The best time to get ready for Back-to-School marketing campaigns is the middle of the summer. Some businesses start to advertise the first week of July, because there are really only seven weeks until the new school year begins. Don’t fall behind: take the time now to prepare an effective marketing campaign, so you can be ready to go when summer draws to a close. Check out these seven Back-to-School marketing ideas to get the ball rolling:
1. Develop your mobile campaign.
According to a study by smallbiztrends.com, one-third of smartphone users and 45% of tablet owners will be researching Back-to-School deals on their mobile devices. Further results reveal that 21.8 % and 31.4% of these respective mobile users will purchase supplies from smartphones and tablets. Ensure that all of your websites are mobile friendly, and develop an app for your business to increase your exposure in this demographic.2. Sweepstakes and contests are goldmines.
Everyone loves a little competition, and there are a great many contest ideas that can benefit your marketing campaign efforts. Consider hosting a contest in which students share a short piece about why their campus is the best. Offer incentives to the winning school, and create promotions for the contest that are easy to enter and follow. As another example, try creating a sweepstakes with a terrific prize – like a brand-new computer or tablet – and watch your customer base continue to grow.3. Build excitement using Twitter.
Everyone knows that retweets win customers. Create a tweet that draws attention to your products, and then offer a chance to win a Back-to-School shopping spree for anyone who retweets your post. You’ll have some great viral attention in no time.4. Invigorate your campaign with cross channel marketing.
Is your marketing campaign pulling out all of the stops? If not, it should be. You need a mobile marketing strategy (as mentioned above), but you should still integrate email, social media, display ads, and search engine marketing, as well as in-store and out-of-home collateral. Plus, ensure your print ads include QR codes for special offers, and customize your landing pages to allow people to sign up for email and text loyalty programs.5. Target students with your ads.
Whether your products are more oriented toward college-bound students or junior high kids, always target the students with your advertisements. Younger students are very social media savvy now, and parents are relying on their children to do much of the online research for Back-to-School goods. Further, a large chunk of the $74.9 billion in Back-to-School spending is likely to come from Millennials this year – to be exact, $913 million is the forecasted amount for this age group. Consider exactly what these students need, and create your promotions accordingly.6. Create a business Pinterest account.
Pinterest is now the third most popular social media channel, and its platform goes hand-in-hand with Back-to-School marketing. The search engine capabilities of Pinterest function exactly like Google’s keyword searches, so practice a little SEO when you are creating pins for the products you offer. Take a look at Vertical Response’s article on this topic for more info!7. Give back with your marketing campaign.
There’s an enormous trend in the business world of today: giving back. Target has its “Buy One, Give One” campaign, in which one Target-brand item is donated for every identical item purchased. Great Clips is making a donation to AdoptAClassroom.org every time someone downloads its app. By giving back, you attract customers who want to donate, while fostering a connection with these individuals and inviting them to interact with your brand.
Summer is not over yet, so you still have time to develop a dazzling Back-to-School campaign. Incorporate a few of these marketing ideas into your strategy, and you’re bound to have a delightful influx of new customers in the final weeks of summer.