The country is deeply into the Back to School season now; if this is a hot season for selling your brand, you did your BTS planning months ago. One of the great things about the internet, though, is that it is not too late for a nimble marketing division to catch the wave.
Find your situation below and see what you can do at your website to make the most of Back to School.
Your brand is an obvious Back to School purchase.
You’re selling backpacks, shoes, or pencils. Business is already brisk, so you might be tempted to relax, or at least to start looking ahead to the holidays. Before you do that, check inventory levels and see whether you need to sell more of your core BTS products, or to begin offering alternatives to items that may sell out too soon.
If you’re looking at ending the season with too much product, run some promotions now. It’s too late for retailer promotions or cents-off coupons in magazines, but it is emphatically not too late to text and tweet coupon codes. It may also be the perfect time to offer special deals online, if you use e-commerce. Taking a bit less profit now can be worthwhile if it means you avoid markdowns or discards later.
If your goods are selling like hotcakes, help your visitors become aware of other items you have to offer. Add a page at your website on how to avoid backpack backaches and bring up the camping gear you make, too. Ads won’t usually catch a visitor’s eye unless the topic is on their minds, but your mentions of backpacking trips may come to their minds next month when they’re ready for a weekend adventure.
If you have a retailer’s portal at your website, this is also the perfect time to offer to replace damaged boxes or to share some clever merchandising ideas to avoid returns next month.
Your brand is not an obvious Back to School purchase, but it’s a near miss.
If you’re selling special dorm-sized sheets, then you’re an obvious Back to School brand. If you’re selling tablecloths, you’re not a player. But comforters and cushions make sense in a dorm room. Add a great photo of your products in a dorm room at your website, create a guide to dorm living for your blog, and reap the rewards.
Just think of all the Back to School content you can provide for your visitors at this time of year:
- lunchbox recipes using your ingredients
- after school snack ideas with your foods
- after school safety for latch key kids — with your products highlighted
- lighting tips for study areas, with your light bulbs and lamps
- week night dinner ideas made with your kitchenware
- weekend relaxation ideas with your products and services
- back to school health concerns
- fun for younger siblings left at home when big bro and sis go back to school
- fun ideas for stay at home moms while the kids are at school
- ideas for getting the house back in order after summer — with your cleaning products
A little creativity can forge connections between back to school and a surprising range of goods and services. Catch the attention of BTS shoppers Googling their back to school concerns, and you could see a nice back to school lift in sales.
Your brand has no connection with Back to School.
Just as the typical Christmas shopper buys a little something for herself, you can position your product as an add-on indulgence for Back to School shoppers. If Mom just spent a paycheck crossing things off all the kids’ Back to School lists, she may be very receptive to a new lipstick for herself.
Research also shows that Back to School is perceived by many adults as a second New Year, a time for fresh starts or for recommitting to good habits. Update your home page banners with messages focusing on time management, budgeting, fitness, and organization. You don’t even need to say the words “Back to School” — the message will resonate.
Adding a little Back to School flavor to your blog, your product pages, your banners, and other easy-to-update areas of your site can be a good investment at this time of year.
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