Head of the Class

Four ways to improve your back-to-school ads

The words “back to school” may bring dread and despair to kids around the world, but they usually have the opposite effect for advertisers who offer goods and services that students need. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, back-to-school spending was expected to reach $18.4 billion in 2007, and back-to-college spending was expected to hit $47.3 billion.

Many school years now begin in August, so it’s time to refresh your back-to-school campaigns. To get good grades on your pre-school year sales, consider tips for these areas:

1. Personal Electronics
Ad copy for personal electronics like laptops and cell phones should focus on sales, rather than repair. If you happen to offer both sales and service, concentrate on sales this month to make your ads more relevant to people looking to stock up for school. Ads for electronics items should stress the brand names of the products, not just the type of electronics that are offered.

2. Textbooks
If your site sells electronic textbooks or audio textbooks in addition to traditional paper textbooks, you can mention this fact—but keep the emphasis on traditional textbooks in ad copy. Including info on alternative textbooks isn’t a bad thing, but students are still looking for a book they can put into their backpacks.

Also, it’s no secret that textbooks are pricey, so keep an eye on price points for textbooks. Talk about your great deals, but if they seem too great, it may raise red flags. Avoid claims that may deter shoppers, such as offers of 99-cent textbooks.

3. Student Loans
Student-loan sites should focus primarily on student loans in their ads, no matter how many other types of loans they offer. It’s a more relevant message for someone looking just for student loans.

4. Retail near Campus
Local shops near college campuses should consider geo-targeted campaigns to display their ads to students looking for things to do and buy. Bike shops, record stores, restaurants and other businesses that appeal to students are especially good candidates for locally oriented ads that mention the school’s name.

Of course, the standard best practices for writing ads still apply here: Include the keyword in your title and/or descriptions, use ad copy that is highly relevant to your offering, and include competitive advantages in your ads.

If you don’t procrastinate, and follow these suggestions now, it should help your back-to-school campaigns get straight A’s with students, parents and anyone else looking to stock up for school.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brandi Tressler