BRINGING THE NARRATIVE INTO PAID MEDIA
How can paid media campaigns drive local engagement and increase sales for a small business?
Elevating local small business growth by driving foot traffic, event attendance, and online sales through tailored Meta and Pinterest campaigns for local and out-of-state audiences with targeted content, event promotions, and community-driven storytelling.
| ROLE | TEAM | SKILLS | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media Intern | International Love | Media Planning Ad Mocks Audience Segmentation Copywriting |
4 Weeks |
BUSINESS CONTEXT
About Narrative
Narrative Bookshop is a local bookshop in Davis Square, Somerville, MA, that opened in May 2024. It is an immigrant-woman owned and operated business run by Mila Hossain. The bookshop offers a welcoming space for finding connection through a curation of BIPOC authors and community-minded events. Narrative's offerings include books, their cozy community space, author signings, book talks, wellness events, craft nights, yoga classes, and more.
Hossain's Vision
Through Narrative Bookshop, Hossain aims to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to explore new ideas and perspectives. She envisions Narrative not just as a book shop, but as a hub for discovery, through her curation that empowers voices that have traditionally been marginalized in mainstream literature.
Hossain's vision for Narrative is deeply rooted in her personal journey as an immigrant and her passion for literature.
Hossain's journey has not been easy; she has navigated the challenges of establishing a business while managing all aspects of operations, from running the store to organizing events and engaging with customers on social media. By focusing on community-minded events and thoughtful curation, Hossain seeks to inspire a love for reading while supporting local authors and fostering connections among residents in Somerville and beyond. Her vision is clear: Narrative Bookshop is a place where stories come alive, and every visitor can find their narrative.
Organic Performance
Currently, Narrative does not run any paid media. On the social side, Narrative is active on Instagram and Facebook. In their own website, Bookshop.org for online sales, and Eventbrite for ticket sales.
On the organic side, Narrative is performing extremely well, particularly on Instagram. Hossain, who has shared deeply personal stories of what it's like being a first-time small business owner, has developed a strong base of dedicated followers who actively engage with her content. Since the account's beginnings in December 2023, @narrativebookshop has amassed over 5.8k followers (as of January 2025).
Pictured above on the top are examples of Narrative's most sucessful content: the left-most post, which merely announced the opening of the store, gained 763 likes and 63 comments. Comments of encouragement, admiration, and excitement, like that of the screengrabs on the bottom, which populate every single other post of @narrativebookshop.
With such high organic performance and engagement, Narrative has high potential for launching a paid media plan.
PROPOSED MEDIA STRATEGY
Objectives
- Increase in-store foot traffic by promoting Narrative's community space and events to local Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston targets.
- Boost online sales by expanding Narrative’s online presence and drive conversions on their Bookshop.org page by targeting outside the Boston area.
Audience 1: College and Graduate Students
There are 162,981 students enrolled in Boston institutions, with 59% in undergraduate programs and 41% in programs beyond a bachelor’s degree (Student Housing Trends: 2023, City of Boston).
Whether they're looking for looking for a welcoming community space, a new book to read, or a break from campus, students are the perfect audience to encourage visiting a place like Narrative; accomplishing the goal of increasing in-store foot traffic. Below are targets specific to this local audience on Meta.
| Age | 18-26 |
|---|---|
| Geotargeting | Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston areas |
| Interest Targeting | Universities: Tufts, Harvard, Lesley, MIT, Northeastern, BU Hobbies/Lifestyle: Coffee shops, Arts & crafts, Book discussion Cultural Events: Arts & culture, Music festivals, Film festivals Literature: Poetry reading, American/Tamil/World/… literature Social Justice: Activism, Community and social service |
Funnel: College and Graduate Students
Awareness
Students in Camberville/Boston interested in literature, social justice, cultural events
Lookalikes of Narrative’s Website Visitors
Lookalikes of Engagers of Narrative’s platforms
Consideration
Followers of Narrative’s platforms
Engagers of Awareness targeting
In the funnel, local student outreach follows a strategic two-stage approach.
For awareness, the goal is to introduce Narrative to potential customers. By targeting local students interested in literature, social justice, and cultural events, the campaign expands brand visibility. Leveraging lookalike audiences based on website visitors and social media engagers helps discover new potential customers with similar characteristics.
The consideration stage builds on initial awareness, focusing on deepening engagement. By targeting current followers of Narrative's platforms and individuals who interacted with awareness-stage content, the campaign nurtures interest and moves potential customers closer to visiting the store or attending events.
This funnel approach systematically guides local students from initial brand discovery to active consideration, creating a structured pathway to increase foot traffic and community engagement.
Platform Recommendation: Meta
Why? Meta's integrated ecosystem allows for cross-promotion between Facebook and Instagram, maximizing reach and engagement.
For reach, the goal is to show your ads to the maximum number of unique users within your target audience. Meta's Awareness campaigns optimize for reach by ensuring your message is seen by as many distinct individuals as possible, with features like the store location feature, which will be detailed below.
For engagement, the goal is to maximize the number of people who have shown interest to engage in a certain action. For the goal of engaging more people to Narrative's events, Meta's Engagement campaigns will optimize for the maximum amount of people to indicate interest in or intention to attend your Facebook event.
