As summer comes to a close, kids reluctantly trade in their swim trunks for school supplies. The back-to-school season holds tremendous significance for consumers and marketers alike. Back-to-school is the second busiest shopping season, trailing only the winter holidays. The wrong marketing strategy during this key back-to-school season can cause a successful business to earn a failing grade. This makes it all the more important for marketers to capitalize on the opportunity to use email and social media marketing to build their brand, strengthen recognition and engagement, and stand out from competitors.
How do you distinguish your company from the rest? Here are some ways to put your back-to-school email and social media marketing strategy well on track towards graduating to the next level:
- Integrate social media into your email marketing strategy: Social media is particularly effective in creating conversations. Incorporate Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons on your emails, and encourage subscribers to provide commentary and share messages that resonate with your constituents. Integrating email through social media makes it easier for customers to forward your newsletters, and helps you gain the attention of a larger audience. SMBs are challenged to continually expand their customer reach, and this approach can help you appeal to thousands of consumers who may not have been on your initial radar screen. Use social media to engage consumers in discussions where their voice can be heard.
- Engage your audience: Consumers are apt to share information and opinions when they are part of a larger, dynamic conversation. Some seasonal and relevant conversation starters include: “Share your tips for getting kids organized for back-to-school”; “What are your must-have items for outfitting a new college dorm room?”; or, “What are your must-have back-to-school buys?” Additionally, encourage your audience to post photos or videos on your social media channels as creative ways to show their participation or engagement with the product or service.
- Reward top participants: Offer incentives for customers to get involved. Prizes or discounts for top responses to questions such as: “What do you like most about the back-to-school season?” Contests, coupons or other incentives are great ways to boost engagement and expand the reach of social media content.
- Add creativity to your subject line: Add creative adjectives to your messaging to spruce up bland emails, or offer free or seasonal gifts with purchase to attract customer interest while purging slow-moving inventory. Creative language or unique offers will ensure that your emails get noticed in crowded email in-boxes. Instead of posting generic messages, take the time to consider what is top-of-mind with consumers, and create content that is timely and unique.
- Speak up: Rather than rushing immediately toward a sale or coupon, offer relevant industry news and information in your emails. Customers are interested in the brand behind the business, and will take the information you share seriously. Offer tips about tackling homework, study skills, or seasonal industry trends. Tips are often shared by consumers, and this strategy can help your business stand out from the competition and may increase your standing with email subscribers.
Many businesses are aware of the enormous marketing potential available during back-to-school season, yet fail to capitalize on the full benefits of using email to deliver relevant and timely content to consumers. Businesses can stand out by adopting creative and strategic email and social media marketing strategies. Utilizing these tips can help businesses take advantage of this busy back-to-school season, while also building strategies to incorporate throughout the year.
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As iContact’s Chief Product, Marketing and Strategy Officer, Jeff Revoy is responsible for marketing, product management and corporate strategy. Revoy has more than 20 years of workplace experience in Internet, search and social media at both early-stage and Fortune 500 companies. Before joining the iContact team, he worked for Yahoo! both in the U.S. and Europe where he held Vice President and General Manager positions at Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Answers. In addition, he has held leadership positions with Embarq, InterTrust, and GameHouse.