Missionary bookselling leader David Almack offers some great food for thought in what he calls a manifesto for Christian retail "thrival."

The U.S. Director of CLC International, who oversees eight Christian bookstores in the country run by CLC missionaries, presents ten suggestions to help retailers "not only survive but to thrive in he new world that we live in," in his latest blog at http://faithlit.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/a-manifesto-for-christian-retail-thrival/

Among the highlights:

Focus on market niches. Though there is plenty of competition in the Bible marketplace, there is less competition for Bible accessories and Bible covers. Some other areas for niche thinking include kids, tweens and teens products, church supplies, gifts.

Embrace new media marketing. Migrating our marketing efforts to e-blasts, Facebook fan pages and blog posts is an essential. People want to receive their information in the ways that they are most familiar with and that is rapidly becoming online for most of us.

Be community focused. Our stores did not really begin to grow in any significant way until we began to understand our community and its specific needs.

Here are some questions to ask: What really matters to my customers? How can I make heart connections with the people I serve? What is going on in my community that I need to get involved in as an advocate? How can I make "local" a strength for my ministry, not a weakness?

Do events that matter. They are the proven method for driving traffic and bringing people back to your stores again and again (But) customers today are very busy people who do not have time to attend just "any kind" of event anymore. These events must be meaningful and targeted.

Consider some of the following: Kids' reading times for weary moms; Bible reference workshops for people not sure how to study the Bible; Sunday school and VBS workshops with new ideas for teachers to consider.

Read the rest of David's ideas and then let us know what you think—and offer your own suggestions—at our community forum.