Community Space Marketing
Organic Copy:
✨ much better ✨
As BEYOND GRATEFUL as I am (& tbh, still in shock & disbelief) that y'all cleared Narrative's shelves in SEVEN DAYS ❗❗❗, she just looks so GOOD all dressed & ready 🥰
Come get your books while they're still hereeeee <333333
#reels #bookstagram #indiebookstore #smallbusiness #womanowned
Shown above is an example of current organic content that showcases Narrative's community space. Though the call to action (CTA) to visit the newly stocked shop is communicated, it's not as clear with the lack of text on the creative, as well as with the buried CTA in the copy.
Paid Lens: Reel/Story Mocks
Above, the leftmost video is a long-form Instagram reel that showcases not just Narrative's community space, but goes in depth to Narrative's mission, curation, and offerings as a Somerville's newest community addition.
To the right is a short-form Instagram story that utilizes text, "there's a new immigrant + woman-owned bookstore in Somerville," and music to grab user attention within seconds, given the limited time of a story.
Both of these formats are under the Meta Awareness campaign, which allows for the Store Locator feature. This special feature introduces a new CTA, "Get Directions," which prompts users to open their desired Maps app to get directions to Narrative from their location, as shown on the right.
Event Marketing
Above is an example of current organic content for an upcoming Narrative event. Again, the CTA to register and buy tickets for the event is buried among the extremely long copy.
Paid Lens: Facebook Feed Mock
Above, the mock on the left is a Facebook feed ad with reduced copy that grabs attention with a clear and short CTA. The star of this ad format, as in the use of Meta Awareness campaign, is the Facebook Events feature that allows us to track metrics like "Interested" and "Going" clicks, and event link clicks to the Facebook event page from the ad, which is shown on the right.
We are also able to track ticket sales on Eventbrite that came from engagers on Facebook, by utilizing a pixel (tracking link) that Narrative will provide on their end.
Audience 2: “Buy Local” Supporters
Targeting the Massachusetts/New England audience for Narrative Bookshop's "Buy Local Supporters" campaign is a strategic choice that aligns well with the store's mission and local business ethos. New England has a strong culture of supporting independent businesses, as evidenced by initiatives like Small Business Strong, which has served over 3,600 businesses and preserved nearly 10,000 jobs in the region. This demonstrates a robust ecosystem of local business support.
By focusing on the Massachusetts/New England audience, Narrative Bookshop can tap into regional pride and the established "buy local" mentality. This approach resonates more authentically with the concept of supporting a Somerville-based small business, compared to targeting distant cities like LA or Chicago. Below are targets specific to this local audience on Meta.
| Age | 18-60 |
|---|---|
| Geotargeting | Broader Massachusetts, New England |
| Interest Targeting |
Online Book Communities: Book clubs, Book reviews, Fan fiction Local Businesses: Small business, Community issues Literature: Poetry reading, American/Tamil/World/… literature Social Justice: Activism, Community and social service |
Funnel: “Buy Local” Supporters
Conversion
Buy Local Supporters outside of Boston interested in literature, social justice, cultural events
Lookalikes of Purchasers
At this stage, local supporters are primed for action, needing only the right incentive or compelling message to make a purchase and support Narrative Bookshop, even from afar.
Buy Local Supporters outside of Boston are part of the conversion stage of the funnel because they have already demonstrated an interest in supporting independent businesses and are likely familiar with the concept of buying local.
These individuals, particularly those interested in literature, social justice, and cultural events, align closely with Narrative Bookshop's mission and offerings. By targeting lookalikes of previous purchasers, the campaign reaches people with similar characteristics to those who have already converted, increasing the likelihood of sales.
Book Marketing
Above is an example of current organic content for a fall book sale at Narrative. However, one important question arises as I look at this post: what books are actually on sale?
Paid Lens: Facebook Feed Mock
Above, the mock on the left is a Facebook feed ad that brings books back into the narrative. Starting off with a clearer CTA that defines the sale as a curated selection, this mock ties loose ends with its carousel format, which showcases the 3 top-selling books of the week that are included in the fall sale.
Whenever users click the Shop Now button, they are redirected to Narrative's Bookshop.org page as shown on the right, where users are able to purchase the book of their choosing. Again, we are able to track book sales on Bookshop.org via a pixel provided by Narrative.
Platform Recommendation: Pinterest
Why? Users engage with Pinterest content three times slower than on other platforms, allowing for deeper connections and more thoughtful consideration of products and services. This slower pace of engagement provides an opportunity for businesses to showcase their offerings in detail and build stronger relationships with potential customers.
Pinterest functions more like a search engine than a traditional social media platform, effectively combining the intent-driven nature of Google with the visual appeal of Instagram. This hybrid approach makes it particularly effective for reaching users who are actively searching for inspiration, ideas, and products with the intention to take action.
To optimize for conversion on Pinterest, leverage features Product Pins and the Shop Tab, which are explained in further detail below.
Paid Lens: Pinterest Mocks
Above, the leftmost mock is the Shop Tab: a dedicated space for browsing Product Pins, this feature further enhances the shopping experience. It allows users to search for specific items and filter results by price and brand, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Product Pins provide rich details about items, including pricing and availability, making it easier for users to make purchase decisions. A cool plus about these pins is that all of its text, including the text on the literal pin, are included in Pinterest's SEO keywords. If you wanted to go the extra mile, adding text on the creative can boost the power of the ad.
Again, once a user wants to buy the book, they'll be redirected to Narrative's Bookshop.org page, which can be tracked via pixel.