about the bookstore’s procedures is important.

Werk informed us he has seen several professors’ syllabi discouraging students from

purchasing materials from the bookstore. We acknowledge changing faculty attitudes will

greatly improve student opinion.

Werk explained that many professors wait to submit their textbook requisition forms until

the first day of class. Doing so prevents Werk from finding required course materials at

the best possible price. This often prevents the department’s ability to provide rental

options as well as match buyback values, all of which adds to student discontent. If

faculty members continue to submit requisitions late into the semester, student opinion

will not improve.

Online suppliers such as Amazon, Chegg, and Slugbooks, attract students with

competitive prices and supposedly better deals. However, Werk explained these sites’

prices fluctuate drastically, especially as the beginning of the semester approaches. These

sources will always be competitors in the market.

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the bookstore social media sites, we decided to

perform a S.W.O.T. analysis comparing them to other university bookstore social networks

including Bemidji State, Winona State, and Mankato State Universities. We have compared each

university’s bookstore Facebook page following four criteria: sentiment (page ratings), reach

(number of likes), post frequency, audience engagement, and content. Of the four, MSUM is the

only university with a bookstore Twitter page, however the Facebook page comparisons have

been organized in the following table.

University Sentiment(page ratings)

Reach(# of page

likes)

Frequency Engagement Content

MSU Moorhead

• 3.7 of 5 stars• 43 reviews• Majority rates: 4 stars

1,385 likes• Irregular• Varies from days to weeks• Most active at beginning and end of semester

• Low• Avg. fewer than 5 likes per post• Avg. fewer than 3 comments per post

• Merchandise sales/discounts• Campus news• Athletics wins/losses• Faculty spotlights

Bemidji State

• 4.3 of 5 stars• 6 reviews• Majority rates: 5 stars

155 likes• Every other week• Occasionally multiple times

• Low• Avg. fewer than 3 likes per post

• Merchandise sales/discounts• Links to college-related

per week• Posts continue throughout summer

• Comments rarely seen

articles and videos• Humorous Buzzfeed posts• Buyback announcements

Winona State

• 3.9 of 5 stars• 33 reviews• Majority rates: 5 stars

2,270 likes• Regular• 2-4x per week

• Moderate• 20 or fewer likes per post• Comments rarely seen

• Textbook announcements• Photos• Merchandise• Hours• Contests and games

Mankato State

• 3.7 of 5 stars• 37 reviews• Majority rates: 5 stars

1,368 likes• Often• Every two days or less

• Low• Avg. of 5 or fewer likes per post• Comments rarely seen

• Athletics announcements• Textbook announcements• Merchandise sales/discounts• Product spotlights• Photos/videos

Based on the information gathered in our Facebook page comparison, we found Winona

State University’s page most successful. Winona’s page boasts the most followers and highest

engagement. The page also displays a variety of content from photos and contests to textbook

announcements and weather alerts. We believe the University’s use of social media contests

earned the most engagement. If our comparison relied on content alone, Bemidji State University

held first place for its content targeted specifically toward college students. Bemidji’s posts

included serious topics such as textbook buyback announcements and humorous links to

Buzzfeed. The BSU bookstore page placed second in frequency as well, especially for the

continuation of posts throughout the summer months.

RESEARCH PLAN

After analyzing the bookstore’s current communication efforts, our team chose to

conduct a 10-question survey in order to gauge student sentiment and interaction with the

textbook department specifically. This survey allowed us to formulate questions based on topics

discussed in our interview with the bookstore’s Course Materials Manager, Jason Werk, as well

as obtain students’ views of the potential opportunities and strategies for our campaign such as

the bookstore texting program.

