Adopt These Back-to-School Digital Advertising Strategies

It’s inevitable — the moment July 4 [A1] fireworks end, the back-to-school shopping season begins. Summer merchandise clears out, only to be replaced by notebooks, furnishings, backpacks, and other essentials. It all underscores one guiding principle that marketers and businesses both understand: Back-to-school is big business.

The [A2] National Retail Federation predicts that 2018’s back-to-school (BTS) and back-to-college (BTC) season will generate more than $82 billion, with shoppers purchasing everything from clothing to electronics to school supplies. Adtaxi believes that merits a fresh approach in digital marketing, so we rounded up a few innovative strategies to kick off the school season in style.

Get Creative on Social Media

Social media is a game changer for BTS and BTC marketing campaigns. Kids, parents, and teachers all use it to generate shopping ideas, which provides businesses with a natural way to build brand recognition and attract both new and returning customers. A few ideas include[A3] :

·      Build a buzz around BTS and BTC sales on social media by giving your followers a chance to win a prize or a shopping spree for every share or reaction they give to a post. To keep people interested, randomly choose winners once a week.

·      Showcase popular new merchandise and have your audience vote for their favorites using a brand- or product-specific hashtag. This not only increases sharing potential, but also gives customer engagement a boost.

·      Invite customers to post pictures of themselves in your store or with your product in exchange for exclusive savings, coupons, or invitations to private sales.

Jazz Up Your Site Content

While [A4] social media marketing is a key part of any good digital advertising strategy, the importance of keeping your content fresh and optimized with keywords designed to get your posts in front of your audience can’t be understated. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing leaders experience over seven times more site traffic than non-leaders. Keep the content interesting and relevant, and don’t forget to follow SEO best practices. Also, don’t overlook the power of providing unexpected and creative extras, like a study time music playlist.

Create a Cross-Platform Experience

As [A5] important as keeping the strategy and content fresh on your social media pages, website, and mobile apps may be, it’s even more important to give your audience a seamless experience across all platforms. This is a great way to increase customer engagement, reach them at different points in the buying process, and increase the odds of your customers becoming and staying loyal to your brand.

Use Different Voices for Different Audiences

Understand [A6] who you’re talking to and tailor your content and ads accordingly. Kids want to know that it’s “cool,” while adults need to understand why they should invest money in your brand. Likewise, what excites someone in junior high is going to be very different from the things that college kids enjoy. Use a more authoritative tone in your blog posts and social media content to engage with adults.

Tip: Don’t overlook the fact that teachers are part of the BTS demographic, and they often bring additional spending power to the table!

Partner with Community Groups

Take [A7] a page out of grassroots marketing efforts and create partnerships with local community groups to increase your brand’s reach, which is also a great way to build a local presence. A few examples include offering coupons to YMCA members or discounts to summer camp kids and parents.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to adopting innovative, fresh digital marketing strategies. BTS and BTC are huge opportunities for businesses and marketers alike to get in on that $82 billion of spending while increasing brand recognition and reaching out to their target customer.

 [A1]Source: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/summer-back-school-marketing/309647/

 [A2]Source: https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/back-school-and-college-spending-reach-828-billion

 [A3]Sources: https://info.wyng.com/blog/7-back-to-school-visual-marketing-ideas

https://www.godigitalmarketing.com/learn/blog/how-to-use-social-media-for-your-back-to-school-promotions

 [A4]Sources: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-search-engine-optimization

https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/08/content-marketing-stats/

 [A5]Sources: https://www.econsultancy.com/blog/69690-what-is-cross-channel-marketing-and-why-do-you-need-it

https://www.revlocal.com/blog/paid-advertising/this-is-why-you-need-a-cross-platform-advertising-strategy

 [A6]Sources: https://marketingland.com/smarter-approach-back-school-marketing-213807

https://www.kingstonwebworks.com/back-school-marketing-tips/

 [A7]Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280211