Marketing Steps to selling your yearbook and building a tradition
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Deliver the experience WHAT | Products, price, sales goals WHEN | Back to school, fall, winter HOW | Online and in school
Create buzz at school AWARENESS | The yearbook is on sale URGENCY | Don’t miss out! FUN! | The yearbook is cool
Create buzz at home AWARENESS | The yearbook is on sale URGENCY | Reserve your copy now! CLEAR STEPS | How to order the yearbook
Run the campaigns PROMOTION | Keep up the momentum VISIBILITY | Make it easy to buy TRACKING | Enter sales in Yearbook Avenue
Deliver the experience DISTRIBUTE | Make it an anticipated event SIGN | Messages from friends make it personal CELEBRATE | The school year and your amazing yearbook
BENEFITS | The reasons customers have for buying the yearbook. While one feature of the yearbook is that it has great photos of many friends, the benefit to the customer is that looking at the photos is fun and images will evoke memories for many years. BUDGET | Expectations for expenses and income; takes into consideration the plans to make the yearbook appealing to customers and the costs of producing it, plus related expenses. DIRECT MAIL | A marketing tactic that uses a sales letter or promo piece mailed to potential customers. DISTRIBUTION EVENT | A special activity for distributing and signing yearbooks. EXPENSES | The costs associated with producing a yearbook. FEATURES | The physical and emotional aspects of the yearbook product that interest potential customers. Answers to these questions are features: What is on the cover? How many times am I pictured in the book? How many pages are in the book? How much color is used? INCOME | Amount of money coming in to meet expenses, including income from yearbook sales and advertising revenue. MARKETING | Strategies that communicate the yearbook’s features and benefits to potential customers. RESEARCH | Reveals what yearbook buyers want and need. Surveys and focus groups can produce helpful information, but personal contact often provides the best opportunity to determine what students want in the yearbook. TACTICS | The marketing strategies used to inform potential customers about the yearbook, including point of purchase, direct mail, email, telemarketing, personal reminders, flyers, videos, announcements, direct marketing and websites. Tactics are matched to the needs and demographics of potential customers.
DELIVERY DAY | A distribution celebration not only builds excitement about the yearbook, it builds school pride and recognizes the adviser and staff for their work. Regardless of the format of the event, yearbook signing should be a key component.
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From direct mail to point of purchase displays, there are many tactics available for reaching potential customers
Marketing magic Strategic marketing means matching tactics with the needs and demographics of customers.
CLASS PRESENTATIONS: Staff members make presentations about the yearbook and distribute order forms.
POINT OF PURCHASE (POP): A prominent display of the cover, theme and features of the book should be inviting, intriguing and accessible.
PERSONAL REMINDERS: Postcards add a personal touch by informing students or parents of the exact pages on which the student will appear in the yearbook.
E-MAIL/DIRECT MAIL: A sales letter or promo piece, perhaps included in the school newsletter, is sent to potential customers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Broadcasts on a school radio station, public address system, school news channel or local stations could be used to get the word out.
VIDEOS: In a school with an internal television network, a video promotes the yearbook. TELEMARKETING: Staff members phone potential customers to connect features to benefits and ask them to buy. FLYERS: A flyer or order form stuffed into lockers gets attention.
DIRECT MARKETING: The yearbook company contacts students or parents, allowing them to buy directly from home. ONLINE: A website makes it convenient for customers to purchase.
4 key campaigns Creating the urgency to buy at four different times during the year leads to stronger sales. BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN: Early sales help build momentum and generate yearbook buzz. Take advantage of registration and parent night events to launch book sales. FALL CAMPAIGN: In the fall, school spirit is high and there are lots of events and activities underway. Capitalize on that emotion and involvement for your biggest campaign of the year. WINTER CAMPAIGN: This is the last chance to reserve a copy of the yearbook. This message has to come across clearly in all promotions. DISTRIBUTION SALES: Make distribution an enjoyable experience that includes signing yearbooks. Sell extra copies, usually at a higher price than for preorders.