Have You Started Gearing Up for Back To School? July 12, 2019, | Posted by erin

July is here, and while students of all ages are just settling into their summers firmly, back to school time is just around the corner. It may seem like it’s a little too early to start planning for back to school, but remember: especially in the south, schools do start heading back in August, and even for those who live in regions where the fall return is in September can benefit from starting their planning now. Site Impact knows that back to school campaigns can be a big boost even for brands that have no obvious affiliation with education, so we’re going to talk about planning your campaigns around that anchor in the year.

Why you should plan on back to school--even if you’re not selling school-related products

Of course, there are a lot of different products associated with education, and the list grows every year; it isn’t just a matter of notebooks, paper, pens, calculators, and other paraphernalia for class anymore. With the increasing emphasis of college life on the back to school world, office furniture and home furnishings have gotten into the mix, and the accessories of school life have grown to include printers, computers, new clothes, jewelry, cleaning supplies, bedroom decor, and more. But even if your brand isn’t aligned with school-related products in the broadest sense, it’s worthwhile to attach a promotion to the back to school period. Just like during the winter holidays, there’s a lot of value to be found in proposing to the people buying school supplies to treat themselves, as well. An example would be for a massage company to point out to stressed out parents that it’s a good time for a massage--and to provide an offer accordingly.

Even if back to school for your region is still months away, it’s time to get started

A substantial subset of the country goes back to school in September, as opposed to August, but even for brands that have specific geographic ties to those regions, it’s a good idea to get started with developing campaigns for back to school now, in early July. Getting down to business in early July will give you the opportunity to develop and refine your strategies and targets for the entire back to school period, and go into a busy shopping period of the year with everything ready to go and no sense of panic. Early July is the best time to get things in order and start building your segments, developing your ad concepts, and so on.

Whether your brand is traditionally aligned with education or not connected to the school year or school supplies even in the broadest sense, it’s definitely a good idea to get things in order to develop a back to school campaign now, to have it ready to go. Back to school isn’t just relevant to students, educators and parents; it’s an anchor in the year and a period where people at large are going to be spending money and making a lot of purchases. Contact Site Impact to learn how we can help you hit the ground running with a back to school email campaign.