School’s out for the summer, but September will roll around before you know it. If you’re a local business, back to school marketing is a great way to get customers through the door in August and September. Here are our tips for creating a successful campaign.
Plan Ahead
In America, most Back to School advertising starts at the end of June – before summer has even started for some schools. You shouldn’t start your campaign so early, but you need to give yourself enough time to get everything ready. Some things will take longer than others: it might take a graphic designer a few hours to design a Facebook advert, but if you want print advertising to be part of your campaign, you need to start work now.
Know Your Audience
Back to school marketing shouldn’t always be aimed at parents. Although they are normally the ones paying for back to school supplies, kids do have a say in what they buy. The older they are, the more influence they have. If your teenage daughter insists she needs the pencil case with One Direction on it, you’ll probably buy it – even if it is more expensive than the others. A lot of kids and teenagers who don’t like school do like shopping, and tapping into that can get results. And don’t forget that grandparents and other relatives might want to get the kids a little something before they go back to school. They’re looking for a gift, so different products will appeal to them.
Be Unique
Most Back to School ad campaigns look pretty much the same: children in uniforms, stationery supplies, text on a chalkboard… You know the clichés. Although it needs to be clear what you’re advertising, it’s important that your brand stands out from all the others – especially if you’re a smaller business competing with national retailers. Italian fashion brand Piazza Italia did this brilliantly with their 2013 campaign, which brought children’s back to school fears to life with the help of Photoshop.
Posted by Dazium Design on Saturday, 12 July 2014
Go Local
Less than 20% of students and parents buy half their back to school supplies online, so local retailers have a great opportunity to get customers in through the door. Here, print marketing is much more effective than anything you can do online. Banners, posters and in-store displays will grab people’s attention, encouraging them to make a decision then and there. Consider putting flyers or a small brochure on your counter for customers to take home with them. Some people won’t buy their back to school supplies until just before the end of the holidays, it’s a good way to get customers to come back to you for those last-minute items.
Want to create an effective back to school print campaign this summer? Talk to Colour Print today. Our experienced team of print consultants, designers, printers and distributors can help you create a campaign that works. Call us on 01603 488001 or email us at sales@col-print.co.uk.
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