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For savvy retailers and companies, back-to-school could mark a quasi-beginning of the holiday season.
Back to School has long been one of the most profitable seasons of the year in the United States. Other than the Christmas holiday, which, from a shopping and spending standpoint, most consider to be the entire month of December, no other time of the year has consumers parting with their hard-earned dollars nearly as much other than the period from roughly late July through the end of August.Literally going back to school creates a demand for various products that parents and children alike anticipate businesses being able to fulfill. Retailers can definitely capitalize on what has become a tradition by focusing on how to make immediate sales, while also establishing long-term customer bonds.
In 2013, it was estimated that marketers spent more than $50 billion on back-to-school advertising, second only to the amount spent during the winter holiday season the same year. There is no doubt about it, back to school is an annual opportunity that companies can truly take advantage of--if they have the right marketing strategy in place.
For several generations, it has been an American tradition to pack the kids into the minivan (or depending on how far back you want to go, into the station wagon) at some point in the later part of the summer and head out to a variety of department stores to pick up all of the necessary school supplies for the year.
This tradition is being replaced by a digital-age equivalent, as parents and students are venturing out online to take care of their back to school necessities. With that in mind, marketers would be wise to establish a strong online marketing strategy for the upcoming school shopping season.
Increase Brand Awareness Early
What can marketers do in order to make their brands stand out during this profitable time of year? Optimizing your online search campaign starts with establishing a competitive budget. This is of particular importance for your brand’s mobile campaign because mobile advertising allows for less space within search results than its desktop counterpart.
And traffic from your ads should be directed to a landing page on your website that features back to school themes, concepts, and offers that boost and round out the customer experience.
It is also in the best interest of your company’s bottom line to begin leveraging display of your brand as early as May or June so that consumers get it firmly planted in their minds before the crux of the season hits. This early and increased brand awareness will pay dividends when school shopping time rolls around.
From an SEO standpoint, you will want to optimize display campaigns by targeting keywords that exemplify the season, such as “back to school savings”, “great deals on back to school”, and “school supplies”. Sites that specialize in topics like shopping, school supplies, parenting and the like will also increase brand awareness during this time with the ideal consumer audience.
Have a Solid Mobile Campaign
The importance of mobile-specific advertising cannot be understated. Display and search efforts cannot be confined to the standard PC format when almost half of consumers (roughly 49%) made click-through purchases on mobile devices after researching on search engines during the last six months.
Additionally, over 80% of consumers say they use their mobile devices to find retailers and more than 70% use mobiles to research products and services after seeing an ad. These numbers should be enough motivation for marketers to make strong mobile advertising campaign as important as any other element of their advertising strategy.
If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront, mobile advertising can also be an ideal way to bring online shoppers to your business’ physical location. Online marketing to include geographic locations allows users to find who nearby has what they want.
Also, leveraging offers through Google ads provides even more incentive for consumers by offering users coupons and other specials they might not otherwise be exposed to.
Support Local Schools Through Your Business
Having a presence in your local community as a retailer is critical for good public relations, which are always beneficial for your company’s bottom line. However, Community Support is one of most underused elements of a strong back to school advertising campaigns.
Supporting local schools, teachers, student-athletes, and educational programs are extremely effective ways of giving your brand that extra push it needs to stand out from the competition. Community Support generates favor among the public and can be one of the most effective ways of garnering brand loyalty and positive word-of-mouth referrals.Some of the ways in which you can support your community during the back to school season include creating a promotion for your back to school inventory and donating a portion of sales to a local school.
Partnering with schools and sponsoring school events can also be a great way to generate brand awareness and bring in local customers, who can then spread the word of your business to both their online and offline networks.