Some Points to Consider:
Some schools do not have to conduct a sales campaign to sell yearbooks. These schools include the yearbook in the tuition of every student on campus. If you are one of these schools, you raise revenue via tuition funds. Your major focus will then be marketing the popularity of the book and promoting ad sales.
If you are not a school with tuition funds paying for your yearbook, then you will need to embark in a sales campaign to sell as many yearbooks as possible to as many people as possible. You will have opportunities to sell to multiple buyers. Make sure you do not ignore any person or group. Your goal is to maximize sales.
Students – do not ignore underclassmen or younger grades. Your yearbook covers all students on campus…not just the graduating class.
Teachers – Many teachers fail to purchase yearbooks because they are never asked. Take time to develop a special campaign to target all adults on campus, including support staff, paraprofessionals, administration, district personnel, school board, etc. If giving books away has been a tradition, remember that nothing is free… every buyer has subsidized any yearbook you give away.
Local Businesses – Have you ever considered this option? Consider packaging a yearbook with any ad you sell.
The next step in developing an yearbook sales campaign is to identify your cost & develop your offerings:
Review your quote from your publisher and also forecast all your expenses and then plan your income via book sales, ads, etc.
Develop a best – most likely – worst case scenario when it comes to looking at your budget. Once you calculate all expenses and income, add a cushion of about 10% to help plan for the unexpected.
Establish a standard price of your yearbook and then consider offering discount coupons for early buyers as well as raising the price for late buyers.
Example:
Early Buyers: $45 (first sale – Sept/Oct)
Standard Fee: $50 (regular sale – November)
Late Buyers: $60 (After Jan – when books arrive)
Review all additional options of merchandise you can sell to your buyers. Any offer you consider should pay for itself plus raise additional revenue for your program. These offers can include:
- Name stamping (getting your name in foil on the front lid of your yearbook or on an adhesive name plate
- Autograph pages/booklets/sections
- Plastic/Vinyl yearbook covers
- Yearbook DVD supplement
- Yearbook Recognition Ad
- Special commemorative autograph pen
The next step in developing a yearbook sales campaign is to prepare the tools you will need to launch your campaign. You will need the following:
- Promotion Posters – post around main traffic areas at school
- 8.5 x 11 Flyers/Announcements for Posting In Classrooms
- Sales Coupons (should you wish to offer special incentive for purchase – include expiration date)
- Receipt Pads/Forms – check to see if district requires certain receipt pads
- Sales Letters/Brochures to mail home – You need to announce sales campaign to parents. See if you can mail home or send home an announcement to let parents know. Also consider posting brochures at attendance office, front office, etc.
- Promo ads to publish in school paper/programs
- PTA/PTO/School Web page to promote sale
- Emails
- School Newsletter
- Social Media
Next time we’ll discuss your timeline for your sales campaign.