Local Social: no secret identities at the Isotope Comics Lounge

James Sime of Isotope: The Comics Lounge. Photo: Matt Silady

Even among San Francisco’s prodigious geek community, It’s not just anyone who can talk about his Web 2.0 presentation  and the latest issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA in the same breath. James Sime owns up to it proudly.

And why not? As proprietor of Hayes Valley staple Isotope: the Comics Lounge, James has leveraged Social Media to keep his store, first afloat, then thriving. He’s proved that you don’t have to be a programming whiz or hire an overpriced consultant to do it. Sometimes it’s as simple as being social, then creating media.

Creating foot traffic by going online

James opened shop during a bad economy (late 2001) in one of the most competitive markets for comics retailing in the country (San Francisco). Having no money for advertising, James went online, where the comics-creating-and-buying community has long been vocal.

“I couldn’t go to peoples’ homes,” James explains. “I had to do something to get them to come visit me!”

James first found his voice on the Warren Ellis Forum, a comics-and-culture discussion BBS, on the old Delphi online service. Eventually, James opened up his own Delphi forum, then wrote a popular column for the Comic Book Resources news site.  He’d opine about retailing, let creators promote their comics, and plug his store’s events, all in his uniquely enthusiastic style. It garnered him an online audience and made the Isotope a destination shop for people both in and out of town.

“That saved me!” He tells me, shaking his head in disbelief. “Now, 15 to 20 percent of my business comes from people (visiting) from other parts of the world.”
 

Getting social--in real-life

The Isotope’s success in online promotion comes from feeding it with a distinctive offline presence (see sidebar). It helps that his store is laid out as a social space, making it easier to chat with customers, put up gallery shows, and throw events.

The events play a major role in the Isotope’s profile. While most comics retailers feature signings with popular creators, where the creator will sign copies of his or her work and chat with the customers, James turns his into full-blown theme parties based around a creators work, interests, or proclivities. For the aforementioned comics author Warren Ellis--a blogger who used to write often about his love of fine scotch--James threw an expensive signing-slash-scotch-tasting. It set James back a pretty penny but it created buzz among the comics community and set the tone for Isotope events from thereon.

In turn, these events generate not just word of mouth, but hundreds of Flickr photos, blog posts, tweets, etc.; each one an Isotope-related social object that fans can share, comment on, and interact with online.
 

Personality as promotion

James uses social media tools (see sidebar) to connect with his customer base—mostly just by broadcasting his own interests.

Once you know that he or his staff share your passion for roller derby, tiki bars, or Triple Cobra, you’re more likely to check out the store, shoot the breeze with them, or buy a graphic novel you’ve never heard of on their recco. Ka-ching. It’s a lesson to retailers in how transparency can create relationships with customers.

“It’s important to get across what you are, what you do. You want your customers to connect with you,” James advised. “You can’t do that if they don’t know who you are!”
 

A recognizable (personal) brand

It helps that James wears his personality on his tailored sleeve. You’d recognize him two blocks away by his foot-high spiked hair and striped zoot-suits that would not look out of place on The Joker. His attitude is persistently positive and his sentences generally end in exclamation points. The brand he’s created for himself makes him memorable on- and offline.

“Read my Yelp reviews.” He offers as proof of his local recognition factor. “Most are good, some not so good--but almost everybody who writes one knows my name.”
 

Taking the Isotope mobile

The latest social media initiative James has taken on is an iPhone application, created by comics website Comixology. It shows users the latest releases, and allows them to reserve copies at their local comics shop. James advised Comixology on their business model, offering his store (and his customer base) for the pilot program.

This makes it easier for his smartphone-owning customers to keep track of new releases  and reserve copies at his store with just a couple of taps. Becoming better informed of the latest comics gives them more reasons to come back (say, every week or so) and strengthens their relationship with the store.

Giving a small store a big presence

Is James Sime using Social Media tools in a way that any store with a solid customer base and a few bucks funneled from the advertising budget couldn’t do? For the most part, no. The difference is what he does with those tools.

The content he provides--fueled by his events, his interests, and a genuine love for what he does--creates buzz online and maintains customer relationships. It's what's turned the Isotope from just another four-color fantasy shop into a local destination.

Know any SF retailers using Social Media in interesting ways? Feel free to plug them in the comments below.