We created our survey via SurveyMonkey.com and developed a variety of question types

from simple yes/no and multiple-choice questions to more involved responses using comment

boxes. While we found it important to gain general information regarding student opinion and

interaction with the bookstore, our primary goal for this survey was to obtain student opinion,

positive or negative, in the hope the results would present us with further opportunities to take

advantage of in our campaign. In turn, we were also looking for situations or tactics students

show no interest in so we can avoid them. The entirety of our survey can be found in the

appendix, however here are a few sample questions we used to gain the desired results:

What is your overall perception of the bookstore?

Have you shared any concerns, complaints, or ideas for change with staff in the textbook

department?

Are you interested in a texting program for the bookstore, which would send notifications

regarding textbook arrivals, price reductions, financial aid updates, and promotions?

After strategically constructing our questions, we distributed our survey through social media

sites including Facebook and Twitter. Although we chose not to specifically target gender or

academic class, we restricted our survey to MSU Moorhead students only. Despite the

restriction, we were still able to perform random sampling of the entire MSUM student

population. We conducted our survey for two weeks and gained 39 responses before closing it to

analyze our results.

RESEARCH RESULTS

Overall, our survey responses portray a negative image of the textbook department and its

operations. However, we received surprising results to several questions. For instance, we found

that despite their dissatisfaction with the bookstore’s services, students surveyed have not

approached bookstore faculty to express their opinions or seek help to resolve issues. Another

interesting result came in regards to our question about a potential texting program. The majority

of students surveyed show no interest in the implementation of this communication platform.

Below are the specific results gathered to each question of our survey.

1. What is your overall perception of the bookstore?

Negative – 38.46%

Positive – 23.08%

Indifferent – 38.46 %

2. Do you buy your textbooks from the MSUM bookstore?

Yes – 23.68%

No – 76.32%

3. What are two major factors when choosing a textbook supplier?

Price – 100%

Quality – 20.51%

Availability – 12.82%

Convenience – 10.25%

Speed – 7.69%

Edition – 5.13%

Return policy – 5.13%

Location – 2.56%

Reliability – 2.56%

Shipping – 2.56%

E-book – 2.56%

Buy/Rent – 2.56

4. Do you use the MSUM bookstore Website to find your course materials?

Yes – 78.95%

No – 21.05%

5. Do you buy your textbooks before classes start, or wait until the day(s) after classes

start?

Before – 43.59%

After – 56.41%

I don’t buy textbooks – 0%

6. Do you sell your textbooks during buyback?

Yes – 33.33%

No – 51.28%

Where?

Amazon/Online – 23.08%

MSUM Bookstore – 28.21%

How efficient is the process?

Efficient – 12.82%

Inefficient – 15.38%

7. Have you shared any concerns, complaints or ideas for change with staff at the

textbook department?

Yes – 20.51%

No – 79.49%

8. Would you rather rent or purchase your books? Rent – 41.03% Purchase – 30.77% Neither – 2.56% Both – 10.25%What helps you make that decision?

Price/Buyback Value – 53.85% Desire to keep/reference in the future – 20.51% Major or LASC course – 10.25% Online course – 2.56%

9. Did you know the bookstore gives a significant amount of its revenue to the scholarship programs at MSUM? Yes – 5.41% No – 94.59%

10. Are you interested in a texting program from the bookstore, which would send out notifications about textbook arrivals, price changes, updates on financial aid, and promotions? Yes –10.53% No – 57.89% Maybe – 31.58%

CAMPAIGN PLAN

Objective #1: Increase Textbook sales 15% August of 2015 to August of 2016

Strategy #1: Create a customer loyalty program for students to participate in at the Bookstore.

Tactic #1: The rewards program will be free to participants and offer points for every $1 spent

on books to be used for the rewards, “$1 = 1 point.” 

Rewarded Tiers:

100 points = Student Planner 

250 points = Flash Drive

500 points = T-Shirt

1000 points = Sweatshirt or Sweat pants

Tactic# 2: Students who participate in the rewards program will receive priority for a “Zero

Day”

on book orders. This means that the students who participate in the rewards program will be able

to order books a day early then everyone else.

