How to hack it? This spring, the American Booksellers Association is giving meeting attendees a test drive on the membership experience with a free trial offer. Attendees will receive an event program code that they can use online to receive a complimentary membership through August 31, says Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith. “We are trying to both incentivize people to come to the live meetings and encourage new joins,” she says.

Why does it work? ABA’s Spring Forums are presented in conjunction with other regional bookseller associations and serve as prime opportunities to make face-to-face connections and to recruit new members. “We’ve run free trial offers in the past in connection with fall regional tradeshows and have always gotten some takers,” Smith says.

What’s the bonus? This year’s meetings will have an educational component that focuses on the issues independent booksellers face in staying profitable. By getting more event attendees to sign up for trial membership, ABA is hoping to continue that conversation beyond its meetings.

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