Here is your checklist to make sure you're ready to make the most of Back to School!
- Order rack cards and get them placed in all local businesses. Getting 5000 rack cards out is as easy as visiting 10 businesses a day and having them leave 50 of your cards on their front counter. You can get 5000 cards out in only 10 days this way. No excuses.
- Order bookmarks and get them out to local schools and your students. Find out how many students go to every school near you and order enough - this is a great free offering for the community that doubles as a marketing tool.
- Order a window cling and get it hung up. This is perfect for drive by and walk by traffic. Ask us to include a QR code to make it very easy for people to stay connected when you're closed! We can make these in any size so if you need specific dimensions, let us know.
- Start locking in booths at as many events as you can. Your town probably hosts different back to school events, schools always host meet the teacher nights or kindergarten roundups, look for farmers markets and things like that. Order up plenty of ad cards so you have something for prospects to take with them! You'll also definitely need a popup banner for booths as well!
- BAGS! Every one of your students should have one of your drawstring bags for back to school! You can give these away or even sell them in your pro-shop!
- Plan your back to school buddy bash and get invitations passed out. You should definitely post this on Facebook and email about it so parents have the info, but having invitations that kids can give to their friends makes events like these exponentially more successful. Their friends will be so excited to get an invitation and will bring them home to mom or dad begging them to bring them. It's a sure fire way to get your events filled with prospective students.
- Get an EDDM campaign out to all families in your town. This is so easy - order the cards, buy the postage, drop them off at the post office. Cards get in the hands of local families with the demographics you set FAST - no bad addresses! This is a serious no-brainer and back to school is one of the hottest times of the year you can do this.
So those are the basics.
Want to go above and beyond? Here is what you can do next:
- Plan your Back to School Parent's Night Out. We have a Minecraft theme event done for you to make this easy! We also have a new event pack dropping this week! You'll really love this next one!!
- Place snipe signs around town.
- Order up some new VIP Cards for you and your staff to pass out to everyone as you go about your regular days.
- Stock up on folders. Not only are these perfect for prospects and new students, but Back to School is the perfect time of year to pass them out to each of your students! You can even sell them in your pro-shop!!
- Grab some doorhangers, get your leadership team together on a Saturday afternoon, and have them help you blanket nearby neighborhoods with thousands of doorhangers in just an hour or two! Reward them with pizza when they're done and make it special!
- Order enough of these pay it forward teacher cards so that every teacher in your town gets one! A school has 100 teachers? Just drop off 100 in the front office with some donuts. Easy peasy.
That should be enough to keep you busy for a couple weeks. The key to effective marketing is not relying on just one thing. I'm sure you will do social media advertising along with all of this.. and you should! But that should NEVER be the only thing you do! As a community based business you need to constantly have a presence in your community - and this is the way you do that.