Tactic #3: Offer an automatic 125point bonus balance at sign-up for the rewards programs the

first semester of the program and advertise that the bonus is only available the first semester of

the program.

Tactic #4: Offer double points on the first purchase in order to convince students to join the

rewards program.

Strategy #2: Host special events to increase awareness, traffic, and improve image of the

Bookstore as a whole and the new rewards program.  

Tactic #1: Have a rewards membership buy back day, so the rewards members don’t have to

wait in line as long to sell their books back to the book store.

Tactic #2: Rename the Bookstore (downstairs) the “Dragons Lair” to separate the upstairs from

the book store.

Tactic #3: Have a grand opening event of the “Dragon’s Lair” complete with free food and

giveaways.

Tactic #4: Hold 2-3 “Double Points” days per semester, mostly during events on campus such as

the first week of school and homecoming.

Tactic #5: Dragon Day rewards incoming freshmen/transfers if they sign up for the rewards

program, including 200 points for signing up on Dragon Day.

Objective #2: Increase customer (Student) engagement by 25% before Aug 2016 (one year) via

the Bookstores social media pages (Facebook and Twitter).

Strategy #1: Increase Bookstore Facebook likes by frequently posting content relevant and

interesting to students.

Tactic #1: Frequently update the Facebook page daily targeting students age 18-25.

Special events:

Discounts/ sales Loyalty program announcements Fun humorous photos/videos, such as memes

Tactic #2: Post “shout-outs” for students/faculty/athletic achievements (tag if possible)

Tactic #3: Write and post-college related trivia for students to answer and win prizes (ex.

Loyalty points promo items, coupons, etc.) Choose winners at random if multiple correct

answers.

Strategy #2: Raise awareness and attract followers to the existing bookstore’s Twitter account.

Tactic #1: Ask President Anne to follow the Bookstore.

Tactic #2:Follow all students/faculty/ organizations following MSUM pages and use the

hashtags #DragonPride , #MSUMhomecoming, or #AnneFan.

Tactic #3: Promote events, membership program, and deal days with the hashtag Dragons lair

(#dragonslair).

Tactic #4: Tweet photos, memes, gifs and vines relevant to bookstore/college students to get the

student to look at the page more often, hopefully daily.

Strategy #3: Promote bookstore social media pages “offline.”

Tactic #1: Advertise with sidewalk chalk and vinyl ads on the floors of buildings such as the

CMU during orientation week.

Tactic #2: Design table tents to be placed in Kise/Outside Dragon Café to promote the Dragons

Lair (bookstore) in those areas to new students and students who have not yet liked the Facebook

and Twitter pages.

Tactic #3: Write a short announcement for student digest and promote:

Membership program and benefits Sale days Social media trivia prizes

Tactic #4: Work with the advocate to write feature story about bookstore campaign. The article

should explain to readers where the money the Bookstore makes goes and encourage

likes/follows on the social media pages as well as promote purchasing books  from the Dragons

Lair.

Objective #3: Promote two-way communication with the Bookstore and its operators.

Strategy #1: Host special events to open discussion about text dept. operation

Tactic #1: Hold a Q&A with bookstore faculty and also professors and heads of departments.

Students may voice their concerns about prices, orders, and any other concerns they may have. 

Tactic #2: Add Jason, the head of the bookstore, to the list of speakers at registration days to talk

about text buying/ renting/ etc. Share fun facts! Encourage social media.

Strategy #2: Promote discussion and communication opportunities via bookstore social media

pages.

Tactic #1: Advertise Q&A’s and discussion events with the bookstores Facebook and Twitter

accounts. 

Tactic #2: Schedule “live-tweet” events during MSUM events, such as homecoming, Dragonfest,

Dragon Days etc.

CAMPAIGN TIMETABLE

The social media timetable we came up with was going to start in August and run a full year.

