When developing a sales campaign, we recommend a goal of launching up to 3 sales campaigns for the year. Each campaign should have a pre planning stage, a sales time frame, and a closing stage. Please plan out your sales accordingly and have all the material needed. Here is a game plan most schools use.
3 WEEKS BEFORE yearbook sale date(s) — create and organize the announcements, posters and other materials needed to promote yearbook sales. Make sure you take advantage of any promotional materials provided by your yearbook publisher.
2 WEEKS BEFORE yearbook sale date(s) — hang up posters and begin “Creating
Excitement and Awareness” about the yearbook.
1 WEEK BEFORE yearbook sale date(s) — continue promoting yearbook sales
happening the next week. Send letters home and post info on school marquee. Have
announcements begin!
SALES WEEK — Have fun executing the sales activities you had planned and
taking orders!
1 WEEK AFTER SALES— all funds have been collected
and accounted for. Enter buyers’ names and payment amounts into
a tracking system or spreadsheet software so you know who
has purchased the book, and can use that list later on when
distributing books when they a bookkeeper or bank if you
have not done so already, to ensure that the yearbook funds
are secured.
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING TIPS:
• Gradually increase the cost of the yearbook for each sale campaign.
• Create special packages for buyers that can include options such as name stamping or an ad space along with the price of a yearbook.
• Consider adding options to all your offering—this can increase sales!
• Develop a system to track and report sales, as well as balances due by buyers.
• Consider offering a payment plan for students who cannot afford to pay for a yearbook at
one time. Make sure you stress a nonrefundable deposit.
• Consider offering families with multiple children at your school a discount for a second or third yearbook.
• Tie in gift certificates/gift cards during the holidays.
• Consider using sales letters in both English and Spanish.
• Make sure to offer Parent or Senior Ads during some of the sale campaigns.
• Use your school website as a sales tool by posting prices and deadlines for sales.
Survival Tip:
Consider developing a sales brochure and order form you can leave in the front office for campus visitors to review. Many times parents come on campus to visit the nurse’s office, the attendance office, or the front office. These three places are great locations for brochures so parents can learn about your yearbook sales campaign.
You may want to contact the feeder middle schools and elementary schools
to see if you can leave brochures on their campuses as well. Many times
classmates may have a younger sibling attending one of these schools. The
more exposure to parents, the better.