With the school semester quickly approaching, retailers have a chance to connect with parents, students, and educators through back-to-school marketing tactics. Back-to-school shopping is a significant event for families, with an estimated $80 billion spent on supplies, clothing, and electronics each year. This article delves into current trends and strategies businesses can employ to take advantage of this season.
Discover how businesses execute marketing plans for the back-to-school period.
Early Bird Back-To-School Marketing
Customers love early bird (cheaper school supplies) promotions, so when gathering the marketing team, discuss the importance of creating a sense of urgency and excitement before the semester begins. By highlighting exclusive offers and limited-time deals, it encourages early shopping.
A component to boost sales for early bird promotions is exploring the power of content marketing through social media, blogs, videos, and webinars. The content should be engaging and informative such as study tips, organization hacks, and back-to-school checklists.
Offering discount coupons and digital coupons build an email contact list for the future and increases sales during the vital back-to-school rush.
Virtual Events, Contests, and Give Aways
Another back-to-school marketing tactic explicitly caters to educators. An example is Target and its “Teacher Prep Event,” where educators receive discounts on supplies.
When hosting contests, use high-value prizes to engage the customers, such as laptops, iPads, or gift cards to a large retail supply store. This way, the clients notice the worth of joining the event.
Businesses can also collaborate with retailers, such as letting customers know if they take their back-to-school receipts to certain restaurants, they can get discounts on their meals.
Collaboration
Collaborating with educational institutes or local charities reinforces back-to-school marketing strategies. Through collaboration, businesses can tailor product bundles specific to academic disciplines or extracurricular activities. For instance, Verizon Wireless’s “Wireless Zone Locations” annually cater to K-12 students with a backpack full of school supplies. The event allows the business to acquire positive brand exposure and develop a long-term customer partnership.
Helping others through charity increases employee morale and is a positive marketing strategy. This unique selling point gives socially conscious customers a place to shop at businesses that give back to the community.
Conclusion
In summary, back-to-school marketing campaigns set the tone for the season, inducing customer engagement, loyalty, and sales. By utilizing early-bird promotions, informative content, engaging contests, personalized offerings, and educational collaborations, businesses can be a valuable resource to students and educators for the upcoming semester.
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