It’s a big time for us at Nosy Crow because we’ve just launched @LittleNosyCrow – an exciting new Instagram channel especially for parents, grandparents and carers of babies and toddlers.
We’d been discussing for some while the idea of a separate channel both to connect with our readers and to promote our preschool and novelty books but, honestly, had been in two minds about it. We already have active Twitter and Instagram accounts for Nosy Crow, each with substantial followings, and we were aware that by adding another one we were at risk of diluting both our audience and the Nosy Crow brand. We also know what hard work it is keeping our accounts fed with interesting new material – it isn’t to be underestimated how much content they need.
But then lockdown happened and we were all thrown into a whole new world, on so many levels. The high street was suspended, for no one knew how long, bookshops and libraries closed, even supermarket shopping had changed beyond recognition. And we were all stuck at home, with our kids, ALL THE BLIMMIN’ TIME! We know now that people have carried on buying books and reading through lockdown – and in fact are reading more – but we immediately recognised that this new retail environment was going to be pretty challenging for Nosy Crow.
I’m really proud that Nosy Crow’s preschool and novelty list has built up a fantastic reputation since we launched the company ten years ago. Our books are regularly reviewed and recommended, we win prizes, we have a loyal following and sales are strong. But we’re also aware that our audience is forever growing out of our books, and we rely on being discovered by new readers all the time. And, of course, they do that much of the time in physical shops – where they can pick them up, turn the pages, press their buttons, slide the mechanisms and lift the flaps. Our books are hugely tactile and interactive – and it’s without question easier to appreciate their qualities when you have them in your hand.
But during lockdown, a much larger proportion of our sales were through online retailers and discoverability became even more important. We realised that we needed to work even harder for our books – and their authors and illustrators – to bring them to the forefront of our audience’s attention. So, in the weeks that followed, we examined all aspects of our digital sales and made some substantial changes. We rewrote sales copy, reviewed our metadata feeds and launched a new version of our website – complete with videos of every single novelty title in action! And we also started work on @LittleNosy Crow.
Of course, @LittleNosyCrow is a marketing tool ¬– we are in the business of selling books, after all. But this initiative is also about connecting with a community of parents and carers who we recognise are navigating some particularly long days with children at the moment. We hope the channel will provide inspiration and ideas for play, games and craft, as well as helping them find the books that will be just right for their child, at any given stage of their development. I’m hugely excited about seeing videos of babies reading the books (I NEVER tire of it!) and we are very much hoping that the channel will become a go-to resource for parents as we slowly return to “normal” life, and beyond. It’s very much work in progress – I’m sure it will evolve in response to our followers’ feedback. I hope you’ll take a look at it and tell us what you think!
You can find @LittleNosyCrow, our new baby and toddler Instagram account, here – we hope to see you there!