This would give us the best opportunity to do “kick off” events when students are coming to

campus to start a new year. The campaign would cover the social media platforms that we

believed to be most effective, Facebook and Twitter. Our highlighted events would be facilitated

on both platforms to gather student interest. For example, events like our separating of the names

of “bookstore,” and “Dragon Lair.”

Month Facebook Twitter

August Dragon Lair

Loyalty program

Dragon Lair

Loyalty program

September Meme’s, videos, ect. Meme’s, videos, ect.

October Student shout-outs Student shout-outs

November Faculty shout-outs Faculty shout-outs

December Weekly trivia contests Weekly trivia contests

January Q&A days after break

“Day Zero”

Q&A days after break

Day Zero

February Photo’s, videos, memes Photo’s videos, memes

March Trivia madness Trivia madness

April Q&A with Jason

Photo, videos, memes

Q&A with Jason

Photo, videos, memes

May Dragon days events Dragon days events

June Photo, videos, memes Photo, videos, memes

July Photo, videos, memes Photo, videos, memes

CAMPAIGN EVALUATION

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our public relations campaign assembled

for Minnesota State University Moorhead’s bookstore, we will use the following to find a

metric with our results; social media feedback, sales statistics, store foot traffic statistics,

a second S.W.O.T. analysis, and tracking the new point reward system our campaign

employs.

Using social media sites more effectively is a major goal for our campaign, and

increasing our online presence to make students more aware of our sales is the purpose. In order

to measure how successfully our campaign will be, measuring the change in online followings

and “likes” will tell us how much more internet traffic our social media sites will generate. The

effectiveness of specific posts and online texts can be gauged by how many “likes” it garners,

and thus find the best way to engage with our online audiences. Posts most popular with our

audiences can influence future posts, and get additional site traffic, and conversely poorly

performing posts can show what audiences fail to engage with and be avoided in the future.

Sales will also be a primary way of tracking our campaign effectiveness. Weekly sales

figures can be charted to find when our highest sales were, and find which campaign method

resulted in the highest sales. Weekly social media posts, weekly promotions, and campus events

can be compared with these numbers to find what worked and what didn’t work. Further

improvements to these areas can result in continued increase in sales.

By installing a simple store traffic-monitoring device, finding how many visitors our

store has will tell us if our sales figure matches our foot traffic numbers. Comparing these two

will tell us if our visitors are buying when they visit our store. Finding when the number of

visitors and number of sales has the most disparity can give us an idea of where improvements

must be made to ensure that sales are up, as well as traffic.

To find how our campaign methods affected sales, and to find how further improvements

can be made, a second S.W.O.T. analysis will tell us what was most effective in our campaign,

and what future opportunities or threats may exist. These high and low points can be then used to

brainstorm further improvements to the campaign, and additional actions can be taken to

eliminate weakness, take advantage of untapped opportunity, and prepare for future threats that

may decrease campaign effectiveness.

Finally, our new point system, designed to encourage sales in certain critical areas of our

store, will tell us if our system increases sales on our selected point-compatible merchandise, and

how these points are distributed amongst students. This will tell us if more promotions must be

used to achieve sales goals, and what items are most popular. Additional points may be given if

an essential item is failing to sell, and finding what the most effective way to reward these

essential sales can prevent stagnant weeks and merchandise that fails to leave our shelves.

A follow up survey was created to evaluate public opinion on the department after the campaign:Follow up survey:1. Did you know the MSUM bookstore contributes a large portion of its revenue to scholarships?Yes/No2. Have you noticed any changes?Yes/No3. Do you like the name change?Yes/No 4. What is your overall perception of the bookstore? Negative or Positive or indifferent5. Do you buy your textbooks from the MSUM bookstore? Yes or No6. Are you a rewards member?Yes/No7. Have you gone to any special events at the textbook department (Ex: Day Zero)?Yes/No8. Do you follow the Textbook Department on social media (Facebook/Twitter)? Yes/No9. How many times do you visit the Textbook Department?Not Very Often /Often/Very Often10. Are there any things besides price that you would like to change now?