Boost Business With Back to School Promotions

With the start of the school year just mere weeks away for some, it's hard to believe that the graduating class of 2008 is about to take their place in the academic world. Whether they're in college, high school, or even elementary school, the one fact that's known is that major retailers are focusing on the back to school season even earlier than usual. Bed, Bath, and Beyond launched their "College Bound" seasonal department at the end of June, placing their summer merchandise in the clearance section. Armed with the knowledge that many local elementary and high schools were just beginning their summer vacations, I still wasn't surprised by the display. In the retail market "Merry Christmas" is posted in stores and malls before kids have even put the final touches on their Halloween costumes, or uttered the words "Trick or Treat."

In the promotional products world, the term "Shop Early" is gospel to some customers. Purchasing promotional products early not only allows buyers to avoid rush charges, but it can have a distinct impact, if the promotional item is a seasonal giveaway. The "Back to School" market is no different. Retailers don't need to be the only ones capitalizing on the revenue brought in by lap desks, bean bag, chairs and dorm accessories. The average business can gain revenue by promoting themselves with back to school items as well. Here are five tips as to how to go about gaining the revenue of the back to school market, even if you aren't in the business of selling extra-long sheets and binders.

-Know your target audience. If you know who you're aiming to reach, it'll make it ten times easier to pick a promotional item. After school tutoring programs could benefit from handing out imprinted folders or book covers more so then an imprinted pencil or pen, because there's a better chance of parents seeing them.

-Stick with the classics. According to the National Retail Federation, the average mid-western family will spend approximately $521 on school supplies this summer. And here's another fact that needs no official reference: they don't want to. Imprinted rulers and calculators are simple items and though they may seem boring, especially with the vast assortment of promotional items available, they'll get used. Why? They're classic and they're on every school's back to school shopping list!

-If you have the money to be tech savvy, go for it. The flash memory market is huge. Mom and pop stores are most likely not going to be able to afford to hand out promotional usb drives, but banks specializing in loans should consider them. Offer them up in August as an incentive to open a student checking account, and load them with data about handling your own finances for the first time. Parents and students will be appreciative.

-Think Long-term. The items that students have at the beginning of the school year don't usually last until the end of it. Giving out a promotional planner, for instance ensures that students will have something that can use all year round. That's 12 months of branding, right there.

-Pens are ALWAYS in demand. The typical student, college or otherwise, will always be in search of a writing instrument. Offer up a free pen imprinted with your logo, and it will save them the trouble and cost of buying pens. Promotional pens are excellent ways to brand your message as they're almost always loaned out, which means your message is circulating. And in the end, isn't that really the intention?

Sarah Shepherd is an E-Marketing consultant for Motivators.com, a leading supplier of custom imprinted promotional products. The fully e-commerce enabled website boasts over 28,000 customizable promotional products and is accessible 24 hours a day at http://www.motivators.com.Alvina Blog99946
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