Interesting books. Interested people. Quite a lot of them.
Five videos. Two weeks. Over 1.45 million views across Facebook and Instagram. Here’s what happened when I helped Young’s Interesting Books show a few more people what was inside.
The brief
Young’s Interesting Books in Shawlands, Glasgow, is exactly what the name suggests. Rare books, unusual stock. It’s also a shop people might need a little introduction to. With specialist stock like this, someone passing the window won’t necessarily know what’s waiting inside. The shop was posting occasionally, but mostly reaching people who already knew it. I approached them to help bring its personality online and introduce the books to a wider audience. And, ideally, buy something.
The idea
Give people a look around, with Barry doing the talking. His knowledge and enthusiasm are a huge part of the shop’s appeal. The idea was to capture that on camera: show the stock, tell its stories and let people get to know the person behind it. Each video would introduce a different book or another aspect of the shop. Together, they’d help people understand what makes Young’s interesting and give them something to come back for.
The work
I handled the ideas, filming, editing, captions, and posting. Barry brought the books and plenty to say about them. We filmed inside the shop, keeping its character, and Barry’s way of telling a story, at the centre of the content. In the first two weeks, just five videos from our first recording session went live. No paid ads. No boosted posts. Just Barry and some interesting books.
The results
Those first five videos travelled a fair bit further than Shawlands. On Facebook: Over 1 million views - a 108.9K% increase. 12.9K new followers - a 430.7K% increase. 53.6K content interactions - a 357.3K% increase. And that’s just Facebook. On Instagram: Over 450,000 views. 7,326 new followers. 56,207 interactions. All within the same two weeks. All organic. There were hundreds of messages and comments from people interested in the stock. People outside Glasgow started talking about visiting. Existing followers welcomed the new style and seeing more of the shop in their feeds. Barry picked up a few fans, too, with viewers praising his enthusiasm, knowledge and narration. The beginnings of a community were taking shape, with people coming back for the next video. Most importantly, the videos led to sales. Books people had seen on their screens became books they actually bought. Five videos in, there’s already plenty to build on. My work with Young’s Interesting Books has only just begun. Good thing Barry’s got more books.
"We've owned a successful second-hand and antiquarian book shop in Glasgow for 17 years, and have been determinedly low-tech throughout, with no website, online sales, or even a mobile phone. So when Declan got in touch we were dubious, but decided to give the 21st century a go for a wee while. We've had an astonishing reaction, and inquiries from all over the world. Declan pops in, we do a bit of filming, and I can leave the rest to him and his gizmos while I go and read a book. He's a good lad, and well worth contacting if you fancy giving the modern world a whirl."